The WNBA continues to be scuffling with a string of intercourse toy disturbances.
Up to now week and a half, intercourse toys have been thrown on court docket throughout video games in Atlanta on July 29, Chicago on August 1, Los Angeles on August 5 and Chicago once more on Thursday night time, with the latest object hitting the court docket within the closing seconds of the Atlanta Dream’s victory over the Sky.
The intercourse toy that landed on the court docket in Los Angeles practically hit Fever guard Sophie Cunningham throughout Indiana’s sport in opposition to the Sparks. Intercourse toys have been additionally thrown at video games in New York and Phoenix final Tuesday, however didn’t attain the court docket. Police say one other toy was thrown at a sport in Atlanta on August 1, though it’s unclear if that one reached the court docket.
The distractions have created sudden challenges for the league, the groups and the gamers, but additionally for area safety. Right here’s what to know.
A person was arrested Saturday in School Park, Georgia, after he was accused of throwing a intercourse toy onto the court docket in the course of the Atlanta Dream’s July 29 matchup with the Golden State Valkyries, in line with a police report. The report stated he threw one other intercourse toy in the course of the Dream’s August 1 sport in opposition to the Phoenix Mercury, however that occasion didn’t appear to lead to a delay of play.
He’s charged with disorderly conduct, felony trespassing, public indecency and indecent publicity. All 4 fees are misdemeanours within the state of Georgia, that means that if he’s convicted, the punishment for every generally is a superb of as much as $1,000 or jail time of as much as 12 months. A misdemeanour for public indecency and indecent publicity might also require registration on the state’s intercourse offender record.
The report stated the person instructed police, “This was speculated to be a joke and the joke [was] speculated to go viral.”`
One other man in Phoenix was arrested after police say he threw a intercourse toy within the crowd at a Mercury sport on Tuesday. Police say the 18-year-old pulled the intercourse toy from his sweater pocket and threw it in the direction of seats in entrance of him, putting a spectator within the again.
The person later instructed police it was a prank that had been trending on social media and that he purchased the toy a day earlier to take to the sport. He was later tackled by a volunteer on the area who had witnessed the incident and commenced following him as the person tried to go away the sector.
Police say the person was arrested on suspicion of assault, disorderly conduct and publicly displaying express sexual materials.
The New York Liberty instructed The Related Press on Thursday night time that there’s an ongoing investigation into the throwing in New York, and the staff is cooperating with legislation enforcement.
The varieties of intercourse toys being thrown onto the court docket typically don’t embody metallic components, that means that area metallic detectors aren’t in a position to sense them. When carried on a spectator’s physique, they change into much more tough to detect.
ARENA SECURITY?! Whats up??! Please do higher. It’s not humorous. by no means was humorous. Throwing ANYTHING on the court docket is so harmful.
— Isabelle Harrison (@OMG_itsizzyb) August 2, 2025
Enviornment safety groups face challenges in catching this stuff, in line with Ty Richmond, the president of the occasion companies division at Allied Common Safety, an organization that gives safety companies to sure NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB and MLS arenas throughout the nation.
“Not all stadiums are utilizing a screening course of that’s constant and might detect (the intercourse toys) due to what it might require — pat down searches, opening the baggage, prohibiting luggage,” he stated. “The battle of expediency, of getting followers into the sector and into the venue, which is a crucial concern, and safety and security.”
The bounds of area safety make authorized motion one of many strongest deterrents for this sort of behaviour, Richmond stated.
“The choice to prosecute and present examples of how individuals are being dealt with is essential,” he stated. “Certainly, I believe it’ll make a distinction. The applying of it is vital, and publicising that’s vital.”
There haven’t been any arrests made but in Los Angeles and Chicago. In a press release to The AP, the Sparks stated they’re “working with area personnel to establish the person accountable and guarantee applicable motion is taken”.
The WNBA has stated that any spectators throwing objects onto the court docket will face a minimal one-year ban and prosecution from legislation enforcement.
Because the disturbances pile up, these on the court docket have change into more and more annoyed.
“Everyone seems to be making an attempt to verify the W shouldn’t be a joke and it’s taken critically, after which that occurs,” Cunningham stated on her podcast after practically being hit by one of many intercourse toys on Tuesday. “I’m like, ‘How are we ever going to get taken critically?’”
No different skilled sports activities leagues have confronted intercourse toy disturbances like this. It has began a dialog on-line concerning the perpetrators’ selections to throw them throughout video games in a ladies’s league and a league with a high-profile quantity of lesbian and queer gamers.
“This has been occurring for hundreds of years, the sexualization of girls. That is the visual ad model of that. It’s not humorous. It shouldn’t be the butt of jokes,” stated Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve on Thursday. “The sexualisation of girls is what’s used to carry ladies down, and that is no totally different.”
Regardless of the felony behaviour resulting in arrests, at the least one crypto-based predictions market is providing trades basically permitting customers to wager on whether or not intercourse toys will likely be thrown at future WNBA video games.
Gamers have additionally been sounding off on social media, echoing issues about area safety protocols.
Liberty ahead Isabelle Harrison posted on X final week, saying, “ARENA SECURITY?! Whats up??! Please do higher. It’s not humorous. By no means was humorous. Throwing ANYTHING on the court docket is so harmful.”