Natasha Cloud Condemns Renewed Court-Throwing Incidents at WNBA Games

Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud has condemned a renewed series of incidents in which sex toys were thrown onto the court during WNBA games. The Guardian reported that the latest disruptions occurred on consecutive nights, bringing back a pattern that had previously led to arrests and a warning from the league.

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During Chicago's win over the Golden State Valkyries on Friday night, arena workers removed objects that had landed on the playing surface. The players remained on the court while staff dealt with the interruption. A similar episode occurred Thursday during the Atlanta Dream's victory over the Los Angeles Sparks, and a suspect was detained.

Cloud responded by describing the behavior as a display of hostility rather than a harmless stunt. She said the actions reflected the perpetrators' own problems, called the men involved weak and argued that their conduct revealed how they viewed women. Her comments placed the focus on the wider disrespect directed at players as well as the immediate disruption to competition.

The incidents follow a series of cases during the previous WNBA season. According to The Guardian, several young men were arrested after objects were thrown at games in Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. One of those involved said the act was intended as a joke and was designed to attract viral attention.

A cryptocurrency trading and investment group that claimed responsibility for last season's incidents has again said it was behind the latest disruption. The group told USA Today that the action was a protest against the WNBA's policy concerning transgender players. The Guardian noted that no transgender woman has appeared on a WNBA roster, although eligibility in women's sport remains the subject of public debate. Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham had previously said she supported excluding transgender girls and women from girls' and women's sports.

The WNBA set out its position after the earlier incidents, saying spectators who throw objects onto the court face a ban of at least one year and potential prosecution by law enforcement. Those penalties address both the interruption of games and the risks created when objects are launched toward players, officials and other people near the playing area.