Chicago Sky Announce Groundbreaking Partnership Designed To Protect Angel Reese, Full Roster From Online Abuse

With the popularity of women's basketball on the rise, thanks to WNBA superstars such as Angel Reese, athletes are also experiencing an immense amount of online abuse.

Thankfully, the Chicago Sky has just announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with Moonshot, a global leader in countering online threats, in an effort to protect women athletes from harassment and abuse.

The Chicago Sky is the first team in the WNBA to partner with Moonshot to deploy advanced technology that's designed to "proactively address online hate, harassment, and abuse targeting athletes."

With a dedicated team of online security experts, Moonshot will help identify and remove "concerning content, assess credible risks, take actions to mitigate harm, and help the Sky interpret the underlying drivers of online abuse."

Co-owner and Operating Chairman of the Chicago Sky, Nadia Rawlinson, voiced her strong support for the team's groundbreaking new partnership, expressing hope that it helps protect athletes from the "abuse across social media and on the dark web."

"Hate and harassment have no place in sports," Rawlinson said.

According to Rawlinson, data shows that female athletes, 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," Rawlinson continued.

Moonshot was founded by national security professionals and initially designed to counter online threats for entities such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Citing its research, the organization stated that "92% of women in public life experience abuse online and 31% of this harassment is sexual in nature."

Vidhya Ramalingam, CEO of Moonshot, also spoke about his company's new deal with the WNBA and the Chicago Sky.

"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," Ramalingam said. "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."

After the Sky announced their partnership with Moonshot on Instagram, fans flooded the comments with excitement over what the initiative could mean for the well-being of their favorite team's players.

"Love this," a user wrote. "Manifesting this helps combat the vileness."

"THIS is what is needed!" another shared. "Thanks to the organization for prioritizing the players overall well-being."

"Needed!" a third user posted. "Thank you @ChicagoSky for supporting every player, from Angel Reese who endures a lot to our wonderful rookies. ... [Now], they can focus on returning a championship back to Chicago."

The Sky's new partnership with Moonshot comes just days after Reese released new merchandise and announced that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to combating cyberbullying.

It's also the latest effort in a broader push to protect players, joining a major campaign the WNBA launched before the season opener: "No Space For Hate."

“As the WNBA continues to grow in popularity and influence, we’re proud to launch ‘No Space for Hate’ — a league-wide initiative to better protect players, preserve the spirit of the game, and affirm the values of our league. We believe that basketball can be a unifying force — a place where people from all walks of life come together not just to watch a game, but to connect,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.

“We want our arenas, and our social platforms filled with energy and fandom — not hate and vitriol. That means turning our values into action: strengthening digital and physical security, expanding access to mental health resources, and unifying our message across the league. It’s our responsibility to protect what makes this sport so special and ensure we continue to inspire the next generation of women’s basketball fans.”