The disturbing trend of throwing sex toys onto the court during WNBA games continued with two more incidents on Thursday, the same day that a cryptocurrency group claimed ownership over the idea for the stunts.
Anonymous crypto investors told multiple outlets that they orchestrated the stunts to raise awareness of a new crypto coin, trying to draw attention to the market with each incident.
"It was more or less like an opportunistic approach to, you know, what is already trending," an anonymous crypto trader told ESPN. "Where is there already controversy and how do we intercept some of that attention?"
The coin's creators and community members have used multiple tactics to shield their identities in an effort to avoid accountability for both the on-court disruptions and their derogatory online discussions.
Ultimately, the incidents are "essentially an excuse for bad actors to hijack existing negativity and convert it into attention," NYU cryptocurrency and blockchain expert Christian Grewell told The Athletic.
While law enforcement made two arrests for disruptions in Atlanta and Phoenix this week, WNBA security still has work to do to address the safety of players, staff, and fans amidst this concerning trend.
"This has been going on for centuries, the sexualization of women. This is the latest version of that. And it's not funny," Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve told reporters on Thursday. "These people that are doing this should be held accountable."