(Cupventi.com) – In an incident that has sparked controversy and raised questions about sexism in sports coverage, a woman attending the men’s College World Series on Monday night has spoken out against ESPN for its broadcast that inadvertently drew parallels to a viral video and subjected her to online harassment.
The incident occurred during Game 3 between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas A&M Aggies when ESPN’s cameras captured two women, later identified as Annie J from TikTok and her friend, enjoying ice cream. The innocuous scene turned sour when commentators Karl Ravech and his colleague made remarks about the women’s task of finishing their ice cream before it melted in the heat.
“You gotta get it before it melts and it’s liquid,” Ravech commented, with his co-commentator chiming in, “A night like tonight you’re working fast.”
For Annie J, what followed was unexpected and disturbing. She woke up to a barrage of comments on TikTok comparing her to Hailey Welch, famously known as the “Hawk Tuah” girl, who gained notoriety for comments made in a video shot in Nashville. The unwanted association quickly spiraled into derogatory and offensive remarks directed at Annie and her friend.
“It was a 20-second segment of just us eating ice cream or licking our ice cream – 20 seconds, dedicated. With commentary! To just us eating our ice cream,” Annie recounted in a video response. “And, lo and behold, the creeps on TikTok got a hold of it because we woke up getting compared to the Hawk Tuah girl, which, no shade to her. Girl, do whatever.”
Expressing her frustration and anger at the situation, Annie criticized ESPN for allowing such commentary to air without considering the implications for those involved. She condemned the online harassment she faced as “repulsive” and accused the network of perpetuating an environment where women feel unwelcome and objectified.
“When I tell you the comments section of that video is absolutely repulsing to know that there are people who have families in their profiles and their profile photos smiling away with the kids that they’re raising – feel bad for them and their dad… It is so beyond evidence that women are not welcome in the sports world,” she passionately asserted.
Annie also revealed her conscious effort to avoid any potentially controversial actions while being filmed, such as refraining from eating a hot dog out of fear of further inappropriate commentary.
“What’s funnier than a woman eating an ice cream cone or eating a hot dog or something that can be overly sexualized,” she questioned. “But ESPN can keep it vague enough, and the ambiguity is what protects them — when they just open the door for f—ing creeps to come in and do whatever they want with it.”
Her frustration culminated in a pointed message to ESPN, where she criticized the network for perpetuating an environment that undermines women’s comfort and safety in sports settings.
“So, to ESPN, stop contributing to the issue and stop making sports a place where women don’t feel safe and welcome. We can’t eat in peace. We can’t wear clothes in peace. We literally can’t do anything without it being sexualized and absolutely turned into something way out of context,” she concluded.