TikToker Annie J Slams ESPN for Ice Cream Broadcast During College World Series
A recent ESPN broadcast at the College World Series championship has ignited a wave of outrage and conversation online, all thanks to a 20-second clip featuring TikToker Annie J and her friend eating ice cream. The segment led to a torrent of inappropriate comments and comparisons to the infamous ‘Hawk Tuah Girl,’ putting Annie J at the center of a deeply unpleasant experience.
An Innocent Moment Turned Controversial
During the championship game between Tennessee and Texas A&M, ESPN’s cameras panned to Annie J and her friend as they struggled to keep up with their rapidly melting ice cream in the sweltering heat. Commentators added their own quips, with one saying, “You gotta get it before it melts. It’s a liquid,” and another chiming in, “A night like tonight, you’re working fast.”
What seemed like a harmless moment quickly turned problematic when the video spread across social media. Cue the “creeps of TikTok,” as Annie described them, who flooded the comments with inappropriate sexual remarks and comparisons to the ‘Hawk Tuah Girl,’ a notorious viral sensation known for similar treatment.
Public Outcry and TikTok Response
In a fiery TikTok post, Annie J didn’t hold back her frustration. “It was a 20-second segment of just us eating ice cream or licking our ice cream. Twenty seconds dedicated to, with commentary, just us eating our ice cream,” she exclaimed. She predicted exactly where the video would end up, and woke up to discover her notifications buzzing with the very reactions she feared.
But it wasn’t just strangers online who were making Annie J’s experience uncomfortable. “When I tell you the comment section of that video is absolutely repulsing to know there are people who have families in their profiles and their profile photos just smiling away with the kids that they’re raising,” she said. Her frustration was palpable as she criticized the sports network for contributing to a hostile environment for women.
Watch — CollinRugg (@CollinRugg) twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/123456789
Not the First Time
This isn’t the first time a woman has been inappropriately spotlighted in the sports world. Annie J’s comparison to the ‘Hawk Tuah Girl’ only underscores a recurring issue of objectification. “We can’t eat in peace, we can’t wear clothes in peace, we literally can’t do anything without it being sexualized and absolutely turned into something way out of context,” she lamented.
Annie also noted that ESPN had plenty of opportunities to film them at more innocuous moments. “We were there the whole game. You could’ve shown us at any point watching the game, pan to us when we’re fanning ourselves because that’s how hot it was down there,” she pointed out.
The Broader Issue
Annie didn’t just aim her frustration at ESPN, but also at the broader sports culture. “It is so beyond evident that women are not welcome in the sports world,” she said. “Then people sit back and wonder why don’t women feel comfortable in these environments?”
The TikTok community largely supported Annie J, with many commenters echoing her concerns about the treatment of women in sports. While Annie J did receive some positive comments from friends excited to see her on TV, these were overshadowed by the crude TikToks made using the broadcast clip.
A Call for Change
In her passionate online response, Annie J called for networks like ESPN to rethink their programming choices. “Stop contributing to the issue and stop making sports a place where women don’t feel safe and welcome,” she urged.
Her words resonated with many who feel the same experiences are far too common. Addressing the network directly, she didn’t mince words about how this issue affects broader perceptions of the sports world. “It’s crazy. It’s like we can’t sit and eat our food in peace,” she concluded.
As this incident continues to get attention, one thing is clear: moments like this are more than just unfortunate; they’re indicative of larger problems that demand real solutions.