Oct 21, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Singer Q. Parker performs the national anthem before a game between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries before game three of the 2026 WNBA Finals at State Farm Arena. © Brett Davis-Imagn Images Tushar Bahl Mon, October 26, 2026 at 4:56 PM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries have left the court just before the national anthem prior to each of the first four WNBA Finals games, returning seconds after it ends.
Barstool Sports founder and owner Dave Portnoy weighed in on the national anthem controversy ahead of Monday's Game 5, and he took it all the way to Team USA.
Portnoy started with the pregame exit itself.
"I think it's crazy that they go off the court for the national anthem. Both teams run to the locker room and then they come back after the anthem," he said on Monday's edition of " Wake Up Barstool ."
"Listen, it's America. You can protest, you can do whatever you want to do," he added.
Portnoy then argued that players who do not stand up for the national anthem should not be allowed to represent Team USA at the Olympic Games.
"Do I think if you're not on the court for the anthem, you should be allowed to play for Team USA in the Olympics? No, I do not! Why do we want people who don't want to stand for the anthem, don't like the country, representing the country?" Portnoy added.
Dream guard Rhyne Howard already responded to calls to keep players who leave the court for the anthem off Team USA during Friday's media availability. She played for the United States at September's FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, where she stood for the anthem.
READ MORE: 'Blatant Disrespect,' 'Let It Go, Brother' — Dream's Pregame Routine Ignites Debate Amid WNBA Finals' National Anthem Controversy
"I don't think I've been on the floor for the national anthem for any of my tenure in Atlanta, so if that's what people are gonna look to nitpick for then so be it. But as far as competing for your team, when I go put on [a] USA jersey, I'm out for the national anthem every time, there's no doubt about it," Howard told OutKick .
The Team USA guard added, "Yes, I love the country that I play for and I love what we have here."
Golden State forward Gabby Williams was asked on Friday whether her team's absence was a protest, and she answered, "No." Asked why the team leaves, she said, "That's been the routine for, like, seven years now."
The Valkyries say they have kept the same pregame routine since joining the league last year, while the Dream have left the court before the anthem for the past several years.
READ MORE: 'Why Are Some People So Obsessed,' 'Disgraceful' — WNBA Fans React As Natalie Nakase's Take Continues Fuelling National Anthem Controversy
Many WNBA teams have left the court before the anthem over at least the past six seasons, though a few, including Indiana and Minnesota, stayed on the floor for it this season.
The league's 2026 rulebook still calls for players, coaches, and trainers to stand and line up along the sidelines or on the foul line, but the WNBA suspended those protocols in a memo to teams late in the 2017 season.
On the court, the Valkyries won Game 1 before the Dream took Games 2 and 3. Saturday's 67-62 win in Atlanta pulled the Valkyries even at 2-2. Game 5 tips off at 8 p.m. ET on Monday at Chase Center in San Francisco.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
Source: Sports
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