The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries made headlines before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals even started.
Atlanta booked a spot in the WNBA Finals by sweeping the Washington Mystics and New York Liberty in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Golden State, on the other hand, survived a scare from the Dallas Wings before sweeping the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals.
Prior to tipoff for Game 1 this Saturday afternoon, Dan Zaksheske of OutKick reported that both Atlanta and Golden State players walked off the court before “The Star-Spangled Banner” played at the Chase Center.
“Both the Dream and the Valkyries left the court prior to the playing of the National Anthem before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals,” Zaksheske said. “Both teams also returned to the floor seconds after the anthem concluded. They literally left the floor for only the two minutes the anthem was played. Guess that’s just part of the pregame routine though.”
Some sports fans are furious.
Though it’s not a huge surprise, there are plenty of fans calling out the Dream and Valkyries for skipping the national anthem.
“Fix your league… Both the Dream and the Valkyries left the court prior to the playing of the National Anthem before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals,” one fan wrote on X.
“Trash league,” a social media user replied.
“If I was a fan I would’ve walked out, right after the National Anthem,” another person commented. “Can you be much worse, disrespectful cowards to this country?”
“WNBA hates America,” another fan declared.
We’ll see if players on either team address the backlash once Game 1 is over.
