While Twitter has done wonders for athletes and sports fans, all too often the social media platform can prove brutally demoralizing.
Actress Ashley Judd discovered this lesson the hard way over the weekend.
The diehard Kentucky Wildcats fan was at the SEC tournament cheering on her team as it charged through the tournament and advanced to 34-0 on the season. Her tweets from the games, while benign, quickly became fodder for opposing fans:
Bad call on Dakari Johnson then next possession he scores. Exemplifies this team. Toughness. @KentuckyMBB @marchmadness UKvsFLA @tomleachKY
— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) March 13, 2015
Okay. I'm not a referee commentor but my oh my there have been some glaringly bad ones. #BBN @marchmadness
— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) March 13, 2015
When when I express a stout opinion during #MarchMadness I am called a whore, c---, threatened with sexual violence. Not okay.
— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) March 15, 2015
Of course, some fans were more civil in their disagreement:
@thehaint And how I appreciate civil dissent. Thank you.
— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) March 16, 2015
During an appearance Monday on MSNBC Judd discussed the "shaming culture on social media" and added that she would be pressing charges against some of the people who went after her.
Even that message provoked some vile on Twitter, and Judd was quick to respond.
@RobertFarmer So. He's been hitting you a long time. She's been stealing from you a long time. Ongoing abuse = deal with it?
— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) March 16, 2015
Kentucky enters the NCAA tournament as the top overall seed and the favorite to win the championship. If the Wildcats do advance to the Final Four, expect Judd to be watching in person.
Count on it. “@bethhohlier: when Kentucky makes it to the final 4 I expect to see you in your old home away from home in Indy
— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) March 14, 2015
