coming at this from my own perspective...i know here plenty of athletes read message boards and fan sites--though most would never, ever admit it (hell, most even say they dont read the papers or listen to the radio--but they do). i cant imagine that athletes are that different on one side of the atlantic than on the other when it comes to the curiousity surrounding sites like this one.
that being said, there is great concern in some quarters over here as these sites relate to college (american) football. those boards seem to be the toughest at times and many schools are very upset with having their players read attacks--sometimes of the personal nature--on the internet. not that theyll ever be able to do anything about it, though.