Download Our App
MAGA flips out after WNBA players leave floor before anthem: 'This is disgusting'

Sep 30, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) brings the ball up court against the Dallas Wings during the second half during game two of the first round for the 2026 WNBA Playoffs at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

MAGA flips out after WNBA players leave floor before anthem: 'This is disgusting'

Incited by Fox News reporting and clips posted to X, far-right MAGA fans are engaged in a meltdown over the WNBA finals because both teams left the floor before the National Anthem was played.

Late Monday, Fox News reported on the absence of players from both the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream on the floor, with one host suggesting the “inmates are running the asylum.”

That led Fox contributor Joe Concha to sneer that it was “insubordination” before adding, “It’s going to go unabated because officials are petrified of their own players.”

“It’s as if these players are trying to destroy their league,“ he complained.

Once the video hit X, the attacks ramped up, including threats to ban some of the best players in the WNBA from ever representing the US in international competitions like the Olympics.

MAGA influencer Gunther Eagleman fumed, “These women make a living off the freedom this country gives them, and they can't stand for two minutes to respect it. Meanwhile, viewers are tuning out now that Caitlin Clark is gone. No anthem, no audience. Keep it up, ladies.”

OutKick contributor Dan Zaksheske complained, “Once again, both WNBA Finals teams leave the court as soon as the national anthem starts and return almost the second it ends.”

“None of them should be able to represent Team USA in the Olympics. This is disgusting,” Townhall reporter Dustin Grage wrote.

Riley Gaines who turned a 5th-place finish in the 2022 NCAA swimming championships into a conservative pundit career, opined, “It's my personal opinion that if you kneel for the flag and what it represents, you shouldn’t be able to represent the USA at the Olympics,” despite no one kneeling.

Former Republican Georgia state lawmaker Vernon Jones weighed in with, “@WNBA players of the Atlanta Dream @AtlantaDream and Golden State @valkyries, who left the court and headed to the locker rooms during the U.S. national anthem in both Game 1 and Game 2 of the 2026 WNBA Finals, should be ineligible to play on the U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team. The WNBA rulebook states that players, coaches, and trainers should stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or foul line during the national anthem.”


Report typos and corrections to corrections@rawstory.com.

For customer support contact support@rawstory.com.

Top Stories Recommended For You

YOUR OPINION MATTERS

Do you think Donald Trump will cost Republicans the midterm elections?

VOTE NOW
Do you think Donald Trump will cost Republicans the midterm elections?