A third dildo found its way onto a WNBA court on Tuesday, August 5, interrupting the Indiana Fever and Los Angeles Sparks game. This marks the third incident in the last 10 days, so the question begs: What is going on with all the dildos at WNBA games? The answer: Nothing good.
This dildo throwing trend began July 29, during a game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream, when a neon green dildo flew onto the court and bounced to the sideline. A nearly identical incident occurred just a few days later on August 1, when the Valkyries were playing the Chicago Sky. Now it’s happened again. And it’s getting worse.
It appears that this action is becoming more than just a one-time attempt at a joke, but a targeted attack on certain female players. On Friday, following the second incident, Fever player Sophie Cunningham tweeted, “Stop throwing dildos on the court… you’re going to hurt one of us.” She was nearly hit by the flying phallus four days later.
The very same night, someone reportedly attempted to throw a green dildo on the court at a New York City Liberty game, but failed to make it onto the court. (The dildo did, however, nearly hit a child, according to the user who shared video of the aftermath on social media.)
No suspects in the last two incidents have been identified, but Delbert Carver, a 23-year-old, was arrested in relation to the first dildo incident in Atlanta. According to ESPN, he could potentially face charges of disorderly conduct, public indecent/indecent exposure, and criminal trespass. In an affidavit, the man allegedly said that it was “supposed to be a joke” and “go viral.”
But throwing dildos in the middle of a WNBA game isn’t just a sad excuse for a prank—it’s a trend now, and it’s targeting the WNBA as a whole.
Let’s think this through: There are people paying good money to attend a professional basketball game just to throw a dildo at the players’ feet. Why? To send a message; to tell women that they don’t belong on the court and that their athleticism isn’t as valuable as their sexuality. This is misogyny, plain and simple.
A few WNBA players have spoken out against the incidents, but as any woman can attest, it can be hard to call out sexism on an international scale. After the original incident, some—like Fever Point Guard Sydney Colton—responded with humor.
Now that it’s become a trend, most players aren’t feeling so generous. Following the dildo throw at Friday’s game, Chicago Sky center Elizabeth Williams called it “disrespectful” during a postgame press conference, adding that “whoever is doing it needs to grow up.”
New York Liberty Power Forward Isabelle Harrison also weighed in Friday, tweeting in part, “It’s not funny. Never was funny. Throwing ANYTHING on the court is so dangerous.”
And on Tuesday, Sparks coach Lynne Roberts told reporters it was “ridiculous.” She continued, “It’s also dangerous.”
But here’s the thing: We know that these idiots throwing dildos onto the court don’t care about the players or coaches. They don’t care about what women deserve or how disgusting and violating their actions are. It’s time for NBA players to stand in solidarity with their female counterparts and call this behavior what it is: unacceptable, sexist, and detrimental to the entire sport.
