{
  "id": 15490376,
  "title": "Teams leave court before national anthem at WNBA Finals",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/teams-leave-court-before-national-anthem-at-wnba-finals",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-18T20:55:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/teams-leave-court-national-anthem-205545873.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "During the first game of the 2026 WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream at Chase Center in San Francisco, both teams left the court before the national anthem began and returned almost immediately after it ended. This incident, which drew criticism online, has left fans and analysts wondering about the reason behind the teams' actions. While neither team has commented on the matter, it has been suggested that it may have been part of their pregame routine, similar to LSU's 2024 Elite Eight game when Angel Reese's LSU team left the floor for the anthem.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Front Office Sports",
        "title": "How the Valkyries and Dream Reflect the WNBA’s Evolution",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/how-the-valkyries-and-dream-reflect-the-wnbas-evolution",
        "published": "2026-10-17T14:16:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "WNBA fans can’t believe controversial referee has been picked for Dream vs. Valkyries finals clash",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/wnba-fans-cant-believe-controversial-referee-has-been-picked-for",
        "published": "2026-10-17T15:30:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}