{"id":192890,"date":"2025-09-30T18:37:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T18:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/192890\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T18:37:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T18:37:08","slug":"wnba-host-kayce-kirihara-turned-nsfw-stunt-into-female-em","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/192890\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA Host Kayce Kirihara Turned NSFW Stunt Into Female Em…"},"content":{"rendered":"

When a bright green object flew onto the court<\/a> during a WNBA game this summer, it was clear the stunt wasn\u2019t about basketball. <\/p>\n

The toss, coordinated by a group of self-proclaimed cryptocurrency promoters, was designed to shock, distract, and grab attention for a coin they were pushing online. It quickly spiraled into a viral moment nicknamed \u201cDildogate,<\/a>\u201d sparking everything from social media memes to league-wide frustration.<\/p>\n

But instead of allowing the prank to define the conversation, Seattle Storm in-arena host Kayce Kirihara found a way to take the moment back. Within days, she partnered with sexual wellness company plusOne to turn what could have been remembered as a cheap joke into a campaign about empowerment, visibility, and joy in women\u2019s sports. \u201cWe decided to own it,\u201d she said. \u201cInstead of letting the moment define us, we turned it into a rallying cry.\u201d<\/p>\n

The timing couldn\u2019t have been more relevant. The WNBA is experiencing a record-breaking season, marked by attendance milestones and new sponsorship deals. <\/p>\n

According to league reports reviewed by The Drum<\/a>, more than 2.5 million fans have already passed through arena doors this year, setting a single-season record with games still to be played. <\/p>\n

Broadcast numbers are also climbing, averaging nearly 800,000 viewers per game across national networks, with certain matchups drawing close to 2 million viewers. Sponsorship dollars are also on the rise, with league-wide partnerships generating over $76 million in 2024, a 52 percent increase compared to just two years earlier.<\/p>\n

Against that backdrop, the crypto prank threatened to take focus away from what really mattered. Instead, Kirihara and plusOne leaned into the humor of the moment while keeping the emphasis on female athletes and their communities. \u201cWhen they approached me, their point of view and tone of voice matched mine\u2014cheeky but powerful and clear that we, the female athletes and fans, own this sport,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

That distinction\u2014choosing empowerment over promotion\u2014has helped the project land with fans and athletes alike. Names like Lexie Brown have already amplified the campaign online, showing that the message carries weight inside the league. <\/p>\n

For Kirihara, that kind of support is the most meaningful validation. \u201cWhen athletes and fans rally around a message, it validates the work in a way numbers never could,\u201d she said. \u201cSeeing people I admire amplify this campaign has been deeply personal\u2014it reminds me why we fight for visibility and why joy and empowerment can\u2019t be separated.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the campaign expands into the playoffs, Kirihara is doubling down on that spirit. A second wave launched during postseason play, bringing fresh activations, merch, and even cheeky taglines like \u201cThe original buzzer beaters.\u201d She says the timing was intentional. \u201cPlayoffs are when the spotlight burns the brightest. That\u2019s exactly why Wave 2 of our campaign is hitting now\u2014because this is when athletes and fans are most tuned in.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s another example of how Kirihara sees her role as extending beyond simply hyping up a crowd during timeouts. As she puts it, her job is to be the \u201cenergy translator\u201d between athletes and fans, helping fuse performance and passion into something larger. \u201cIt\u2019s about making the arena feel like more than a game; it feels like a community and a movement.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sense of community is what keeps her focused beyond viral moments and playoff runs. She knows advocacy around women\u2019s sports can\u2019t just spike during the big games and fade after the season ends. \u201cConsistency is everything,\u201d she said. \u201cAdvocacy can\u2019t just be tied to big moments; it has to live in the day-to-day. That means brands showing up when the cameras aren\u2019t rolling, media covering the stories outside of championships, and fans keeping the conversation alive online and offline.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When a bright green object flew onto the court during a WNBA game this summer, it was clear…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":192891,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-192890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}