Cryptocurrency meme coin creators say they are responsible for the sex toys being thrown at multiple WNBA games, and they are planning more "pranks."
From Atlanta to Los Angeles, no arena has been safe from neon green objects whizzing from the stands, through the air and onto WNBA courts. If there is an opportune window, a brightly colored entity will be thrown, causing intentional and symbolic chaos, according to a spokesman for the cryptocurrency group. The person, who uses the name @Daldo_Raine on social media, spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue.
Over the past two weeks, there have been six known incidents of green sex toys being thrown at WNBA games. The latest to garner attention happened Tuesday night during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena in L.A. Green sex toys were also thrown in the stands at New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury games Tuesday, at two Atlanta Dream games last week and a Chicago Sky game Friday. Two people have been arrested on multiple charges for allegedly throwing the objects.
"It’s ridiculous, it’s dumb, it’s stupid," Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said after the game. "It’s also dangerous. Player safety is No. 1, respecting the game, all those things. I think it’s really stupid."The spokesman for the group responsible told USA TODAY Sports that was not the intention. He said a group of crypto enthusiasts and traders launched Green Dildo Coin (DILDO), a meme coin intended to be lighthearted and perceived as a joke, in late July to protest what they describe as a "toxic" environment in the crypto world. According to the group, many smaller players in the space are struggling to keep up with the influx of influencers and scammers.
