Sky Sports presenter Alison Bender reports rape threat on Instagram, calls online abuse 'common' for women in sports broadcasting
Bender posted screenshots of the message, said she blocked and reported the sender and urged social-media platforms to be more accountable.
Sky Sports News presenter Alison Bender said she received a rape threat via Instagram on 10 September 2025 and described such messages as "pretty common place" for women working in sports broadcasting.
Bender posted screenshots to her Instagram story showing a direct message in which a user threatened to sexually assault her "in front of her children." She overlaid one image with the caption "Blocked and reported" and later responded to followers who expressed shock and sympathy, saying she had become used to receiving abusive messages from some users on social platforms.
In a series of follow-up posts, Bender wrote that many of her female colleagues encounter similar abuse and urged social-media companies to do more to deter and punish offenders. "You should be verified and accountable," she said, adding that what worried her most was how desensitised she had become to the volume and severity of online harassment. She told followers she was "absolutely fine" and thanked the majority of her audience for support.
Bender has worked for Real Madrid TV, ESPN and Premier League Productions. She has previously spoken publicly about challenges faced by women covering football, including an episode in which she said she was "shooed away" from Real Madrid training under Fabio Capello and having to express breast milk in stadium toilets while on assignment.
Her posts drew messages of support from colleagues and viewers. The disclosure follows other recent cases in which female sports presenters reported abusive and threatening messages. Last year, TNT Sports host Laura Woods said she received death threats directed at her unborn child following commentary on a dispute in Olympic boxing involving athlete Imane Khelif.
Bender said she reported the Instagram account to the platform and blocked the user. She framed her decision to publish the screenshots as an attempt to highlight the frequency of abuse faced by women in the industry and to pressure social platforms to adopt stronger protections and enforcement measures.
Social media companies have faced ongoing criticism from journalists and campaigners over their handling of harassment and threats. Calls for greater verification of accounts, faster removal of abusive content, and clearer avenues for reporting have been made by media organisations and women's groups in recent years.
Bender's account of the threat and her subsequent posts add to a broader public conversation about safety for women working in sports media and the responsibilities of technology platforms to limit harassment that can follow public figures into their personal lives.