President Donald Trump says people should stop watching the WNBA if players refuse to be on the court for the performance of the national anthem.
Trump made his comments during a rally in Iowa Thursday. During the WNBA Finals, the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries have been leaving the court before the Star-Spangled Banner is performed.
“What's going on with the Women's NBA?” Trump said. What's that all about? They'll destroy themselves before they get started
“The NFL did that for a while and they stopped because people stopped watching the games,” Trump added. “So I think you should do the same thing with women's basketball.”
Many WNBA teams over at least the past six seasons leave the court with 10 minutes left in pregame warmups, right before the national anthem is played.
The Valkyries say they have maintained the same pregame routine of going inside the locker room for the anthem as they've done since becoming a WNBA franchise last year; Atlanta has left the court before the anthem the past several years.
A few teams, including Indiana and Minnesota, remained on the court for the anthem during the season.
According to the WNBA rulebook, "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."
Late in the 2017 season, the league suspended its protocols, saying in a memo to teams that players and coaches didn't have to follow them.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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