The Chicago Sky announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration in an attempt to limit targeted harassment against its players and staff.
Key takeaways
- The Chicago Sky partnered with online safety firm Moonshot to combat online hate, harassment, and abuse targeting players and coaches.
- The team is the first in the WNBA to implement technology to monitor threats across social media and the dark web.
- The move comes amid rising abuse in women’s sports, with the Sky uniquely at the center given their prominent star Angel Reese.
According to a release Tuesday, the club partnered with online safety firm Moonshot to “leverage national security technology to keep the team’s full roster safe,” becoming the first WNBA team to enter such an agreement.
“Hate and harassment have no place in sports,” said Nadia Rawlinson, co-owner and operating chairman of the Chicago Sky. “Our partnership with Moonshot is about proactively tackling online hate, harassment, and abuse across social media and on the dark web, so our players and coaches can focus on the game of basketball and delighting our fans around the world.”
Moonshot, according to the release, is a premier global services provider to end online abuse and violence, with prior partnerships including the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams, teams across NCAA sports, as well as major tech companies such as Google, Facebook, and Spotify.
The agreement's goal ultimately seeks to solve the litany of online harassment the Sky’s athletes face, identify and remove concerning content, assess and mitigate risks, and attack underlying causes and drivers of online abuse thanks to a dedicated team of online security experts.
Chicago Sky uniquely in crosshairs
“The data is abundantly clear. Female athletes, especially women of color and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, face disproportionate amounts of online harassment, abuse, and threats of violence,” Rawlinson added via the release. “Unfortunately, these incidents are increasing commensurately with the growth in women’s sports, sports betting, and use of artificial intelligence.”
It’s perhaps no accident as well the Chicago Sky chose to become trailblazers in the field and proactively sought ways to protect their stars.
Most notably, the Sky are led by star Angel Reese, whose role as something of a foil to burgeoning WNBA megastar Caitlin Clark put her squarely in the middle of considerable hate. Just last month, Reese was allegedly the victim of racist comments during the Sky’s season opener against Clark’s Indiana Fever.
“There’s no place in this league for that,” Reese said of the alleged comments. “The WNBA and our team and our organization has done a great job supporting me.”
That was just the latest incident the Sky faced. However, last season the Sky dealt with alleged taunts that included racist language as they exited their team bus ahead of a game against the Washington Mystics.
“We are honored to support the Chicago Sky in this strategic and pioneering effort to protect their players and coaches. Our work is grounded in a decade of national security experience understanding the origins of online abuse and what to do about it,” said Vidhya Ramalingam, CEO of Moonshot. “We are grateful for the opportunity to leverage our technology and expertise to advance player safety at a time when interest in women’s sports is at an all-time high. We hope this unique, first-of-its-kind partnership will serve as a model for other sports teams and leagues.”
Just last month, the Chicago Sky announced a partnership with bet365, the first WNBA team to do so. Now, the franchise is leading the way in combating hate and harassment.
