Meme Cryptocurrency Creators Admit to WNBA Sex Toy Incidents
USA TODAY Sports investigates the individuals responsible for throwing sex toys onto the court during recent WNBA games. See why the group claims they did it.
- A cryptocurrency collective has taken credit for the sex toy incidents at WNBA games.
- The group asserts these actions are a form of opposition to the “corrosive” atmosphere within the cryptocurrency industry, and are not meant to show disrespect to women athletes.
- While two individuals have been taken into custody for throwing the objects, the group’s spokesperson claims they were not associated with their organization.
- The group plans to continue with “gentler” and “more refined” stunts to attract attention.
Creators of a meme cryptocurrency have admitted responsibility for incidents involving sex toys being thrown at WNBA games. They also indicated that further “pranks” are in the works.
From Atlanta to Los Angeles, venues have not been immune to neon green objects launched from the audience and onto WNBA courts. According to a representative for the cryptocurrency group, these instances of brightly colored items being thrown into the arena are intentional acts of symbolic disruption when opportunities present themselves. The spokesperson, using the online handle @Daldo_Raine, discussed the matter with USA TODAY Sports under the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature surrounding it.
Over the past couple of weeks, at least six instances of green sex toys being thrown during WNBA games have been reported.
The most recent occurred Tuesday evening during a match between the
Indiana Fever and the
Los Angeles Sparks held at Crypto.com Arena in L.A. Incidents also took place during New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury games, two Atlanta Dream games last week, and a Chicago Sky game on Friday. Law enforcement has arrested two individuals in connection with these acts.
“It’s ridiculous, it’s dumb, it’s stupid,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts stated following the game. “It’s also dangerous. The well-being of our players is the highest priority, as is respect for the sport, and related principles. I find this extremely idiotic.”
The cryptocurrency group’s representative conveyed to USA TODAY Sports that causing harm was not the purpose. According to the representative, a group of crypto traders and enthusiasts launched Green Dildo Coin (DILDO) in late July, a meme-based coin meant as a lighthearted joke, to call attention to what they describe as the cryptocurrency industry’s “toxic” environment. According to the group, many smaller participants in the cryptocurrency sector are finding it increasingly challenging to contend with the rising number of influencers and scams.
In response, the meme coin was established, and its advocates began entering WNBA games with sex toys that were color-coordinated to match the launch. USA TODAY Sports obtained communications showing the group making coordination efforts leading up to the coin’s launch on July 28 and the first sex toy being thrown at a WNBA game on July 29.
USA TODAY Sports has contacted the WNBA in reference to the cryptocurrency group, the incidents involving the sex toys, and future security protocols. The league has refrained from commenting for the record.
The group’s spokesperson stated it is not the group’s intention to injure anyone, and community members have been instructed to throw the branded green objects only if they feel comfortable and the toys can land without striking anyone. He also dismissed any suggestion that the sex toys indicated any disrespect toward the female athletes.
Past sporting events have experienced similar incidents, with the New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills game in 2018 perhaps being the most recognizable.
“We didn’t do this because we dislike women’s sports, or any of the currently trending narratives which are absurd,” he said. “Causing disruptions during games is something that happens in every sport. It happens in the NFL, it happens in hockey… fans doing random things to draw attention.
“We knew we had to execute some viral stunts in order to be heard in this space and save us from selling our souls and our project by paying the influencer cabal.”
These events commenced ten days after the WNBA All-Star game, which garnered considerable media attention and went viral multiple times across social media.
According to the spokesperson, these actions involving propelled sex toys (featuring drawn-on sunglasses and the name of the coin) are intended to raise awareness for a culture of humor, pranks, and outlandish stunts. The green sex toy is meant to resemble a green trading candle, and its price increase indicates volatility, which the meme coin group claims is what traders dream of. The object’s striking color was selected intentionally, with the goal of disrupting the games and piquing curiosity.
He also declared that the arrested parties were not part of his group. Delbert Carver was arrested for disorderly conduct, indecent exposure, and trespassing following an event at the Atlanta Dream’s stadium on Saturday. Kaden Lopez, age 18, was taken into custody in Phoenix on allegations of assault, disorderly conduct, and the public display of explicit materials.
According to FOX, Lopez admitted to police that he had witnessed the trend on social media and chose to purchase a green sex toy himself.
“Moving forward, we have a lot more pranks planned, but they’re a lot less extreme and more tasteful,” the spokesman said. “They’ll involve different types of branded merchandise, and they’re more about ensuring the sex toy is spotted in areas that are high-traffic with many cameras.”
The coordinated campaign represents a deliberate objection to what the meme coin’s founders believe is control of the cryptocurrency world by a small number of actors. Instigating sufficient disruption to “gain a voice” and grab media attention was an objective from the start. The spokesperson reported that their goal has now been met, and they intend to continue their strategy, although they are unwilling to share the particulars of their upcoming projects.
The organization also left a green sex toy on the Wall Street Bull in New York City and provided USA TODAY Sports with footage of a person seated behind home plate at a Major League Baseball game holding a green sex toy. “We wanna shift the culture in cryptocurrency, and we wanna be the 1,000 against the one,” the spokesperson stated.
Meme coins are crypto assets that take inspiration from internet jokes, figures, or trends, “for which the promoter seeks to attract an enthusiastic online community to purchase the meme coin and engage in its trading,” according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC says that Meme coins are collectibles with either none or very limited functionality, with their value determined by social and cultural variables. This implies greater risk in relation to other cryptocurrencies, where value is bound to more reliably predictable supply and demand trends.
The essence of this meme coin raises the concern that this could be a pump-and-dump scheme. Pump-and-dump approaches are generally built around creating demand and raising the price of a coin by marketing and owners buying large quantities of coins, then selling it to others who aren’t aware of the motive. The original owners then flood the market with coins to increase the supply once the price plummets, and those who are left holding the coins are left with tokens of insignificant value.
This specific meme coin has surged in value by nearly 309% within the past seven days, with over an 80% increase in the last day. According to the cryptocurrency website coingecko.com, it has a 24-hour trading volume exceeding $1.3 million.
In an online recorded conversation, a member of the group stated that this is not their intention.
“Are we looking for a quick pump and dump? No. That’s never been the vision,”
they said on X. “The vision is … we wanna bring the trenches back to the timeline. We wanna bring a community of base [expletive] animals who like doing fun [expletive].”
This is a developing story and will be updated.