The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries have left the court for the national anthem before every game of the WNBA Finals so far, and conservative critics have been demanding that the league do something about it. But it turns out the rule they keep pointing to hasn’t actually been enforced for years.
According to a new report, the WNBA suspended its anthem protocols back in 2017. And many teams around the league have been leaving the court before the anthem for years.
Anthem Controversy
Both teams left the court shortly before the anthem ahead of Game 1 at Chase Center, then jogged back onto the floor seconds after it ended. They did the same thing before Game 2, and again before Game 3 at State Farm Arena on Wednesday night.
OutKick’s Dan Zaksheske has repeatedly pointed to the league’s rulebook, which says that players, coaches, and trainers are to “stand and line up in a dignified posture” during the anthem, though the rule only seems to apply to players who are actually on the court and there was no specific requirement to remain on the court.
That hasn’t stopped the outrage. Riley Gaines went as far as to say that players who kneel for the flag shouldn’t be allowed to represent the U.S. at the Olympics, even though nobody actually knelt.
The WNBA, meanwhile, has not publicly responded. And Zaksheske wrote that he raised his hand at 11 press conferences without being called on, according to OutKick.
‘The Protocols Were Suspended’
While this has led to some widespread outrage amongst conservative commentators, according to Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press, the rulebook language may not mean much anymore.
“While the league rulebook states what should happen during the anthem, the protocols were suspended years ago,” the AP reported.
Feinberg reports that late in the 2017 season, the league sent teams a memo saying that players and coaches did not have to follow the protocols. The memo was meant to allow players to show support for victims after the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that summer.
Teams also left the court before the anthem in 2020, when the WNBA dedicated its season to Breonna Taylor. And over at least the past six seasons, many teams have left the court with about 10 minutes left in warmups, right before “The Star-Spangled Banner” plays.
Some teams have done it to raise awareness for social justice issues, while others simply use the time to keep preparing for the game. The Valkyries say that going into the locker room for the anthem has been their routine since joining the league last year, and the Dream have done it for several seasons.
Not every team does it. The Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx stayed on the court for the anthem during the regular season, and the U.S. national team always stays on the floor at the Olympics and the World Cup.
The WNBA did not respond to the AP’s request for comment on its anthem policy or OutKick’s request for comment. According to the AP, the league appears to defer to its teams on the issue.
That’s in line with the way that the league has handled most of its controversies this season. Rather than giving critics the reaction they’re looking for, the WNBA has largely chosen to ignore them.
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