A 55 year-old man walks into the courtroom and confidently says “guilty as charged” while he falls into his seat — he just admitted to stalking a woman half his age.
When situations of violence towards women, especially those in the spotlight, are allowed to progress that far, a precedent is set for all women that their concerns may not be taken seriously, especially when the authorities were already made aware of his behavior before it worsened.
It is no doubt that social media played an enormous role in the growth of women’s basketball in recent years, but it has also led to stalking and threatening behavior directed toward them. Female athletes should never live in fear of stalking and threats from delusional and dangerous men, but something needs to be done in order for these women to feel safe as they pursue their careers in the limelight.
On Jan. 8, Michael Thomas Lewis was confronted by police in downtown Indianapolis for the strange and threatening tweets and comments he made about Indianapolis Fever guard and reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, which he downplayed and excused as a “joke” and “a fantasy-type thing,” according to Fox59. Lewis is a resident of Denton, Texas and drove to Indianapolis, which police said was “especially concerning” because of the messages he had been sending Clark, according to Fox59. Despite being confronted by police, Lewis began posting and tagging Clark on X hours later, according to Fox59, and was arrested at a hotel in downtown Indianapolis on Jan. 12.
While Lewis is currently being held in Marion County Jail, the situation never should have been allowed to progress as far as it did. According to CNN, the social media posts alone “actually caused Clark to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated or threatened,” not including the fact he had driven approximately 900 miles to be “in close proximity to the victim.” There should not have been a “warning” involved where Lewis had another opportunity to harass Clark with more tweets and messages. Although I agree with Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, who said it takes a lot of courage for women to come forward and Clark set an example by doing so, according to Fox59, it is also up to police to follow through. If the authorities were already aware of the situation on Jan. 8 when they confronted Lewis, it is unacceptable he was allowed another chance to put Clark’s life in danger. Considering this is not even the first time an incident like this has happened with a popular women’s basketball star, the first interaction with the police and Lewis should have been immediate arrest.
In August, Robert Cole Parmalee was arrested for stalking University of Connecticut basketball-star Paige Bueckers, according to AP News. Parmalee was originally charged with stalking and breach of peace and harassment, which was eventually substituted with a single count of second-degree stalking, according to AP News. Similarly to Lewis, Parmalee posted photos, videos and comments about her on TikTok and other social media platforms. Additionally, Parmalee sent emails to UConn officials with “rambling comments including his desire to marry Bueckers.” This disturbing precedent set back in August should have been enough warning to Indianapolis police that Clark’s concerns were real and should have been dealt with immediately.
Although this behavior is clearly a disgusting invasion of privacy and respect for these women, it is not surprising these actions occur when lesser forms of sexual harassment take place online all the time. It is not uncommon to see comments, mostly from men, under an athlete’s posts or clips of them online that blatantly sexualize these women simply because they exist as women. Because so many of us have been desensitized to this behavior online, the line for when it becomes serious and dangerous becomes blurred.
It is disheartening to hear players like Dijonai Carrington from the Connecticut Sun say “It’s super unfortunate that it’s going on … But I don’t think it’s going to stop, honestly. We have to do stuff and go above and beyond to try to protect ourselves,” according to Fox News on MSN. These athletes should not have to focus on their own safety while on or off the court and should be able to rely on law enforcement to protect them if men on the internet do not learn how to act.
Women should not have to accept felonies and varying forms of abuse done to them as an athlete in the public eye — or otherwise. Privacy, autonomy and security are things any human being should both deserve and be allowed to expect. The sports many of us love to watch may be a commodity, but the players and their lives are not.
