There has been a disturbing trend lately where NSFW objects are being thrown onto WNBA courts while games are being played.
Now, the trend’s purported organizers say more “pranks” are in store.
As of Saturday, there have been at least six known incidents of brightly colored sex toys being thrown onto WNBA courts:
- July 29: Golden State Valkyries at Atlanta Dream
- Aug. 1: Golden State Valkyries at Chicago Sky
- Aug. 1: Washington Mystics at Atlanta Dream
- Aug. 5: Indiana Fever at L.A. Sparks
- Aug. 5: Connecticut Sun at Phoenix Mercury
- Aug. 5: Dallas Wings at New York Liberty
- Aug. 7: Atlanta Dream at Chicago Sky
Most of the incidents caused brief stoppages in play and have forced players, officials, team staffers and/or law enforcement alike to quickly discard the tossed items.
In the Aug. 1 incident, the object had been thrown onto the court after it was cordoned off following the end of the game. On Aug. 5 in New York, an object that was thrown did not make it onto the court.
At least two men have been arrested in connection with the incidents. In the July 29 case, a 23-year-old has been charged with disorderly conduct, public indecency/indecent exposure and criminal trespass, according to law enforcement records obtained by ESPN.
An 18-year-old was arrested for the incident in Phoenix; it is alleged that the item the teen threw struck a fan and his 9-year-old niece.
Speaking to USA TODAY, a person representing cryptocurrency meme coin creators says they are responsible for the sex toys being tossed onto the courts – but their aim isn’t to cause the division and outcry that has come with the items and their presence at increasingly popular WNBA games.
“The spokesman for the crypto group [said] that [the outrage] was not the intention. He said a group of crypto enthusiasts and traders launched Green Dildo Coin (DILDO), a meme coin intended to be lighthearted and perceived as a joke, in late July to protest what they describe as a ‘toxic’ environment in the crypto world,” USA TODAY reported on Friday, citing the spokesman, a social media user called @Daldo_Raine. “According to the group, many smaller players in the space are struggling to keep up with the influx of influencers and scammers. As a form of protest, the meme coin was created, and the faction began infiltrating WNBA arenas with color-coordinated sex toys to coincide with the launch.”
So, the group’s idea to get their cryptocurrency out there is to throw sex toys towards professional women’s basketball players while they are playing?
The answer appears to be yes, although it should be noted that the spokesman told USA TODAY that the two men who were arrested are not part of their group.
“The spokesman explained that catapulting sex objects with drawn-on sunglasses and the name of their coin is to spread awareness about a culture they want to perpetuate, cultivated around jokes, pranks and various stunts. The green sex toy is supposed to mirror a green candle, and if the price of the candle goes up, it represents volatility, which the spokesman for the meme coin group claims is a trader’s dream,” USA TODAY reported. “The crypto group’s spokesman said it’s not their intention to harm anyone, and members of the community have been advised to only throw their branded green items if there is a level of personal comfort and the objects can land without hitting someone. He also shot down any narrative that the sex toys were a sign of disrespect toward the women athletes.”
WNBA players and coaches themselves, however, don’t see it that way.
On Aug. 1, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham published an X post asking fans to kindly “stop throwing dildos on the court [because] you’re going to hurt one of us.”
A sex toy landed near her four days later at the Fever-Sparks game, where Kelsey Plum took it upon herself to remove the object; Cunningham then reposted her original post with the caption: “this did NOT age well.”
New York Liberty forward Isabelle Harrison has also spoken up about the potential dangers of projectiles being thrown at a court filled with professional athletes.
“ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??! Please do better. It’s not funny. never was funny. Throwing ANYTHING on the court is so dangerous,” she said on X on Aug. 1.
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve opined that a trend like this embodies the “sexualization of women [which] has been going on for centuries.”
“This has been going on for centuries, the sexualization of women, [and] this is the latest version of that,” Reeve told reporters. “It’s not funny. It should not be the butt of jokes. The sexualization of women is what is used to hold women down, and this is no different.”
In a statement on Friday, the WNBA stated that safety remains the league’s top priority.
“The safety of everyone in our arenas remains a top priority. We are working closely with local and federal law enforcement to pursue all appropriate actions — including arrest and prosecution with felony charges where applicable — against anyone engaged in this conduct or otherwise involved in sponsoring this reckless and unacceptable behavior,” the statement reads.
According to the Associated Press, no other professional sports leagues have faced “sex toy disturbances” in the past, and the acts are now starting discourse about the perpetrators’ choice to throw them during games in a women’s league with a high-profile amount of lesbian and queer players.
“Despite the criminal behavior leading to arrests, at least one crypto-based predictions market is offering trades essentially allowing users to wager on whether sex toys will be thrown at future WNBA games,” AP reported.
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