After Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) got eliminated from the playoffs in the Indian Premier League 2023, a section of so-called "fans" took to social media to abuse Shubman Gill and his sister Shahneel Gill. These people have gone overboard with their abuse and are posting death threats. While it’s okay to be an enthusiastic and passionate fan of a sports team, isn’t it problematic when so-called fans begin hurling abuse when the team doesn’t perform well?
The "fans" wished for the cricketer's death, cursed him, and abused his sister. She’s being name-called, abused, and harassed by random fake ids. While the disgusting treatment of Shubman Gill is horrifying, the abusers took it to another level when they targeted his sister, who is in no way connected to the match or the sport.
One user went to the extent of posting Shahneel Gill’s Instagram handle on Twitter and encouraged fellow trolls to abuse her.
Cricket Fans Abuse Shubman Gill Sister
Shahneel Gill’s photos are splashed across social media with derogatory comments. Is this what sportspeople and their families receive for playing for the nation? What kind of society are we living in if one match loss is enough to unleash the ugliest sides of so-called fans?
Cricket fans have been hitting a new low in recent times, as this is not the first incident where female members of the cricket team were targeted when fans were dissatisfied with their performances.
Indian Skipper Virat Kohli’s then 10-month-old daughter received rape threats from a Twitter user after India lost a T20 match against New Zealand in 2021. In 2020, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s daughter also received rape threats from a teenager in Gujarat following the Chennai Super Kings' poor performance in the Indian Premier League.
The Spirit Of Sports
The sport of cricket itself is about unity and sportsmanship. Being fans of the sport and sharing a passion for it, shouldn’t these people learn some virtues that go with the game? Why are fans taking defeat so personally? Do these people so completely lack morality and conscience that they stoop down to the level of abusing women and children? How can these people be fans if all it takes is one poor performance or failed match for them to abuse their female family members and wish death upon players?
People get emotionally connected to the sports they watch, be it cricket, football, or any other sport. Do they forget that winning and losing are just parts of the sport? Every player gives their best in every match they play. But at the end of the day, there’s going to be only one winner. Does this mean that every time a team loses, the fans of the team are entitled to get enraged and abuse sportspeople and their families?
This attitude that a section of fans exhibits is highly problematic and misleading. Trolls are hiding behind the veil of anonymity to harass, abuse, and give death threats to the cricketer, and decided it was not enough toxicity and began to abuse his sister as well.
Why do these men take the liberty to misuse the anonymous status social media gives them despite knowing what they are doing is wrong? Isn’t it high time that such criminal actions are strictly condemned and penalised?
Image Credits: Shahneel Gill via Instagram
Views expressed are the author's own, not the platform's
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