The individual who threw a sex toy on the court during Tuesday’s game between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries has been arrested, the WNBA said. It was the first of two incidents this week, as on Friday another fan threw a sex toy on the floor of the Valkyries’ game at the Chicago Sky. The WNBA said that any person who throws objects onto the court at future games will be ejected and face a minimum one-year ban.
The league did not state whether the fan who threw the object in Friday’s game in Chicago was also arrested.
“The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league,” the WNBA said in a statement. “Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans. In 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.”
The WNBA fan code of conduct explicitly states that guests who throw objects will be immediately ejected from the arena. Guests who do not adhere to the code of conduct “will be subject to penalty including but not limited to, ejection, without refund, revocation of their season tickets, and/or prevention from attending future games.”
Both incidents drew reactions from players involved in the games, as well as from other players in the league not affiliated with the contests.
“I mean, first of all, it was super dangerous,” Valkyries forward Cecilia Zandalasini said after the first incident. “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.”
New York Liberty forward Isabelle Harrison did not play in either of the games in which the incidents occurred, but she took to social media to criticize those who threw the objects as well as arena employees.
“ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??!” Harrison said. “Please do better. It’s not funny. Never was funny. Throwing ANYTHING on the court is so dangerous.”
Sky center Elizabeth Williams called the incidents “super disrespectful” and said that those who participated in the acts need to “grow up.”