The WNBA deals with quite a bit: allegations of fans stalking players, not getting paid as much as they should and so on. To add the sugar on top, there have been attendees who have been throwing sex toys onto WNBA courts.
It sounds unreal — how could they bring those in? But it’s happened seven times. You would think once was enough.
The first instance of a lime green adult toy being thrown onto the court was on July 29 during an Atlanta Dream v. Golden State Valkyries game. 23-year-old Delbert Carver was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.
A cryptocurrency group took responsibility for the incidents, even though there have been no names of the members of this group.
USA Today shared that the spokesman of the group — who uses @Daldo_Raine on social media — “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.”
Now why would they use the WNBA as a place to make these “pranks?”
@Daldo_Raine spoke to ESPN and said “the WNBA and all its ‘controversy,’ made the league a logical target.”
While the spokesman may think it was a “logical” target, it was probably not the smartest decision. He probably didn’t find the idea inappropriate, but other people did.
Cheryl Reeve, the head coach of the Minnesota Lynx, said that these incidents are “not funny” and “it should not be the butt of jokes on any radio shows or in print.”
Sophie Cunningham, an Indiana Fever forward, tweeted that she wants people to stop throwing adult toys on the court. She said “you’re going to hurt one of us.”
Five days after that tweet, she almost got hit by one.
As I heard of these incidents going on, I was wondering why they only targeted WNBA courts. But as I was reading more about these events, they also threw a sex toy during an NFL game.
On Sept. 7, The Athletic reported that there was a bright green adult toy thrown onto the NFL field during the Cleveland Browns v. Cincinnati Bengals game.
The spokesman for these incidents said the bright neon color was used to be “disruptive and create curiosity.”
Why do people think it’s funny to throw an inappropriate object during a professional sports game, let alone a professional women’s game?
The WNBA has built their popularity from the ground up — it’s especially gotten popular within the last few years or so thanks to players like Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson.
This series of events is important to me because I’ve loved watching the WNBA grow. Having people treat the WNBA like this after they’ve worked so hard to build the league to be what it is today is frustrating.
Whether it was meant to be a joke or not, we can see that some people still don’t respect the WNBA or women’s sports in general. These stunts aren’t funny, they’re disruptive and dangerous.
The WNBA deserves better. Fans should show up to support the game, not sabotage it. If we want to push for equality in sports, it starts with treating every league, and every player, with respect.
Related stories:
- Peyton’s Power Hour: Stalking and harassing does not equal love
- Morrow selected seventh overall in WNBA Draft
- DePaul women’s basketball releases 2025-26 conference schedule, looks to ‘climb the ladder in the Big East’
Support Student Journalism!
The DePaulia is DePaul University’s award-winning, editorially independent student newspaper. Since 1923, student journalists have produced high-quality, on-the-ground reporting that informs our campus and city.
We rely on reader support to keep doing what we do. Donations are tax deductible through DePaul's giving page.
