The arena got quite for about 30 seconds, a collective pause in the rhythm of the game. A free throw was about to be taken, a critical moment that demands silence. But then, a green or purple sex toy arcs through the air, bouncing onto the hardwood floor with a soft thud. This incident made headlines while the game was still happening; from Atlanta to Chicago to Los Angeles, and fans were in a state of stunned disbelief.
The reaction was immediate and powerful. Players were quick to condemn the behavior as dangerous and disrespectful. Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who was nearly struck by one of the objects, asked a question that cuts to the heart of the matter: How are we ever going to get taken seriously? She was joined by Chicago Sky center Elizabeth Williams, who called the actions super disrespectful and immature, urging the perpetrators to grow up.
Unruly fan behavior is nothing new. The motivations behind it, however, have changed. Past incidents, like Detroit Tigers outfielder Ty Cobb assaulting a heckler in 1912 or the full-scale riot during Cleveland’s “Ten Cent Beer Night” in 1974, were born from raw, often violent, emotional investment. The WNBA incidents are a different animal entirely. The perpetrators weren’t emotionally invested fans; they were agents of a new kind of “prank” born in the digital age.
The motivation behind the disturbances was a cold, calculated, and disturbing act. A cryptocurrency group behind a meme coin called Green Dildo Coin took responsibility for organizing multiple incidents. An unnamed spokesperson for the group openly admitted their cynical strategy: they orchestrated the stunts for free marketing and attention, without having to pay that influencer cabal. They insisted their actions were not born of malice toward the league but were purely for visibility. This commercially-driven approach marks a significant shift from the visceral, emotional acts of past hooliganism. The viral stunt culture was further underscored by an individual perpetrator, Kaden Lopez, who was arrested in Phoenix and told police his actions were inspired by a stupid prank that was trending on social media.
Here’s the thing, folks: This brings the discussion back to the league’s collective outrage. Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was right to characterize the pranks as the latest version of… the sexualization of women, and declare, We’re not the joke. They are the problem.” Her assessment is fundamentally correct; as a fan who is accepting of the LGBT community no one should ever find this disrespectful and immature act to be acceptable.
With that… In a strange and counterintuitive way, the best advice for the athletes involved is to simply suck it up. The WNBA is doing everything right on a practical level, promising ejections, a minimum one-year ban, and working with law enforcement to pursue arrests and prosecution. Arrests will send a powerful message that these are not harmless pranks. Beyond these practical responses, the most powerful tool available is to deny the pranksters the public reaction they crave.
If you are not supportive of an offensive act others are committing, then speak up about it.