Chicago Sky’s new social media protection: How it works to ‘remove some of the noise’

The Chicago Sky basketball team significantly increased physical security measures around players, including 24-hour protection at hotels, gyms, and during travel, due to escalating safety concerns.

In response to these threats, the Sky formed a pioneering partnership with Moonshot Technologies earlier this month to protect players from online harassment on social media. This marks the first such arrangement in the WNBA.

Players welcomed the initiative, with guard Ariel Atkins stating that athletes often face "inhumane" comments despite expectations to endure them, calling the organization's action "phenomenal." All-Star Angel Reese emphasized the importance of this protection "especially as a woman."

Sky co-owner Nadia Rawlinson, whose perspective is informed by her experiences as a woman of color, noted that while the historic rise in women's sports brings greater attention and investment, it also has a "dark side." The goal is to allow players to focus on basketball by "remov[ing] some of the noise that happens off the court."

Rawlinson personally contacted Moonshot co-founder and CEO Vidhya Ramalingam after recently reading about the company's technology in a tech publication. Notably, Moonshot's platform was originally developed for counter-terrorism efforts and is currently utilized by the U.S. government.