As women's sports grows, so do the threats to racialized athletes

This past weekend, both the Women's Euros and the Women's African Cup of Nations crowned new champions, with England and Nigeria, respectively, emerging victorious.

For the WEuros, hosted in Switzerland, 29 of 31 matches were sold out, setting a record for overall attendance with more than 650,000 tickets sold. The African finals, held in Rabat, Morocco, saw views and engagement online skyrocket from previous tournaments, largely because of partnerships with YouTube, TikTok and X. Prize money has increased and merchandise is flying off the shelves. 

On this side of the pond, as the new Northern Super League advances boldly into the second half of the season, we can feel the energy and the power of the movement that is global women's soccer.

But not all is coming up roses. There were deplorable instances of racism and misogyny around the WEuros and it begs the question, with the growth of women's soccer, do we also see a burgeoning cloud of racism expanding overhead? With all the growth and attention, does it come with heightened forms of abuse in women's sport? This has been reported on with respect to the WNBA, and reporting shows that there is a "darker vibe shift" in women's sports spaces. Discussions of safety protocols and strategies should be top of mind. 

Jess Carter of England's Lionesses and NWSL's Gotham FC posted online that she was stepping away from social media because of the rampant racist and misogynistic abuse she received after England lost their first match against France. The national team rallied around her and there was a sweep of support online for Carter and other Black players. The issue isn't only singling out a particular player for their ill-perceived performance. It's that attacks on