When Boston Red Sox top prospect Roman Anthony made his highly anticipated Major League debut at Fenway Park on Monday, the TV broadcast captured a wholesome moment as his family watched from the stands. And, as is wont to happen in the social-media age, it took approximately five seconds for the internet to ruin it.
As the NESN broadcast frequently cut to Anthony's parents and siblings, who were standing just to the side of the home dugout, the camera operator could not seem to stop zooming in on his older sister, Lia. Of course, the mere existence of an attractive woman was all the permission needed by men from the darkest, scummiest corners of the internet to turn her into a viral sensation by sexually harassing her.
"I'd like to be the first to welcome Roman Anthony's sister to Boston! #would," one X user posted.
“Congrats to Roman Anthony’s sister in the red. She deserves this,” wrote another.
“Hey @RedSox what do we say we keep Roman Anthony and his sister around?” another X user asked.
Don't even get me started on the replies, many of which were even more explicitly sexual in nature than the original posts themselves.
Not only is this kind of blatant sexual harassment normalized to the point where people feel safe to engage in it in a public forum without fear of consequence; it's celebrated and encouraged in a culture that bases a woman's value entirely on her sexual appeal.
Lia was even interviewed Thursday on WEEI's The Greg Hill Show, where she was asked by the hosts about the thousands of Instagram followers she gained after attending her brother's game and the DMs that are undoubtedly flooding her inbox. They even asked for her relationship status and if the Boston accent "does it for her" – all before they even bothered to confirm her age, by the way.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Dear Red Sox media (and men of the internet), please leave Lia Anthony alone
It is utterly disheartening that a young woman can't even enjoy a wholesome moment with her family without being objectified and bombarded with comments from men saying they "#would" have sex with her (and by the way, fellas, no one asked).
Please leave Lia Anthony alone. At the very least, stop reducing her to an object of men's sexual desires. She didn't ask for any of this, and she – and all women, for that matter – should be able to enjoy a game of baseball without fear of harassment.