NBL, WNBL, and Basketball Australia Partner with Social Protect to Combat Online Abuse

The National Basketball League (NBL), Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), and Basketball Australia (BA) have announced a partnership with Social Protect, designating the platform as the official Online Safety Partner for Australia’s premier professional basketball leagues.

The partnership ensures that all players, coaches, and officials across the NBL, WNBL, and NBL1 competitions gain access to Social Protect’s real-time platform. This cutting-edge technology is designed to proactively monitor, detect, and automatically remove online harassment and abuse across major social platforms, tracking over two million abusive words and phrases in more than 100 languages.

The move directly addresses the escalating challenge of online toxicity, particularly concerning female athletes.

Highlighting the urgent need for decisive action, WNBL CEO, Jennie Sager, said:  “Female athletes are targeted with nearly 20% more online abuse than their male peers, and 85% say it impacts their well-being. That’s a reality we refuse to ignore.”

“Our partnership with Social Protect is a decisive step in standing up for our players. It gives them the tools, protection and confidence they deserve, so they can own their voice online, and not be silenced by those hiding behind keyboards,” Sager said. 

Stressing the importance of the partnership in reinforcing league values, NBL Group CEO, David Stevenson, added: “The well-being of our players and the wider basketball community is always our highest priority.”

“Partnering with Social Protect allows us to proactively address one of the biggest challenges facing athletes today and provide real, tangible protection from online abuse,” Stevenson commented.

Confirming that the partnership reinforces the organisation’s commitment to its Safe Sport Framework, CEO of Basketball Australia, Matt Scriven, noted: “This partnership with Social Protect reinforces that standard by giving athletes at all levels real protection against online abuse and a safer environment to participate, connect and grow.”

The platform also provides users with a “Quarantine Zone” to review removed comments and allows for the escalation of serious threats to league officials or law enforcement.

Furthermore, an Education Hub equips athletes with resources for digital security and privacy management.

The commitment extends across the entire NBL Group ecosystem, ensuring that athletes across all levels of Australian basketball are supported by cutting-edge monitoring and well-being technology.

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