It was supposed to be a sweet moment between a basketball star and her young fan. And it was, until certain men on the internet saw it and turned a heartwarming interaction into a target for vitriol. What followed was a chain reaction: an internet cesspool of hateful comments, a Midwestern T-shirt store coming to the rescue, a $1,000 reward, a Boston-based reporter flying into town, a troll unmasked, and finally, a meeting between the little girl and her online bully.
The Viral Moment and the Backlash
On Jan. 22, 2025, Emily and Priscilla Rebollozo brought their six-year-old daughter, Kamdyn, to Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, to watch the Iowa State women’s basketball team. In a state where college sports serve as the epicenter of local fandom, Audi Crooks has become a beloved figure. Crooks, a powerful center for Iowa State, is a hometown hero who gives back to her community.
Kamdyn, who had been struggling with bullying at school, arrived at the game wearing a custom T-shirt that read, “Smile like Audi.” When she met Crooks, she beamed with pride. Tommy Birch, a sports reporter for the Des Moines Register, captured the moment in a photo that quickly went viral. However, the online reaction was far from kind. As Kamdyn scrolled through the replies, she encountered a barrage of fatphobic and hateful comments, including some from users who seemed to be local sports fans.
The Fight for Accountability
Emily, determined to protect her daughter, began to investigate the accounts behind the harassment. She discovered a network of trolls who coordinated attacks, often using burner accounts to target women and athletes. Seeking help, she reached out to Raygun, a local T-shirt company known for its progressive stance and willingness to engage in “shitposting” against bullies. Raygun founder Mike Draper offered a $1,000 bounty for the identity of one of the most persistent trolls, “Howard Stevens.”
The situation escalated when it was revealed that the profile picture used by “Howard Stevens” was actually an author photo of Billy Baker, a features writer for The Boston Globe. Baker, who had been alerted to the misuse of his likeness, flew to Iowa to confront the individual behind the account. He eventually tracked down the student responsible, who was a 21-year-old business student at the University of Iowa.
A Confrontation and a Lesson
The student, who admitted to creating the account to “cause havoc,” eventually apologized to the Rebollozo family. On May 4, 2025, Emily and Kamdyn met with the student and his parents at a local coffee shop. While the apology was described as generic, it provided Kamdyn with the opportunity to confront her harasser directly and ask why he had targeted her.
The incident highlights the dark side of internet culture, where anonymous users feel empowered to harass children and public figures without consequence. As Emily noted, “When it comes to aggression, we are raising men; when it comes to accountability, we are raising little boys.” Despite the resolution of this specific case, the broader issue of online harassment remains a persistent challenge for athletes and families alike.