Chicago Sky Becomes First WNBA Team to Use Threat Monitoring Tech

The Chicago Sky is taking a new approach to protecting its players and staff from online abuse. In a first for the WNBA, the team has teamed up with online safety company Moonshot to monitor and reduce harassment, including threats across social media and even the dark web.

Good to know

• Chicago Sky is the first WNBA team to adopt this type of online safety tech.
• The partnership includes monitoring threats across both open and hidden platforms.
• The team’s rising profile, including Angel Reese, has led to more targeted online abuse.

Moonshot brings experience working with Olympic teams, NCAA programs, and tech companies like Google and Spotify. Now, it will help the Sky respond to a rising wave of online threats in women’s sports. The collaboration is meant to find and address harmful content, assess risk, and understand what is driving these attacks.

“Hate and harassment have no place in sports,” said Nadia Rawlinson, co-owner and operating chairman of the Chicago Sky, adding:

“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.”

The team has faced increasing abuse, especially after adding star player Angel Reese. As women’s sports grow, and more attention comes through sports betting and social media, the volume of targeted harassment has increased too. The Sky’s move comes at a time when more female athletes—particularly women of color and LGBTQIA+ players—are reporting online abuse.

Rawlinson added: 

“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. Unfortunately, these incidents are increasing commensurately with the growth in women’s sports, sports betting, and use of artificial intelligence.”

Moonshot’s role will be to identify and remove harmful content, track emerging threats, and help reduce risks before they escalate. The Sky hopes this will allow the team to focus on basketball while knowing their digital safety is being actively handled behind the scenes.

In related news, back in June, the Chicago Sky entered into a new partnership with bet365, becoming the fifth WNBA team to collaborate with a sportsbook.