The WNBA is struggling with a string of sex toy disturbances.
In the past week and a half, sex toys have been thrown on the court during games on July 29 in Atlanta, on Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, on Tuesday in Los Angeles and at Wintrust Arena again Thursday night, with the most recent object hitting the court in the closing seconds of the Atlanta Dream’s victory over the Sky.
The sex toy that landed on the court in Los Angeles nearly hit Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham during a game against the Sparks. Sex toys were also thrown at games in New York and Phoenix on Tuesday but didn’t reach the court. Police say another toy was thrown at a game Friday in Atlanta, although it’s unclear if that one reached the court.
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The distractions have created unexpected challenges for the league, the teams and the players, as well as for arena security. Here’s what to know.
Are arrests being made?
A man was arrested Saturday in College Park, Ga., after he was accused of throwing a sex toy onto the court during the Atlanta Dream’s July 29 game against the Golden State Valkyries, according to a police report. The report said he threw another sex toy during the Dream’s Friday game against the Mercury, but that instance did not seem to result in a delay of play.
He is charged with disorderly conduct, criminal trespassing, public indecency and indecent exposure. All four charges are misdemeanors in Georgia, meaning that if he is convicted, the punishment for each can be a fine of up to $1,000 or jail time of up to 12 months. A misdemeanor for public indecency and indecent exposure also might require registration on the state’s sex offender list.
The report said the man told police “this was supposed to be a joke and the joke (was) supposed to go viral.”
Another man in Phoenix was arrested after police say he threw a sex toy in the crowd at a Mercury game on Tuesday. Police say the 18-year-old pulled the sex toy from his sweater pocket and threw it toward seats in front of him, striking a spectator in the back.
The man later told police it was a prank that had been trending on social media and that he bought the toy a day earlier to take to the game. He was later tackled by a volunteer at the arena who had witnessed the incident and began following the man as he tried to leave the arena.
Police say the man was arrested on suspicion of assault, disorderly conduct and publicly displaying explicit sexual material.
What difficulties do arena security face in stopping this?
The types of sex toys being thrown onto the court generally do not include metal elements, meaning that arena metal detectors are not able to sense them. When carried on a spectator’s body, they become even more difficult to detect.
Arena security teams face challenges in catching these items, according to Ty Richmond, president of the event services division at Allied Universal Security, a company that provides security services to certain NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB and MLS arenas across the country.
“Not all stadiums are using a screening process that’s consistent and can detect (the sex toys) because of what it would require — pat-down searches, opening the bags, prohibiting bags,” he said. “The conflict of expediency, of getting fans into the arena and into the venue, which is an important issue, and security and safety.”
The limits of arena security make legal action one of the strongest deterrents for this kind of behavior, Richmond said.
“The decision to prosecute and show examples of how people are being handled is very important,” he said. “Without a doubt, I think it will make a difference. The application of it is important, and publicizing that is important.”
There have not been any arrests made yet for the incidents in Los Angeles and Chicago. In a statement to The Associated Press, the Sparks said they are “working with arena personnel to identify the individual responsible and ensure appropriate action is taken.”
The WNBA has said that any spectators throwing objects onto the court will face a minimum one-year ban and prosecution from law enforcement.
How is it affecting players?
As the disturbances pile up, those on the court have become increasingly frustrated.
“Everyone is trying to make sure the W is not a joke and it’s taken seriously, and then that happens,” Cunningham said on her podcast after nearly being hit by one of the sex toys Tuesday. “I’m like, ‘How are we ever going to get taken seriously?’”
No other professional sports leagues have faced sex toy disturbances like this. It has started a conversation online about the perpetrators’ choices to throw them during games in a women’s league with a high-profile number of lesbian and queer players.
“This has been going on for centuries, the sexualization of women,” Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said Thursday. “This is the latest version of that. It’s not funny. It should not be the butt of jokes. The sexualization of women is what’s used to hold women down, and this is no different.”
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.
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Players also have sounded off on social media, echoing concerns about arena security protocols.
New York Liberty forward Isabelle Harrison posted on X last week: “ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??! Please do better. It’s not funny. Never was funny. Throwing ANYTHING on the court is so dangerous.”