‘Line up in a dignified posture’: WNBA has official rules for national anthem

Jul 22, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; The Portland Fire stand during the singing of the national anthem before a game against the Dallas Wings at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn ImagesThe Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries drew criticism from some corners of the internet when both teams left the court ahead of the national anthem before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. Now, it turns out the WNBA actually has an official policy on the anthem in its rulebook.

>However, the way that policy is written leaves plenty of room for interpretation, and it’s not clear that either team did anything wrong by heading to the locker room.

Dream, Valkyries Leave CourtBefore tipoff at Chase Center on Saturday, both the Dream and the Valkyries left the floor right before the “Star-Spangled Banner” was performed, then returned shortly after it ended.

>“Both teams were on the floor beforehand, warming up for the game, then disappeared for roughly the two minutes it took to perform the ‘Star-Spangled Banner,'” Dan Zaksheske of OutKick wrote. “Almost immediately after the singer concluded, both teams jogged back onto the floor.”

>Neither team nor the league immediately responded to OutKick’s request for comment, and the reason for their absence wasn’t made clear. It may simply have been part of each team’s pregame routine.

What the Rule Book SaysAs Andrew Holleran of The Spun points out, the WNBA’s official rule book does address how players should act during the national anthem in its “Basic Principles” section. However, there is a catch.

>The policy specifically states that members of the team must line up “in a dignified posture” while the National Anthem is played

>“Players, coaches, and trainers are to stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or on the foul line during the playing of the National Anthem,” the policy reads.

>However, the rule doesn’t explicitly require players to be on the court when the anthem is played. It only lays out how they should conduct themselves if they are.

>“Now, this could be interpreted as it only applying to players and coaches that are on the court when the anthem is playing, and the Dream and Valkyries players were not on the court when the anthem played, so perhaps it did not apply to them,” Holleran wrote.

>The WNBA has not commented on whether either team violated the policy, but the rule

>The post ‘Line up in a dignified posture’: WNBA has official rules for national anthem appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.