NCAA Study Shows Drop in March Madness Betting Abuse

A New Look at Online Abuse

NCAA unveiled its latest study on online abuse during the 2025 Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, conducted with Signify Group’s Threat Matrix.

The study tracked over 1 million social media posts on X, Instagram, and TikTok, targeting 2,032 players, 346 coaches, 136 teams, and 269 officials and committee members.

Of 54,096 flagged posts, 3,161 were confirmed abusive or threatening, leading to 103 investigations and 10 law enforcement referrals.

“One of the first things student-athletes told me was that they were being harassed online by people betting on their games,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said.

The study found a 23% drop in sports betting-related abuse across both tournaments compared to 2024, when 540 such messages, including death threats, were recorded.

Women’s tournament abuse plummeted 83% overall, with betting-related harassment down 66%. The men’s side saw a 36% betting abuse decline, though total abuse spiked 140%, often targeting coaches and selection committees.

“We have been encouraged to record a reduction in sports betting-related abuse,” said Signify CEO Jonathan Hirshler, noting its role in “egregious” threats. The NCAA’s “Don’t Be a Loser” campaign, launched in March 2025, likely contributed, urging fans to curb harassment.

Who’s Taking the Heat

Student-athletes faced less abuse, dropping from 42% of targeted posts in 2024 to 15% in 2025. Coaches and officials, however, bore the brunt, especially on the men’s side.

North Carolina’s Bubba Cunningham, men’s selection committee chair, received “angry, profane” emails from fans over bubble team picks, per local reports.

“A couple coaches’ changes triggered a lot of abuse,” said Clint Hangebrauck, NCAA’s risk management director, noting the mental health toll.

Mississippi State’s Chandler Prater, after a 96-59 loss to USC, faced a barrage of “hateful” messages, mitigated by Signify’s DM protection service. Women’s players still received triple the threats of men.

Online harassment, even reduced, hits hard. The NCAA’s study underscores its mental health impact, with one athlete enduring 1,400 abusive messages in two weeks last year.

“Even if an athlete says they’re fine, this should not be assumed,” the NCAA warned, pushing long-term protections. Since August 2024, Division I schools must offer mental health counseling.

The $3.1 billion wagered on March Madness 2025, up 12% from 2024, fuels risks. Betting-related abuse, though down, often overlaps with racism (10% of posts) and sexism (14%), with women’s players facing “dogwhistle” racial slurs.