#MoreThanMean spotlights the vile online insults some women endure - CNET

"I don't know what to say to that," responded DiCaro, who has publicly discussed being a rape victim.

"I hope your boyfriend beats you," someone read to Spain.

There were also a fair number of "C-words" and "B-words" directed at Spain, who is an ESPN writer/columnist, and DiCaro, an anchor with Chicago sports radio station 670 The Score.

Online harassment isn't limited to women, say Anita Sarkeesian, Jaclyn Friedman and Renee Bracey Sherman, who have themselves experienced online threats and vitriol. The three, who wrote a 30-page manual on combating online abuse, say people of color and those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities are subjected to it, too.

The men in the "MoreThanMean" video did not write the Idea, but they appear uncomfortable while reading them to Spain and DiCaro. Some cringe and even apologize to the reporters.

"I'm having trouble looking at you when I'm saying these things," one man told Spain.

Just Not Sports co-founder Brad Burke said in a statement the goal of the campaign is to call attention to the cruel words being leveled at women. It's time men say something to stop it.

"We wanted to find a new way to make guys see and experience the effects of online harassment," he said. "By reading harassment out loud, men are forced to experience the true power behind the words, which is often lost on a screen."

Jemele Hill, host of ESPN's "His and Hers" TV show and podcast, said Wednesday she expects to be called out on social media daily. She praised the video but said she expects a backlash.

DiCaro and Spain both said that hearing the words being spoken affected them more than they had expected. Neither responded to a request for comment.

DiCaro told ESPN's "Outside the Lines" on Wednesday that people around the world have been sending her messages of support -- although trolls have been tweeting to her, too.

She also told the Chicago Tribune she was surprised at how emotional the men were during the video.

"You can really get jaded in your interactions with people based on what people say online, and a lot of my interaction with guys day to day is not that great, especially online," she said. "Having these guys be so nice and so kind -- one guy had tears in his eyes while he was reading it -- that really touched me. I felt really accepted."