今日吃瓜

A sex toy has been thrown onto a WNBA court during a game for the fifth time in a little over a week.

The first incident occurred on 30 July in the final minute of a game between Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries, when a fan catapulted a lime green dildo right into the court.

23-year-old Delbert Carver was charged with disorderly conduct, public indecency or indecent exposure and criminal trespass. In an affidavit, he allegedly said that it was 鈥渟upposed to be a joke鈥� and 鈥済o viral.鈥�

The first incident was met with much mirth from the players, with Las Vegas Aces guard Kierstan Bell reposting a video of the incident with the caption, 鈥淒amn how my shit get there”. Indiana Fever point guard Sydney Colson meanwhile wrote, 鈥淪orry I did NOT mean to throw that so far y鈥檃ll鈥� alongside a green heart.

Damn how my shit get there 馃え

鈥� KB 馃�� (@Dotmug_330)

Someone thought it would be just as funny the second time only a few days later during a Valkyries鈥� match against Chicago Sky, but the joke started getting old when yet another dildo was thrown onto the court at a Los Angeles game between Indiana Fever and the LA Sparks.

The toy landed right near the foot of Fever player Sophie Cunningham, who posted, “stop throwing dildos on the court鈥� you鈥檙e going to hurt one of us”, in the wake of the second incident.

鈥淚t鈥檚 ridiculous, it鈥檚 dumb, it鈥檚 stupid,鈥� said Sparks coach Lynne Roberts. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also dangerous and players鈥� safety is number one. Respecting the game. All those things. I think it鈥檚 really stupid.鈥�

Another toy was thrown during a Phoenix Mercury game on 5 August, with video footage capturing an 18-year-old in the act.

He was booked into jail on suspicion of disorderly conduct, assault and public display of explicit sexual material.

Thanks, you ruined it

While the stunt was actually amusing the first time, now that it’s a trend, it’s beginning to take on a tinge of misogyny.

These are professional athletes trying to do their jobs. The fact that they’re essentially being sexually harassed by (what seems to be) young men throwing silicone penises onto the court is disrespectful to their hard work and dedication to a sport they love, not to mention the coaches, other staff, and crowd who paid money for a ticket.

Also, dildos are really expensive. Who has that kind of money?

In a statement last week, a spokesperson for the WNBA said: 鈥淭he 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.

鈥淚n line with WNBA Arena Security Standards, 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.”