On Friday, a second man was arrested for throwing a sex toy, which landed near a nine-year-old child, during a game between the Phoenix Mercury and Connecticut Sun. Kaden Lopez, 18, was tackled by security and later detained on suspicion of disorderly conduct, assault and public display of explicit sexual material.
The group’s ringleader, who goes by the alias Lt. Aldo Raine, told USA Today that they did not target women’s sport because they dislike it: “We didn’t do this because, like, we dislike women’s sports or, like, some of the narratives that are trending right now are ridiculous,” but in an interview with Clay Travis on OutKick, he said they’d targeted the WNBA because it was “being forced down our throats”.
After the first game, the cryptocurrency group discussed other events they could target, including other women’s sports. One member said, “What about other women’s sports, is there like pro soccer and stuff in the states?”
Another replied, “In Europe, bro, they’re trying to push pro women’s soccer so hard, they’re trying to push that shit and people just don’t care.”
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On Friday (AEST), Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said action needed to be taken against the perpetrators.
“This has been going on for centuries, the sexualisation of women. This is the latest version of that, and it is not funny,” she said.
The group also discussed throwing toys at a Lady Gaga concert in Seattle on August 6, the Weeknd in Houston on August 30, and the US Open tennis tournament. A sex toy of the same colour was also visible behind the catcher in a baseball game between the Houston Astros and the Miami Marlins on Thursday.