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Vice President JD Vance sharply called out WNBA players in the league finals over skipping the national anthem during an interview Wednesday, calling them “disgraceful.”
Players from both the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries have left the court during the national anthem before the first two games of the WNBA Finals, despite a rule in the league’s own rulebook specifically calling for players to stand and line up during the performance.
“I think it’s disgraceful,” Vance told host Raymond Arroyo on “Arroyo Grande.” “I think that you should not express some criticism of a public policy of a given politician by disrespecting the country writ large. I mean, those women who play for the WNBA, think of the public safety, think of the incredible wealth and privilege, the amazing jobs that they have. They have a lot to be grateful to the United States for, and I think that if they had a bit more of a spirit of gratitude, they’d be happier people, and they wouldn’t offend so many people as well.”
Vance also appeared to cite Saint Augustine’s idea of Ordo Amoris, a concept from Catholic thought that Vance cited in 2025 to defend administration deportation policies.
NBA STAYS SILENT ON WNBA FINALS TEAMS SKIPPING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM BEFORE GAMES 1 AND 2
Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at a rally in Harlingen, Texas, on Sept. 30, 2026. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times/Pool via Reuters)
“I’ve gotten some trouble talking about this, but I’ll just talk about it again,” Vance said. “One of the ways I understand the Catholic understanding is that we have various orders of duty, and you know, our closest and most immediate duty, of course, is to our family and to the people in our immediate circle. But we, of course, owe duties to the entire world. We owe duties to the stranger. But I also think a good and coherent understanding of the Christian self is that you are part of a national community.”
He added, “Whether you were born in the United States or whether you came here by choice, this is your country. And I think that we’re all meant to love it. We’re all meant to try to make it the best version of itself. But fundamentally, I think, without love of country, I think that you’re going to be a disordered human being.”
Fox News Digital spoke to veteran GOP strategist Mary Marslender, who argued, like Vance, that the basketball players lack perspective on how great it is to live in the United States.
OUTKICK READERS BLAST WNBA PLAYERS FOR HIDING DURING FINALS NATIONAL ANTHEM
Neither the Atlanta Dream nor the Golden State Valkyries were on the court during the national anthem prior to Game 1 of the 2026 WNBA Finals. (NBAE via Getty Images)
“The WNBA players are treating a country that has given them extraordinary privileges as if it were an oppressor, while ignoring that American women enjoy rights and opportunities that remain rare or nonexistent for most women elsewhere,” she said. “They seem to forget that a league like the WNBA exists and its players can publicly dissent without fear of state reprisal solely because of these rights and opportunities. If these activists hate this country that much, they are free to leave it. The rest of us are done with this disrespect.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the WNBA, as well as the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, and did not receive an immediate reply.
OutKick’s Dan Zaksheske contributed to this report.
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