WNBA's Chicago Sky Announce Partnership With Online Safety Firm Moonshot
The Chicago Sky announced a first-of-its-kind partnership in an attempt to restrict targeted harassment versus its players and staff.
- The Chicago Sky partnered with online security firm Moonshot to combat online hate, harassment, and abuse targeting gamers and coaches.
- The group is the first in the WNBA to implement technology to keep track of risks across social media and the dark web.
- The relocation comes amidst rising abuse in ladies's sports, with the Sky distinctively at the center offered their prominent star Angel Reese.
According to a release Tuesday, the club partnered with online security company Moonshot to "utilize nationwide security innovation to keep the group's full lineup safe," becoming the very first WNBA team to go into such an arrangement.
"Hate and harassment have no place in sports," stated Nadia Rawlinson, co-owner and operating chairman of the Chicago Sky. "Our partnership with Moonshot has to do with proactively taking on 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 all over the world."
Moonshot, according to the release, is a premier international services company to end online abuse and violence, with prior collaborations consisting of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams, teams throughout NCAA sports, along with significant tech business such as Google, Facebook, and Spotify.
The contract's objective eventually seeks to resolve the litany of online harassment the Sky's athletes face, identify and remove concerning material, assess and reduce threats, and attack underlying causes and chauffeurs of online abuse thanks to a dedicated team of online security specialists.
Chicago Sky distinctively in crosshairs
"The data is abundantly clear. Female athletes, particularly females of color and members of the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood, face disproportionate quantities of online harassment, abuse, and threats of violence," Rawlinson added through the release. "Unfortunately, these events are increasing commensurately with the development in ladies's sports, sports betting, and usage of expert system."
It's perhaps no accident also the Chicago Sky picked to end up being trendsetters in the field and proactively looked for ways to secure their stars.
Most notably, the Sky are led by star Angel Reese, whose role as something of a foil to blossoming WNBA megastar Caitlin Clark put her directly in the middle of substantial hate. Just last month, Reese was presumably the victim of racist remarks during the Sky's season opener versus Clark's Indiana Fever.
"There's no place in this league for that," Reese said of the supposed comments. "The WNBA and our group and our organization has actually done a fantastic job supporting me."
That was simply the current event the Sky dealt with. However, last season the Sky handled supposed taunts that included racist language as they exited their team bus ahead of a video game against the .
"We are honored to support the Chicago Sky in this tactical and pioneering effort to protect their gamers and coaches. Our work is grounded in a decade of nationwide security experience understanding the origins of online abuse and what to do about it," stated Vidhya Ramalingam, CEO of Moonshot. "We are grateful for the chance to leverage our technology and proficiency to advance gamer security at a time when interest in females's sports is at an all-time high. We hope this distinct, first-of-its-kind collaboration will act as a design for other sports teams and leagues."
Just last month, the Chicago Sky revealed a partnership with bet365, the very first WNBA team to do so. Now, the franchise is blazing a trail in combating hate and harassment.