Football Clubs Join Forces to Combat Online Abuse with Advertising Boycott

Strategic Insights -

English football clubs are exploring ways to take a stand against online abuse and hate speech by joining an advertising boycott of companies that fail to promote inclusion and diversity. The move comes in the wake of a 12-year-old boy's arrest for sending racist messages to Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha on Instagram. Premier League clubs are in discussions with the Conscious Advertising Network (CAN), which aims to stop advertisers funding companies that fuel hatred. The CAN has already attracted over 70 members, and Stop Funding Hate is leading the push for English football clubs to join forces and demand action from tech companies.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Conscious Advertising Network (CAN) advocates for action by advertisers to make hate unprofitable, advising companies that sign up to its code to avoid advertising with media outlets that fuel hatred.
  • More than 70 companies have already joined the CAN, including top brands that have paused advertising on Facebook over its failure to deal with hate speech.
  • English football clubs are discussing joining the CAN to take a stand against online abuse and hate speech, with the Premier League's chief executive, Richard Masters, emphasizing that tackling the issue must be a priority.
  • The Professional Footballers' Association is calling for the UK's media regulator, Ofcom, to be given stronger powers to control social media.
  • Last month, the Premier League launched a portal for players, coaches, and managers to report online discriminatory abuse, which has already received complaints exceeding those reported publicly.

Statistics:

  • Over 100 US companies have paused advertising on Facebook over the past month as part of the Stop Hate for Profit campaign.
  • More than 70 companies have joined the Conscious Advertising Network (CAN) to advocate for action against hate speech.
  • The Premier League has launched a portal for reporting online abuse, which has already exceeded the number of publicly reported complaints.

Sources:

  • Editors, BBC Sport (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/)
  • Stop Funding Hate (https://www.stopfundinghate.org/)
  • Conscious Advertising Network (CAN) (https://www.consciousadvertisingnetwork.org/)
  • The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/)