Social media has become a very toxic place in recent years, with the ability for people to post whatever they like without their real name or photo encouraging trolls to send abuse online.
The sports community is especially toxic, with ‘fans’ taking to social medias such as Twitter and Instagram to spread hate under the posts of rival drivers and athletes without having to be accountable for the consequences.
Some of this vile abuse has spread to Sky Sports presenter Naomi Schiff, who took up a role covering F1 after a racing career which saw her make it all the way to the W Series in 2019.
Some of these anonymous accounts on social media abused Schiff last year, claiming that because she was a woman and because she never raced in F1, she should not be presenting for Sky Sports and covering the F1 season.
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Lewis Hamilton jumped to Schiff’s defence, telling the media that Schiff has every right to be a part of the Sky Sports team.
“Naomi is an ex-professional racing driver and totally qualified to give her opinion as part of the Sky team,” he said last year.
“She’s been a great asset since joining and we should welcome more representative broadcasting with open arms. Still have a long way to go to change these attitudes in sport.”
Schiff has now praised Hamilton for coming to her aid, explaining that having male allies is key to changing the way women are perceived in a male dominated sport.
“It’s super important for all of us to have male allies at the top of the sport,” she said.
“I feel very, very lucky to have Lewis as an ally while going through by journey in this industry.
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“I obviously really look up to him and think he’s not just an incredible athlete but an incredible human and I think he has a lot to offer in terms of advice and support. He’s amazing.”
Hamilton struggled with racial abuse and a lack of opportunity when he was younger and the Brit is keen to ensure that others do not go through this struggle.
The 38-year-old’s Mission 44 campaign aims to give opportunities to the disadvantaged and discriminated, a project which Hamilton puts millions of his earnings into.