A gang of cryptocurrency investors is taking credit for a string of instances in which green sex toys were thrown onto WNBA courts, which adds an odd twist to the already intense commotion that surrounds the league.
Players have thrown bright green, phallic-shaped objects at WNBA games in Atlanta, Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. At least two people have been arrested as a result of the occurrences, and WNBA players and fans are furious.
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The episodes were actually planned to promote a so-called memecoin. As more people invest in these digital cryptocurrency, their value rises.
The identity of the inventors of the Green Dildo Coin token, which has its own website, has not yet been made public. However, in an interview with NBC News, one of the backers—who asked to remain anonymous because the issue was sensitive—denied that the plan was motivated by racism or misogyny and claimed that it was instead intended to advance the memecoin community, which he claimed was being increasingly targeted by influencer cabals and other negative actors.
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Our team was formed to make people laugh, bring back the humor and fun of memecoins, and attempt to restore a lost crypto culture, he stated.
According to him, the original idea was for four people to launch green sex toys onto WNBA courts in one night last Tuesday. These objects were supposed to symbolize the spirit of bullish trading. One person finally made the decision not to proceed, and another’s throw failed to reach the court. A third person was apprehended.
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The crypto connection was covered by USA Today and The Athletic, the New York Times’ sports publication, on Thursday.
According to the token representative NBC News spoke with, months of preparation had gone into the campaign’s July 28 debut, which also includes a website, merchandise, NFTs, and a Telegram social media channel that currently has over 1,000 members.
He considered the attempt a success despite the criticism.
People are discussing it. He claimed that they are witnessing it in settings that are pertinent to daily life. Pranks are crucial for spreading the word because they give memes a cool, novel, and secure environment.
The first publication to interview a memecoin group spokesperson was USA Today.
Additionally, the jokes seem to be profitable: One market tracker estimates that by Friday night, the market capitalization, or total value, of all the coins was around $15 million. Each of the top ten coin owners currently has more than $100,000 in their holdings.
The spokesperson likened the endeavor to an attempt to resurrect the spirit that propelled meme stocks, such as GameStop, to unprecedented heights a few years ago while also posing a threat to more established Wall Street firms. He said that a green sex toy had also been seen at a Miami Marlins baseball game and on the Wall Street Bull statue in New York.
“You can be financially involved in a movement or trend,” the man stated. He continued by saying that, unlike many digital tokens whose value and virality may be attributed to a single TikTok artist, a meme coin is formed by a trend, prank, or piece of content, and the beauty of it is that anybody may profit from that trend.
Players and supporters of the WNBA, which is already the target of constant online racism and misogyny, are outraged by the game occurrences.
A WNBA representative stated on Thursday that the league places a high premium on everyone’s safety and wellbeing in our arenas. Any form of object thrown onto the court or into the bleachers could endanger the safety of players, referees, and spectators.
The representative also stated that anyone who willfully tosses an object into the court will be removed right away and banned from games for at least a year.
Despite this indignation, Donald Trump Jr., who is also very involved in cryptocurrency initiatives, appears to support the ongoing pranks. On Thursday, he shared a photoshopped meme on social media that showed the president hurling a green sex toy onto a WNBA court from the White House roof.
Requests for response from the White House and the president’s son were not answered.
Over the past week, there have been at least six reports of the offensive antics, including one at a Phoenix Mercury game where an 18-year-old hurled a green sex toy that missed the ground. According to authorities, it struck a man who was watching the game with his niece, who is nine years old. The man, the WNBA, and the owners of the Mercury’s PHX Arena are attempting to bring charges against the offender.
According to court filings, Kaden Lopez, a suspect in that event, attempted to run away after tossing the sex object but was tackled and taken into custody. Lopez referred to his activities as a dumb joke that was popular on social media and expressed his sincere regret for the stunt.
Lopez could not be reached for comment, but the memecoin spokesperson told NBC News that Lopez was associated with the core memecoin launch group. According to court filings, Delbert Carver, a suspect in a throwing incident that occurred during an Atlanta Dream game, acknowledged it to police during an interview.He is charged with several offenses.
According to an affidavit, he told College Park police that this was a joke that was meant to go viral.
On Friday, Carver, 23, was not immediately available for comment.
According to the memecoin spokesperson, the group was unaware of Carver beforehand.
These tokens belong to the community. He said, “We’re not a business.” Contributions are open to anybody.
