A person has been arrested for throwing a sex toy onto the court of a WNBA game between the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream earlier this week has been arrested, the league announced Saturday via the San Francisco Chronicle’s Marisa Ingemi.
The incident was the first of two to hit the WNBA this week, with a second green toy landing at the court of another Valkyries road game against the Chicago Sky on Friday. Per the Chronicle, that toy was thrown by a person different from the one in Atlanta.
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In addition to criminal charges, the WNBA promised immediate ejection and a minimum one-year ban for anyone who throws an object onto the court.
The league’s statement, via the Chronicle:
“Any fan who intentionally throws an object onto the court will be immediately ejected and face a minimum one-year ban in addition to being subject to arrest and prosecution by local authorities,” the league wrote. “The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league. Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans. … The subject involved in the incident in Atlanta on Tuesday has been arrested.”
Security officials were reportedly spotted questioning fans at the 200 level of the Sky’s Wintrust Arena on Friday, so the league or authorities could be in the process of identifying that fan as well.
Video of both incidents have gone viral on social media, with even some WNBA players joking about the ridiculous situation. Others, however, have denounced the action as dangerous and demeaning, including Sky center Elizabeth Williams, per the Chicago Tribune:
“It’s super disrespectful,” Sky center Elizabeth Williams said after the Valkyries’ 73-66 victory. “I don’t really get the point of it. It’s really immature. Whoever is doing it needs to grow up.”
And Valkyries forward Cecilia Zandalasini, per the Associated Press:
“I mean, first of all, it was super dangerous,” Valkyries forward Cecilia Zandalasini said after Tuesday’s game. “And then when we found out what it was, I guess we just started laughing. I’ve never seen anything like that. I’m just glad we worked through that situation. We stayed locked in. We stayed concentrated.”
Others have spoken out on social media:
Sex toys being thrown onto the field of play isn’t completely unprecedented but the circumstances were vastly different in the most notable example, where the Buffalo Bills fans have thrown them in games agains the New England Patriots.
