dildogate: Sex Toys, Basketball, and Cryptocurrency
This summer of 2025 brought an unexpected catchphrase from America. It isn’t musical, but rather a sexually suggestive one that quickly became a media phenomenon, impacting sports, online investments, feminism, and betting.
The incident began with sex toys appearing at WNBA games,the premier women’s basketball league. While described in the plural, the objects involved were specifically plastic, phallic-shaped toys – dildos.
This led to the term “dildogate.” Initially dismissed as an isolated incident, the first occurrence on July 29 in San Francisco during a game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream was met with amusement. Players reacted with humor, sharing jokes on social media. Cecilia Zandalasini, a player for the Valkyries (fresh off a bronze medal win at the european Championships on June 29), even smiled at the event.
However,the situation escalated during the third incident on August 5 at the crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, home to the LA Sparks and the Los Angeles lakers. During a sold-out game against the Indiana Fever, featuring Caitlin Clark, a fluorescent green sex toy struck Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham with two minutes remaining in the first half. Ironically, Cunningham had previously pleaded with fans on X (formerly Twitter): “Don’t throw dildos on the court… you risk hurting someone.”
Brokers and Cryptocurrencies
The incidents continued, shifting the reaction from amusement to annoyance and raising serious concerns, including potential criminal consequences.
The origin of the dildo-throwing stems from a community of cryptocurrency brokers. They revealed they created a website on June 19 to launch a new memecoin called “Green Dildo Coin.” An official X profile, launched on July 29 (coinciding with the first incident), features dialogue reminiscent of Lieutenant Aldo Raine from Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.
The catchphrase is a marketing strategy designed to attract attention.It has proven prosperous, with the value of “Green Dildo Coin” tripling in the first week of August and trending on search engines. Within the crypto community’s Telegram chats and X livestreams, a common motto is: “Be creative, do anything that really makes people laugh.”