Everything was going well at the July 29th WNBA game. The showdown between Atlanta and Golden State was drawing to a close when the action was interrupted by a flying projectile that wasn’t a basketball. A lime-green dildo went arcing through the air toward the free-throw line, but no extra points were on the table. The most absurd thing? This wasn’t an isolated incident.
On July 29th, with less than a minute left in the game between Atlanta and Golden State, the tied game came to an abrupt halt when a sex toy went flying onto the court. The incident was repeated at WNBA games in LA, Phoenix, Chicago, and New York. One nearly conked Sophie Cunningham in the noggin! Why all the flying phalluses all of a sudden?
Well, it appears to be tied to a crypto meme-coin group. “Green Dildo Coin” has been claiming responsibility for the incidents. They’re framing it as guerrilla marketing dressed in chaos. The WNBA is treating it as assault and public indecency. Kaden Lopez (Phoenix) and Delbert Carver (Atlanta), two of the devoted crypto bros from the group, have been arrested and charged for the incidents. In case it hasn’t clicked for you yet, this isn’t grassroots sports fandom. This is clout chasing with accessories from the adult novelty aisle for attention.
Here’s the deal: this isn’t funny. At all. Objects on the court can result in injuries, disrupted gameplay, and a risk to players and fans. What if the dildo didn’t make it all the way to the court and beaned a kid in the crowd? Plastic + velocity + athlete’s ankles/children’s skulls = you’re gonna have a bad time. Sex toys are hilarious in a late-night sketch, but mid-game? Nothing but hazards. A prop-based prank stops being funny real fast when a career basketball player finds it by rolling their ankle after stepping on it.
If the actual hazard wasn’t enough for you, ask yourself why these dudes are only chucking dildos at women’s sports events. There has long been oversexualization of women in sports, with female athletes being expected to perform prettiness in addition to being pillars of athletic achievement while wearing a uniform that doesn’t cover near as much skin as those on their male counterparts. Not a dildo has made its way through the air onto the court during a men’s NBA game. Why are they leaving the guys out of the fun? Is there some reason that women are worthy of dodging dicks where men aren’t? Strange.
If nothing else, we can thank these crypto bros for reminding the world of women’s sports exactly what men in general think of women’s sports. If I’m wrong, then I suggest these fine, upstanding gentlemen chuck a sex toy to the floor at an NBA game. If it’s really about “marketing,” it’s best to get your stunt in front of as wide an audience as possible, yes? Anyhow, the WNBA will keep playing ball, even if some dude is determined to let the world know that he procures his dignity on the same aisle as his totally real girlfriend’s favorite bottle of lube.
