A sex toy made its way onto a WNBA court for the second time in one week, disrupting the flow of a game. The incident occurred during the third quarter of a match between the Golden State Valkyries and the Chicago Sky on March 15, 2024. The Valkyries secured a 73-66 victory, but the game was briefly halted when the object was spotted under the basket after a whistle. An official promptly kicked the item aside before it was retrieved and removed from the court.
Players and officials expressed their dismay over the incidents. Elizabeth Williams, center for the Sky, criticized the act during a postgame news conference. “It’s super disrespectful,” she stated. “I don’t really get the point of it. It’s really immature. Whoever is doing it needs to grow up.”
This was not the first occurrence of such a disruption. Just three days earlier, on March 12, 2024, a similar object was thrown during the Valkyries’ 77-75 win against the Atlanta Dream in College Park, Georgia. After that game, Valkyries forward Cecilia Zandalasini remarked on the potential dangers of the object. “I mean, first of all, it was super dangerous,” she said. “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.”
Following the incidents, Isabelle Harrison, forward for the New York Liberty, took to social media to address the ongoing problem. On March 15, she posted on X, stating, “ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??! Please do better. It’s not funny. Never was funny. Throwing ANYTHING on the court is so dangerous.”
The repeated nature of these disruptions raises significant concerns regarding fan behavior and safety in professional sports. While the incidents may have sparked laughter among some players, the broader implications for player safety and the integrity of the game remain serious issues that need to be addressed.
