Threat Control: As Reports of Harassment and Stalking of Athletes Escalate at All Levels of Sport, Cooperative Efforts Are Emerging to Combat Bad Actors, Published in GAMEDAY SECURITY Magazine

An article published on December 18 in the Fall/Winter 2025 edition of Gameday Security Magazine quoted Segal McCambridge Shareholder Carla Varriale-Barker in an analysis discussing the alarming rise in athlete harassment and stalking fueled by sports betting and social media access. At least 52 reports of alleged stalking incidents have occurred since 2020, and due to this growing urgency, the article lays out various solutions to protect athletes at all levels.   

"I like the fact that we're thinking about this through a wider lens. It intersects with tort law, and it's also a cybercrime and a cyber harassment issue with regulatory challenges," says Varriale-Barker. 

The NCAA released a report indicating that sports betting contributes to 12% of all social media abuse during NCAA championships. The organization is collaborating with Venmo to combat student-athlete harassment after their recent findings depicted that betting-related abuse of student-athletes dropped slightly, but the percentage of online sexual harassment increased. 

“I think the answer at this point is to take action with the really significant online abuse and also educate athletes, sports officials, and the general public about its harmful effects," she says. 

Read the story in full: click here (page 7)