A TikTok user, Annie J, has criticized ESPN for broadcasting a video of her eating ice cream with her friend during the College World Series championship game between Tennessee and Texas A&M. The video, which has since been sexualized online, has drawn significant backlash from Annie and her followers.
Creeps target Annie’s innocent moment
Annie took to TikTok to slam the sports network for the clip, saying, “It was a 20-second segment of just us eating ice cream or licking our ice cream. Twenty seconds dedicated to, with commentary, just us eating our ice cream.” As the cameras focused on Annie and her friend during the Monday night game, one broadcaster commented, “You gotta get it before it melts. It’s a liquid,” while another added, “A night like tonight, you’re working fast.”
In her TikTok video, Annie expressed her frustration: “We all knew what direction that video was gonna head in, and lo and behold, the creeps of TikTok got ahold of it because we woke up getting compared to the Hawk Tuah Girl, which no shade to her. Girl, do whatever.” She continued, “When I tell you the comment section of that video is repulsing to know there are people who have families in their profiles and their profile photos just smiling away with the kids that they’re raising.”
Call for change in sports media
Annie urged ESPN to reconsider their approach: “Stop contributing to the issue and stop making sports a place where women don’t feel safe and welcome.” She emphasized the broader issue of sexualization, stating, “We can’t eat in peace, we can’t wear clothes in peace, we literally can’t do anything without it being sexualized and absolutely turned into something way out of context. It’s not the problem of being shown on TV.”
Annie concluded her message by pointing out that the network could have shown them at any other moment during the game: “We were there the whole game. You could’ve shown us at any point watching the game, pan to us when we’re fanning ourselves because that’s how hot it was down there.”
Response
Annie’s video has sparked a conversation about the treatment of women in sports media and the responsibility of broadcasters to create a respectful and inclusive environment. The backlash against ESPN highlights the ongoing struggle against the objectification of women in public spaces.