Women working in sports journalism are subject to “horrible abuse,” Prof. Suzanne Franks, who leads the journalism department at City, University of London, said on Tuesday.

That abuse can come in many forms: angry tweets, verbal confrontations, groping. One of the most egregious examples was that of the sports reporter Erin Andrews, who was secretly videotaped naked by a stalker in a hotel room in 2008. She was awarded $55 million in a lawsuit, a case that shined a spotlight on the rampant harassment faced by women in her field.

Ms. Franks has spent years researching the barriers women encounter in sports journalism, both when trying to enter the field and while working.

“In the sports area there is still such a sexist strain,” Ms. Franks said. “It hasn’t woken up to all of the advances women have made over the years.”

The man who grabbed Ms. González Therán eventually came forward to apologize, saying his actions stemmed from a bet he made with a friend “that I could kiss a reporter on the cheek on the air” and in the process, he said, he accidentally touched Ms. González Therán’s chest with his left hand.

“I acted carelessly and did not think that I would cause you confusion and shock,” he told her via Skype in a conversation between the two that was posted online. “I know that your job is very hard and I hope that you will never face another such incident in your career.”

Deutsche Welle did not publish his name.

Ms. González Therán accepted his apology.

“I refuse to be a victim,” she told him. “I just want to continue with my job, reporting about football — about the joy and emotions of this great event.”