‘Stand or hide in the tunnel’ for the anthem, Valkyries WNBA fans show loyalty; ready for early Finals Game 6

Caffeine might not even be needed. Pure adrenaline could get the job done.

Fans of the Golden State Valkyries are in for an early-morning wakeup call on Thursday when Game 6 of the WNBA Finals tips off in Atlanta at 9:30 a.m. Pacific time.

But during Monday’s Game 5 against Atlanta, which began like every other Finals game, with both teams leaving the floor moments before the playing of the national anthem only to return seconds after it completed, the packed Chase Center in San Francisco was raucous.

Fans of this 2-year-old team, clad floor to rafters in their giveaway lavender T-shirts, were beyond keyed up. They were loud and on the edge of their seats, willing their team on every play en route to a 64-55 victory that gave Golden State a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

That buzz could last a few days, which will come in handy when that alarm clock rings.

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“I will be taking time off of work that day, for sure,” one female fan said, planning a personal day for Thursday.

“It’s really disappointing that more fans won’t be able to be cheering for the Valkyries on the West Coast,” said another female fan, who brings her kids to games. “It’s pretty hard to do with kid drop-offs and school, but I’m going to make it work somehow.”

Some retirees said they get up early anyway, so they’re not sweating it and will be glued to their TVs for a road game, per usual.

A couple of male fans said they would be watching on their laptops … at work. Shhhhhhh.

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The Golden State Valkyries celebrate during Game 1 of the 2026 WNBA Finals against the Atlanta Dream on Oct. 17, 2026, at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. (NBAE via Getty Images)

The strange start time in Atlanta is due to conflicts at State Farm Arena. The Dream, who normally play at Gateway Center Arena, have played playoff games at State Farm Arena because Gateway has a capacity of only 3,500 for basketball games.

But now that the NBA season has started, State Farm, home of the Atlanta Hawks, has gotten busy.

Some juggling was required once it became clear that the WNBA Finals would be going back to Atlanta for a Game 6 on Thursday. There is a Hawks home game that night. Several other options were considered before the early game time was chosen to create an unusual doubleheader of sorts.

Many fans in the Bay Area seemed far more concerned about the scheduling chaos for Game 6 than they are about the controversy surrounding the national anthem walkouts that have been swirling around the WNBA Finals since Game 1.

“I don’t understand why we’re singing the national anthem [before games] to begin with, that’s all there is to it,” one female fan said. “If they want to go back [in the tunnel] and re-group, great. We’ve been doing it for two seasons.”

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“This is a non-controversy that people are trying to make into a controversy,” a male fan said. “I don’t think not being out on the floor for the national anthem says anything about patriotism or loyalty to the United States.”

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Many fans said that being on the court for the national anthem should be a personal choice for athletes, even if that isn’t the choice they would make for themselves.

Gabby Williams of the Golden State Valkyries looks to shoot against Naz Hillmon and Angel Reese of the Atlanta Dream during Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at State Farm Arena. (Getty Images)

“We have strong feelings about this,” said a female fan who came to the game with her husband and both were dressed from head to toe in Valkyries lavender. “We’re both retired military. So we stand, we put our hands on our hearts and we honor the flag. The players … are doing something to get ready for the game.

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“It’s not new to us that they leave the court for the national anthem. If they stayed and saluted the flag [during the anthem], I’d be fine with that [too]. This country is so divided anyway. Everyone just has to support their own true feelings.”

There is actually a provision in the WNBA rulebook stating that players should stand respectfully on the court while the national anthem is being played. But the league has not enforced that rule since 2017.

“I wish they would stand out there for the national anthem,” one female fan said. “But it’s one of those ‘to each their own’ [things] and they’ve been doing it from the beginning. “Maybe the national anthem means different things for different people. But for me, as an American, I think about people who gave up their lives for us to be free, so that we could decide to stand or hide in the tunnel or sit down. But for me, it’s about respect.”

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Golden State got a balanced offensive effort, with double-figure scoring from four players. Kiah Stokes and Veronica Burton each had 13 points while Tiffany Hayes and Cecilla Zandalasini each had 12 points.

Angel Reese #5 of the Atlanta Dream reacts between Tiffany Hayes #15 and Kiah Stokes #41 of the Golden State Valkyries during the third quarter in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals at Chase Center on Oct. 19, 2026, in San Francisco, Calif. (Getty Images)

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Atlanta’s Angel Reese again had a lackluster scoring game. She finished with just 7 points but had 15 rebounds. Rhyne Howard of the Dream led all scorers with 20 points.