WNBA Teams Have An Unpatriotic Tradition During The National Anthem

The Atlanta Dream remained inside the locker room during the national anthem before their matchup against the Indiana Fever on Sunday night. The unpatriotic moment gained some traction online — but the diss to the flag was nothing new for the embattled league.

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A video shows Fever players on the court for the anthem, while the Atlanta team is noticeably missing from the court. League standout Sophie Cunningham appeared to be the only player on Sunday to have her hand over her heart as the anthem played. Beloved guard Caitlin Clark stood beside Cunningham with her hands behind her back.

Over the past decade, players and entire teams have amped up their social justice activism, often targeting the anthem. The women on the Dream, which went on to lose to Indiana in overtime Sunday night, routinely stay in the locker room while the anthem plays.

And they’re not the only team to do so. The Connecticut Sun, for example, have also been staying off the court during the playing of the national anthem this season. During a July game, rookie Raegan Beers gained support online when she was the only Sun player who remained on the court while the anthem played, standing alone as her teammates headed toward the locker room.

The New York Liberty have also made it a habit to leave the court during the playing of the national anthem, and then return right after. Fans online have commented on the practice. One person posted, “I’m a Liberty [season ticket holder] and one thing I’ve always noticed is that the teams always leave the court during the U.S. anthem and come back immediately after. I’d never seen that happen in any previous sporting events Id attended, so I clocked it as interesting.” The person added that it seemed like the practice was the “WNBA way,” but then noticed some teams do stay on the court and stand for the anthem.

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The practice has a history in the league, including highly publicized instances involving the Los Angeles Sparks in 2017 and the Seattle Storm and Liberty in 2020. In 2017, the Sparks stayed in the locker room during the national anthem before several WNBA Finals games, while the Storm and Liberty walked off the court before the anthem during the 2020 season opener.

Meanwhile, the league is catching heat for refusing to stand up for girls and women on the transgender issue. The league notably allows pro-trans activism from players, while it quickly distanced itself from Cunningham after she famously said males should not be allowed in female sports.

Cunningham called her position “common sense” and fair, a position that has received overwhelming public support. However, the WNBA has yet to come on board.

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