“Online harassment is becoming increasingly toxic,” Katherine Legge speaks out after receiving online threats
The former Iron Dames driver, who now races in Nascar, reveals that she has received death threats and several violent insults since joining the category in early March.
It’s not the best of experiences. Since her debut in motorsport, Katherine Legge has competed in numerous categories: endurance racing, IndyCar, DTM… And since the beginning of this year, the 44-year-old Briton has moved to Nascar.
But her first steps in this new competition did not go as planned. During the race weekend at Rockingham, she was involved in an accident. As she was about to be lapped by the leaders, William Sawalich collided with her at the entrance to turn 1, causing her car to lose control, which led to her retirement from the race.
Shortly after this incident, violent hate messages were posted on social media. Death threats, insults, hateful messages… The whole nine yards. The driver decided to speak out and denounce these acts.
I think it’s more common among women in sports, especially in male-dominated sports, because we stand out more.
« Online harassment is becoming more and more toxic, and I think it needs to be called out. It’s shocking to read such hateful comments. It seems like there’s a whole online movement where people think it’s acceptable to say things they would never have the courage to say to someone in real life or things they absolutely shouldn’t say », she told CNN.
If this phenomenon is far from new in sports – with several athletes having faced threats from bookmakers after losing a bet – Katherine Legge suspects one thing. That because she is a woman, she is more likely to be targeted and affected by such remarks.
« I think it is more common among women in sports, especially in male-dominated sports, because we stand out more. Some people think we are a gimmick or that we shouldn’t be there and that we haven’t earned our place. »
Support from several actors
« It’s simply mind-blowing, because I would never do it. I would never go on the Internet to try to put someone else down in order to feel superior. »
Contacted by CNN, the NASCAR boss took the matter very seriously. “I want to be perfectly clear: we condemn this behavior. It’s unacceptable, it doesn’t suit NASCAR, the sport, or the world,” assured Steve Phelps. “She’s a woman who has had a lot of success in all disciplines of motorsport and we want her here in NASCAR. They can express their opinions and hatred outside of NASCAR, because there’s simply no room for that.”
