Alison Bender, a familiar presenter on Sky Sports News and contributor for Real Madrid TV, has bravely spoken out about the abuses she has endured in her work.
Sports presenter Alison Bender has drawn attention by publicly revealing that she received a horrific sexual assault threat on Instagram. According to her account, the anonymous sender even threatened to sexually attack her in front of her children.
Bender said she immediately blocked and reported the account, but what hurt her most was that she was no longer surprised by such incidents, while many others expressed shock, outrage, and sympathy.
She acknowledged that this is a common situation faced by many female colleagues in the sports industry. She shared her story publicly in hopes of putting pressure to end such behavior, emphasizing that social media platforms need to take stronger action.
According to Bender, users must be verified and held accountable for their actions, rather than hiding behind anonymous accounts. “My greatest concern is that I’m becoming desensitized, gradually numb to moral wrongs, because I’ve been exposed to online abuse too often,” Bender shared.
However, the presenter also expressed gratitude to the majority of her audience and followers who consistently support and encourage her in both work and life.
In fact, this is not the first time Bender has opened up about the difficulties of being a woman in football. In 2020, she admitted she had to work much harder than men: researching Champions League history herself, reading all documents to master knowledge, because “even a small slip of the tongue could ruin a female reporter’s career.”
Bender was even subtly “dismissed” by coach Fabio Capello during a Real Madrid training session, and often faced scrutinizing looks whenever she exchanged phone numbers with industry contacts.
Bender’s story once again highlights the harsh realities women in sports face—not only on the field but also behind the scenes, where bias and online abuse remain pressing, unresolved issues.