For the past two seasons, the Chicago Sky’s mental health initiative The Net has championed a safer space for female athletes — providing support, resources, and community on and off the court.

But as women’s sports continued to rise, so did the negativity aimed at the athletes changing the game.

So we took blocking beyond the court.

Using AI, we developed a tool designed to Block the Negativity — filtering harmful comments and hate speech from players’ feeds in real time. By taking hate out of the conversation, we made room for what deserved the spotlight: support, celebration, and a movement to Post Up Positivity.