A troubling new trend has emerged at WNBA games, where spectators have thrown adult sex toys onto the court; raising concerns among players, coaches, and officials, including the Minnesota Lynx’s Cheryl Reeve.
Several arrests have already been made in connection with these incidents. Two individuals, a 23-year-old in Georgia and an 18-year-old in Arizona, were taken into custody for allegedly throwing sex toys during games.
The incidents began on July 29 when a neon-green dildo was launched onto the court during a game between the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream, sparking a worrying trend thereafter.
Since then, the trend has repeated at least twice more, including a notable incident during a game between Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever and Kelsey Plum’s the Los Angeles Sparks.
The most recent event saw the Fever’s Sophie Cunningham being hit by one of the thrown objects during a live game, marking am escalation as players now become targeted in what can be considered sexual harassment.
And of the two arrested, according to police reports, one of the suspects claimed the act was intended as a joke, a defense that has been met with strong criticism from the WNBA community and beyond – including Reeve.
The 58-year-old voiced her frustration on the issue during a recent press conference, emphasizing the serious implications behind what some may perceive as harmless pranks and the attitudes it indicates towards women.
“We’re not the butt of the joke,” Reeve said. “They are the problem. And we need to take action.
“It’s not funny. It should not be the butt of jokes on any radio show or in print or any comments. The sexualization of women is what’s used to hold women down.
“And this is no different. This is just its latest form. And you should write about it in that way.”
Adult sex toy companies slam WNBA disruptions
The backlash against this trend extends beyond the WNBA community as even representatives from the adult toy industry have publicly criticized the behavior, viewing it as disrespectful and inappropriate.
One owner of a company pointed out that while promoting healthy expressions of sexuality is important, there is “definitely a time and place for that,” and public sporting events are not appropriate venues for such displays.
“We make adult toys for the bedroom, not for throwing around at basketball games,” said Twisted Fantasies’ Avi Goldstein. “What happened at those games was completely inappropriate, putting players and fans at risk.
“[It’s] incredibly disrespectful to these amazing athletes, and frankly, not something kids should be seeing during a family sports event.”
The WNBA has condemned the actions and is working alongside venue security and law enforcement to prevent future incidents, including backpacks no longer being permitted within arenas.
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