The Yankees and the Red Sox just wrapped up their first rivalry-fueled series of the 2026 season, with the Yankees completing their first sweep of the Sox in Fenway since 2021. These two historic rivals last clashed in the 2025 post season, where the Yankees ended up prevailing. During that series, Cam Schlittler, a young ace from Boston, gave the Yankees the edge by shutting down his hometown Red Sox on the mound.
After Schlittler’s historic performance for the pinstripes, many Red Sox fans did not take too kindly to a Bostonian repping the pinstripes while dominating the Red Sox. Things got so heated that after the game, Schlitter reported receiving a slew of death threats towards himself and his mother.[1] To make matters worse, just last night, while Schlitter was warming up, Red Sox fans were hurling objects at him in the bullpen, with many documenting the acts on social media.[2]
The events involving Schlittler highlight a growing concern in the sports world—the level to which social media can operate as both a blessing and a curse. In the digital age, one could see how social media is of the utmost importance, as the use of social media platforms can bridge the gap between fans and players which in turn can drive engagement, ratings, etc. But as useful as social media can be as a tool to cultivate fan engagement, the risks and potential pitfalls need to be considered. In recent years, teams from various different leagues have begun posting footage, images, and content of athletes as it happens in real time. While this may be entertaining from a fan’s perspective, a much more ominous concern arises: if people know what the athlete is doing, where he or she is, who he or she is with, etc. does that make the athlete vulnerable? Is it smart?
While the events involving Cam Schlittler occurred exclusively at the ballpark and on social media, we have already seen it translate to off field danger. For example, both Joe Burrow[3] and Lions Coach Dan Campbell[4] have had their properties broken into or trespassed against after bad actors were able to find out where they lived. In a similar fashion, former Toronto Maple Leaf Mitch Marner experienced attacks on himself and his family when disgruntled fans began posting his address and calling for his death after being eliminated from the playoffs by the Florida Panthers.[5]
It is events like this that makes it necessary for all professional sports leagues to reevaluate their social media strategy. While it is no doubt important to drive fan engagement and promote the athletes, teams need to be cognizant that they are doing so without unnecessarily exposing the athletes or their families to risk. Unfortunately, as social media presence becomes increasingly important and events like the ones aforementioned keep happening, it is entirely foreseeable that this could lead to something far more sinister than online harassment.
[1] Madison Williams, Yankees’ Ace Cam Schlittler Received Death Threats From Red Sox Fans After Wild-Card Win, SI (April 20, 2026).
[2] Jackson Roberts, Yankees’ Cam Schlittler Caps Off Red Sox’s Humiliation With One Last Dig, SI (April 24, 2026).
[3] Associated Press, Joe Burrow’s home broken into during Monday night’s game, ESPN (December 10, 2024).
[4] Jessica Dupnack, Lions Dan Campbell has home address doxxed, creating series of security concerns, Fox (September 18, 2024).
[5] James Mirtle, Mitch Marner opens up about threats, security concerns while with Maple Leafs, The Atlantic (August 29, 2025).
Blake Breidenstein is a third year law student at the University at Buffalo School of Law who has spent much of his law school career studying how the law intertwines with the sports and entertainment industry. Throughout his time in law school, Breidenstein has supported the university's compliance office, working alongside a supervising attorney and staff in ensuring compliance with the ever-changing rules governing collegiate athletics. As a lifelong baseball player, Blake focuses much of his writing on the MLB, although his Buffalo roots occasionally turn his focus towards the Bills and Sabres.
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