The Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream were not on the court during the national anthem before either of the first two WNBA Finals games. With the series tied at 1–1 ahead of Game 3, their absence has sparked public debate. Former ESPN sportscaster Linda Cohn has also weighed in, calling on the league to clarify its anthem policy while lamenting that the controversy has taken attention away from the championship series.

“We have a championship series tied at one. We have performances worth talking about. And we have adjustments to discuss and a huge Game 3 coming Wednesday. So, that’s a lot to sell. And yet, here we are spending part of this conversation asking why the players weren’t present for the anthem. What a shame. What a shame,” Cohn said in a reaction video she released on Wednesday.

“I know some people will say, ‘Then stop talking about it, Linda.’ But fans noticing something and asking about it isn’t unreasonable. Neither is asking the league to explain its own policy. So before Game 3, I’d welcome a real answer from the league, from the teams, from a player who wants to explain. And I’d welcome seeing both teams on the court even more,” she added.

Ahead of both games at the Chase Center in San Francisco, players from both rosters completed their pregame warmups and returned to their respective locker rooms moments before “The Star-Spangled Banner” began. They came back onto the floor seconds after the performance ended to prepare for the start of the games.

Fox News’ OutKick reported that they reached out to both teams and the WNBA with direct questions regarding the anthem absences. However, neither franchise has answered those inquiries or provided an explanation.

The outlet also said it tried the direct route as well. It attended all five of Saturday’s pregame and postgame press conferences and raised a hand at each, then attended both coaches’ pregame and postgame sessions on Monday, and was not called on in any of the nine. On Tuesday it put questions to Mike Bass, the NBA’s chief communications officer, whose responsibilities span both leagues, about the NBA’s role in enforcing the provision, possible discipline, and whether teams would be told to be on the court for Game 3. But the NBA had not responded by the deadline.

Reactions have run in both directions, though. Sports media personality Emily Austin replied on X that leaving the floor was “disgraceful,” while former NBA player Ron Harper, a five-time champion, answered that the decision belongs to the team. On Fox News, Joe Concha argued that leagues must enforce their own rules to keep viewers’ trust, while The Big Lead’s Josh Sanchez took the opposite reading, writing that players are not “required by league rules” to be on the floor.

The WNBA’s official rulebook technically includes a provision stating that players and coaches should line up along the sidelines during the national anthem, but the league suspended active enforcement of its strict anthem protocols back in 2017. The decision came as players locked arms during the national anthem that season, in support for the victims of racially charged violence in Virginia.

“I think the league showed they have our backs in the demonstrations that we decided to do,” former player Kristi Toliver said back then.

In February 2021, Bass did issue an NBA statement saying all teams will play the national anthem under longstanding league policy, but that addressed whether the anthem is played, not where players stand, and the statement did not automatically apply to the WNBA. In fact, in the openers of that very year, five teams —  New York Liberty, Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury, Dallas Wings and Los Angeles Sparks — stayed off the floor as the national anthem was played.

Moreover, while the teams’ absence has sparked criticism on social media, this is not the first time the two WNBA franchises have followed such a routine. The practice of leaving the court before the national anthem has, in fact, been part of the league’s broader pregame traditions for several years.

Many WNBA teams, AP reported, have for at least six seasons left the floor with 10 minutes remaining in warmups, right before the anthem, some to raise awareness of social justice issues and some simply to keep getting ready for the game.

For the Golden State Valkyries, the same locker room routine for the national anthem started when the franchise debuted last year. “We’ve been doing that,” Valkyries guard Veronica Burton told reporters before Game 2. “That’s just our pregame routine. We’ve been doing that since last year.”

When asked if the team intended to send any message or statement, Burton said “no.”

The Atlanta Dream have also followed a similar pregame routine for several years. Yet, the Dream’s absence have kept drawing notice. They were off the floor before an Aug. 16 game against Indiana, a 95-91 overtime loss, and were criticized then too. Meanwhile, Indiana and Minnesota were among a few teams that stayed on the floor this season.

For now, however, all eyes will be on Game 3. Beyond the on-court performances, many will also be watching to see whether the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries remain absent from the court during the national anthem once again.