Sky and Moonshot: Alliance against online harassment of WNBA players

Chicago Sky Partners with Tech Company to Combat Online Harassment

The Chicago Sky women’s basketball team has announced a collaboration with a technology company with the aim of combating online harassment directed at players and coaches. The initiative seeks to protect athletes from threats and abusive behavior in the digital environment. The company Moonshot, founded by national security professionals, will use its technology to identify and remove harmful content, assess risks, and take measures to mitigate damage. The Sky team thus becomes the first WNBA team to partner with Moonshot. Conversations about this collaboration began at the start of the WNBA season, following the opening game between the Sky and the Indiana Fever. The agreement seeks to address the increase in online harassment cases, a problem that affects a large number of athletes. Moonshot CEO Vidhya Ramalingam revealed that the company detected threatening posts directed at Caitlin Clark, which led to the arrest of a man in January in Indianapolis. This individual was accused of harassing the player.

Our systems detected abhorrent behavior from an individual obsessed with Caitlin Clark.

Vidhya Ramalingam, CEO of Moonshot

Ramalingam explained that the man was posting messages with obsessive romantic content and delusional posts, some of which contained threats of violence. This case of harassment against Clark occurred a month after a man pleaded guilty to harassing Paige Bueckers, while she played for UConn. Moonshot indicates that 92% of women in public life suffer online abuse, and 31% of this harassment is sexual in nature. Sky emphasizes that this collaboration reflects its commitment to the health and safety of its players, including their mental well-being.

Hate and harassment have no place in sports.

Nadia Rawlinson, co-owner and president of operations of Sky

Rawlinson added that female athletes, especially women of color and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, face a disproportionate amount of harassment and threats of violence online. Rawlinson also pointed out that these incidents are increasing in proportion to the growth of women’s sports, sports betting, and the use of artificial intelligence.