Conservative media keeps whining about Valkyries, WNBA teams skipping anthem

Singer Alanis Morissette sings the national anthem before Game Two of the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries on October 19, 2026 at Chase Center in San Francisco, CA (Icon Sportswire/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) While everyone inside Chase Center for Game 2 of the WNBA Finals had their eyes on Alanis Morissette as she delivered her rendition of the national anthem ahead of tip-off, right-wing media had their eyes on who wasn't: the Valkyries and the Dream.

>Since 2020, during the height of protests against police brutality and racial inequity that arose after the murder of George Floyd, WNBA players have elected to leave on the court during the playing of the national anthem. Once the song finishes up, players then run onto the court. This continued on Monday, with both the Dream and Valkyries players leaving the court for Morissette's performance, and returning shortly afterwards. Yet despite this being a constant part of WNBA games now for six years, right-wing media outlets continue to sound the alarm about these players' purportedly un-American activities.

>After the Valkyries' Game 1 68-64 victory against the Dream, the New York Post published a column attributed to the Post Editorial Board headline "Grow up, WNBA - enough with the National Anthem boycott." It accused the league and its fans of treating viewers like "political hostages" and of "obsessive wokery." It's of course worth reiterating that this is all over something the players didn't do.

>Outkick - a right-wing sports blog the WNBA credentialed to cover the finals - also posted a video of the teams leaving the court for Game 2 with the caption, "Same league. Same disrespect. The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries skip the anthem AGAIN before Game 2 of the WNBA Finals, then stroll back out when it's over," ending the post with an American flag emoji, which riled up the outlet's followers in the replies. Outkick's Dan Zaksheske also highlighted this action in Game 1 with a caption that seemed to indicate he was unaware that this has been ongoing for years.

>"Both the Dream and the Valkyries left the court prior to the playing of the National Anthem before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals," he wrote. "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."

>For what it's worth, there is a rule that requires team members "to stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or on the foul line during the playing of the National Anthem." However, as The Spun's Andrew Holleran noted in a story published Monday, this could be only a requirement if a player, coach or staffer is on the court during the anthem, which neither side was.

>Game 3 will take place in Atlanta on Wednesday, when this topic will almost certainly come up again from the same people.

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>This article originally published at Conservative media keeps whining about Valkyries, WNBA teams skipping anthem.