Areto Hate Speech Index: A New Benchmark for Tracking Digital Harms in Sports
Q1 2025 Analysis
❗ Hate speech online is up 58%. Here’s what you need to know.
The Index rose sharply in late 2024, climbing from a baseline of 100 in Q1 2024 to 158.4 in Q1 2025 — a 58% increase year-over-year. Despite a seasonal dip in Q3 2024, abuse surged again heading into 2025.
We’re proud to launch the Areto Hate Speech Index—a first-of-its-kind benchmark for tracking the volume and intensity of hate speech online, especially across sports, media and public discourse.
Just like a stock or consumer index, the Areto Index provides a standardized, data-driven score that reflects harmful content trends across social media platforms. It’s powered by millions of data points from Areto’s AI moderation engine, aggregating content from Meta, TikTok and YouTube in 50+ languages across regions including Canada, the US, the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
With data from over 44 sports league and club ecosystems, the Index is updated quarterly, providing a real-time snapshot of how and where online harm is evolving.
📈 Q1 2025 Index Overview
| Category | Q1 2025 Index | % Change from Q1 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| General | 158 | +58% |
| Women’s Sports | 167 | +67% |
| Men’s Sports | 146 | +46% |
| Racism | 213 | +113% |
| Sexism | 320 | +220% |
| Homophobia | 88 | -12% |
| Transphobia | 233 | +123% |
🔍 What the Areto Hate Speech Index Is Telling Us
Key insights:
Women’s sports saw a higher prevalence of abuse than men’s sports throughout the year.
Abuse fluctuates with major events, showing how global attention can dramatically shift the online climate.
💡 High Stakes Can Shift The Global Index
One of the most significant shifts in the Index was driven by the India vs Australia five-test cricket series held in December and January. Cricket is the most popular sport in both countries, and when two of the world’s top teams face off, it doesn’t just captivate national audiences — it draws global attention. With India’s massive population and a deeply passionate, worldwide cricket fanbase, the series sparked millions of social media comments.
Alongside the intense rivalry, the popularity of betting on cricket added another layer of tension, amplifying emotions and contributing to an increase in online abuse. This combination of high engagement and heightened stakes led to a clear spike in toxic content, demonstrating how major sporting events in large, globally-engaged markets can significantly influence the overall Index.
📉 The Q3 Dip: A Seasonal Breather
The Index dropped to 82 in Q3 2024. Why?
North American leagues were in pre-season/early season
European teams were just kicking off
New Zealand and Australia were in very late or off-season
The post-Olympics attention cooldown also played a role
But the reprieve didn’t last. The Index jumped 83% in Q4, then continued upward into Q1 2025.
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⛹🏽♀️ Women’s Sports Bear the Brunt
While online abuse is rising across the board, women’s sports consistently face higher levels of toxicity, ending Q1 2025 at 167 compared to 146 for men’s sports.
📈 Women’s Sports Index
| Quarter | Index | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2024 | 260 | +160% |
| Q3 2024 | 233 | -13% |
| Q4 2024 | 201 | -14% |
| Q1 2025 | 167 | -17% |
Even with quarterly decreases, levels remain significantly above the baseline.
📈 Men’s Sports Index
| Quarter | Index | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2024 | 152 | +52% |
| Q3 2024 | 77 | -49% |
| Q4 2024 | 144 | +87% |
| Q1 2025 | 146 | +1% |
Abuse targeting men’s sports is also rising, but remains lower and less volatile than in women’s sports.
❌ Sexism and Transphobia are Setting the Pace
Quarterly trends show these categories consistently leading in volatility and growth, with sexism hitting an index high of 340 and transphobia tripling over just two quarters.
📈 Areto Hate Speech Index By Category
Racism
| Quarter | Racism Index | Quarterly Change |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2024 | 100 | - |
| Q3 2024 | 90 | -10% |
| Q4 2024 | 228 | +138% |
| Q1 2025 | 213 | -7% |
Sexism
| Quarter | Sexism Index | Quarterly Change |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2024 | 120 | +20% |
| Q3 2024 | 80 | -33% |
| Q4 2024 | 340 | +325% |
| Q1 2025 | 320 | -6% |
Homophobia
| Quarter | Homophobia Index | Quarterly Change |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2024 | 236 | +136% |
| Q3 2024 | 61 | -74% |
| Q4 2024 | 73 | +19% |
| Q1 2025 | 88 | +20% |
Transphobia
| Quarter | Transphobia Index | Quarterly Change |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2024 | 100 | 0% |
| Q3 2024 | 33 | -67% |
| Q4 2024 | 167 | +406% |
| Q1 2025 | 233 | +40% |
🔍 What the Index Is Telling Us
Key Insights:
Racism Year-Over-Year: 113% increase
Racism saw a sharp rise through Q4 2024, peaking at 228. However, it slightly decreased by 7% in Q1 2025, settling at 213. Despite the slight drop, levels remain well above baseline. The Q4 surge can be attributed to heightened engagement around the India vs Australia cricket series and the passions stirred by betting-related discussions, further fueled by intense fandom.
Sexism Year-Over-Year: 220% increase
Sexism shows a concerning upward trend, especially in Q4 2024 where the index surged to 340 — a 183% increase from Q2 2024. While there was a slight dip of 6% in Q1 2025 (to 320), it still represents a 220% increase year-over-year. This increase aligns with the growing visibility and success of women’s sports and the rise of the manosphere, which may be contributing to hostile online discourse.
Homophobia Year-Over-Year: -12% decrease
Homophobia saw volatility in 2024. After a peak of 136% increase in Q2 2024, it dropped 74% in Q3 2024, and by Q1 2025, it at 12 point under 100 at 88. This fluctuation may be influenced by specific events or campaigns in sports, such as LGBTQ+ awareness campaigns, which tend to drive spikes in online discussions around homophobia.
Transphobia Year-Over-Year: 133% increase
Transphobia exhibited a significant rise, up 67% in Q4 2024 to 167, followed by an additional 40% increase in Q1 2025, reaching 233. This indicates that transphobia is becoming an increasingly pronounced issue in online sports spaces, particularly in light of global discussions about gender and inclusion in sports.
👀 Want to know what your community’s Index score?
The Areto Hate Speech Index measures abuse. Areto Content Moderation Software stops it in its tracks.
To automatically remove digital harms from your online communities, contact us or sign up for a free 2-week trial below👇🏽
Methodology
What is Hate Speech? Areto's Hate Speech Index encompasses both illegal speech (such as threats or incitement to violence) and harmful speech that, while not necessarily illegal, creates an environment where individuals feel unsafe or unwelcome—ultimately leading them to disengage or leave the digital community.
How is the Index calculated? The Areto Index measures the percentage of abusive content by dividing the total number of abusive comments by the total number of comments analyzed across all accounts. This gives us a standardized way to track the volume of harmful content relative to overall engagement.
How was the Index benchmarked? The Index is based on 10 million real-world social media comments from 44 sports leagues and club ecosystems across North America, Europe, New Zealand and Australia. This includes a wide range of teams, leagues, and governing bodies—providing a global benchmark for online abuse in sport.
While Q1 2025 abuse levels are elevated, we anticipate the Areto Hate Speech Index will continue to evolve as our detection models adapt to the shifting nature of online harm—capturing not just the scale, but the speed and volatility of abuse in real time.