Paige Spiranac recently sparked an unexpected online debate after publicly cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers during their NFL matchup against the Detroit Lions.
Spiranac‘s Steelers allegiance isn’t new; she has long referenced her love for the team, linked in part to her Pennsylvania roots and past public posts celebrating the franchise.
However, her NFL fandom announcement intersected with a larger narrative that has dominated headlines and social platforms: the severe backlash she endured after competing in The Internet Invitational, a highprofile creator golf tournament with a $1 million prize pool.
The Internet Invitational, produced by Barstool Sports and featuring 48 online personalities, brought Spiranac into a different kind of spotlight.
During the final match, cameras captured her brushing grass around a teammate’s ball, a move that was later deemed a rules violation.
Spiranac admitted she “did not know this rule” and said she would never intentionally cheat in her decade in golf, expressing embarrassment over the mistake.
What followed was an intense wave of online hostility. In a series of Instagram Stories, Spiranac said she received “tens of thousands of death threats” and vile messages telling her to harm herself, content so disturbing that she and her team discussed pursuing a restraining order.
“The last week and a half is probably the worst hate I’ve ever received in the ten years of me doing this,” she said.
The fallout from recent online controversies
In the aftermath of The Internet Invitational, Spiranac took a break from posting to focus on her mental health. She said she needed to step away because of the volume of hate and how deeply she “struggle[s] with wanting to be liked and accepted.”
Supporters argue that Spiranac‘s visibility as a female figure in sports content makes her an easy target for disproportionate criticism unrelated to her actual actions.
From professional golf to social media influencer
Spiranac first came to prominence playing collegiate golf at the University of Arizona and San Diego State University.
After a brief professional golf career, she pivoted into social media, where she now merges athletic insight with lifestyle and sports content, often stirring reaction from diverse corners of the internet.
Spiranac‘s ascent has not been without controversy. Her glamorous presentation of golf content has drawn criticism from some corners of the golf world, with detractors questioning whether sex appeal overshadows substance.
She has also been vocal about the pressures she has faced, including dealing with cyberbullying and public scrutiny early in her career.
In a candid recounting of her experience at the 2015 Dubai Ladies Masters, she described that tournament as the “worst moment of my life,” reflecting on how overwhelming the attention was and how unprepared she felt for the sudden spotlight.
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