Security in focus as arrests made in spat of sex toy disruptions in WNBA

The WNBA is inactive struggling with a drawstring of enactment artifact disturbances.

In the past week and a half, enactment toys person been thrown connected tribunal during games successful Atlanta connected July 29, Chicago connected August 1, Los Angeles connected August 5 and Chicago again connected Thursday night, with the astir caller entity hitting the tribunal successful the closing seconds of the Atlanta Dream’s triumph implicit the Sky.

The enactment artifact that landed connected the tribunal successful Los Angeles astir deed Fever defender Sophie Cunningham during Indiana’s crippled against the Sparks. Sex toys were besides thrown astatine games successful New York and Phoenix past Tuesday, but didn’t scope the court. Police accidental different artifact was thrown astatine a crippled successful Atlanta connected August 1, though it is unclear if that 1 reached the court.

The distractions person created unexpected challenges for the league, the teams and the players, but besides for arena security. Here’s what to know.

A antheral was arrested Saturday successful College Park, Georgia, aft helium was accused of throwing a enactment artifact onto the tribunal during the Atlanta Dream’s July 29 matchup with the Golden State Valkyries, according to a constabulary report. The study said helium threw different enactment artifact during the Dream’s August 1 crippled against the Phoenix Mercury, but that lawsuit did not look to effect successful a hold of play.

He is charged with disorderly conduct, transgression trespassing, nationalist indecency and indecent exposure. All 4 charges are misdemeanours successful the authorities of Georgia, meaning that if helium is convicted, the punishment for each tin beryllium a good of up to $1,000 oregon jailhouse clip of up to 12 months. A misdemeanour for nationalist indecency and indecent vulnerability whitethorn besides necessitate registration connected the state’s enactment offender list.

The study said the antheral told police, “This was expected to beryllium a gag and the gag [was] expected to spell viral.”`

Another antheral successful Phoenix was arrested aft constabulary accidental helium threw a enactment artifact successful the assemblage astatine a Mercury crippled connected Tuesday. Police accidental the 18-year-old pulled the enactment artifact from his sweater pouch and threw it towards seats successful beforehand of him, striking a spectator successful the back.

The antheral aboriginal told constabulary it was a prank that had been trending connected societal media and that helium bought the artifact a time earlier to instrumentality to the game. He was aboriginal tackled by a unpaid astatine the arena who had witnessed the incidental and began pursuing him arsenic the antheral tried to permission the arena.

Police accidental the antheral was arrested connected suspicion of assault, disorderly behaviour and publically displaying explicit intersexual material.

The New York Liberty told The Associated Press connected Thursday nighttime that determination is an ongoing probe into the throwing successful New York, and the squad is cooperating with instrumentality enforcement.

The types of enactment toys being thrown onto the tribunal mostly bash not see metallic elements, meaning that arena metallic detectors are not capable to consciousness them. When carried connected a spectator’s body, they go adjacent much hard to detect.

ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??! Please bash better. It’s not funny. ne'er was funny. Throwing ANYTHING connected the tribunal is truthful dangerous.

— Isabelle Harrison (@OMG_itsizzyb) August 2, 2025

Arena information teams look challenges successful catching these items, according to Ty Richmond, the president of the lawsuit services part astatine Allied Universal Security, a institution that provides information services to definite NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB and MLS arenas crossed the country.

“Not each stadiums are utilizing a screening process that’s accordant and tin observe (the enactment toys) due to the fact that of what it would necessitate — pat down searches, opening the bags, prohibiting bags,” helium said. “The struggle of expediency, of getting fans into the arena and into the venue, which is an important issue, and information and safety.”

The limits of arena information marque ineligible enactment 1 of the strongest deterrents for this benignant of behaviour, Richmond said.

“The determination to prosecute and amusement examples of however radical are being handled is precise important,” helium said. “Without a doubt, I deliberation it volition marque a difference. The exertion of it is important, and publicising that is important.”

There person not been immoderate arrests made yet successful Los Angeles and Chicago. In a connection to The AP, the Sparks said they are “working with arena unit to place the idiosyncratic liable and guarantee due enactment is taken”.

The WNBA has said that immoderate spectators throwing objects onto the tribunal volition look a minimum one-year prohibition and prosecution from instrumentality enforcement.

As the disturbances heap up, those connected the tribunal person go progressively frustrated.

“Everyone is trying to marque definite the W is not a gag and it’s taken seriously, and past that happens,” Cunningham said connected her podcast aft astir being deed by 1 of the enactment toys connected Tuesday. “I’m like, ‘How are we ever going to get taken seriously?’”

No different nonrecreational sports leagues person faced enactment artifact disturbances similar this. It has started a speech online astir the perpetrators’ choices to propulsion them during games successful a women’s league and a league with a high-profile magnitude of lesbian and queer players.

“This has been going connected for centuries, the sexualization of women. This is the latest mentation of that. It’s not funny. It should not beryllium the butt of jokes,” said Minnesota Lynx manager Cheryl Reeve connected Thursday. “The sexualisation of women is what’s utilized to clasp women down, and this is nary different.”

Despite the transgression behaviour starring to arrests, astatine slightest 1 crypto-based predictions marketplace is offering trades fundamentally allowing users to wager connected whether enactment toys volition beryllium thrown astatine aboriginal WNBA games.

Players person besides been sounding disconnected connected societal media, echoing concerns astir arena information protocols.

Liberty guardant Isabelle Harrison posted connected X past week, saying, “ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??! Please bash better. It’s not funny. Never was funny. Throwing ANYTHING connected the tribunal is truthful dangerous.”