Fans at the WNBA Finals have strong feelings about the national anthem, and the loudest ones are not about whether players should be on the floor.

Heiress Harris, the 10-year-old daughter of rapper T.I., sang the anthem before Thursday’s Game 6 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, and, as in every game of the series, the players were not on the court.

The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries left the floor just before she began, marking a sixth straight absence by both teams in the Finals. The controversy has followed the series since Game 1, and Vice President JD Vance called it “disgraceful” last week. Sophie Cunningham risked anger from her peers with her thoughts on the decision.

Another turned the question around. “Who does it represent? That’s the first question we have to ask everybody,” the fan said. “Who does the national anthem represent? We’re in game mode, not national anthem mode.”

A third fan called the whole thing manufactured. “I feel like that’s a made-up controversy,” the fan said. “The players haven’t been coming out for the anthem for years. I don’t think they’re even doing it as a protest, although that would be their right. I think they’re just doing it because it’s their regular schedule to go back to their locker rooms and have their pregame.”

She added: “So these people that are casual, showing up on the bandwagon late, fans who pick these fights about culture wars, get off of it, man. It’s sports, just enjoy.”

Another fan described it as routine. “I feel like both teams do that,” the fan said. “I know that other teams have taken stands, but this is just a general part of the play. The teams go into the locker room and come back out with a big bang. And we, the fans, get to listen to the anthem and stand up and show it respect, but that’s pretty standard.”

Renard Hayes, the father of Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes, defended the players. “This is America, by the way, and I’ve served this country, so they can choose what they want,” he said. Asked whether he had a problem with it as a veteran, he said, “I don’t have an issue with it because it’s not a disrespect of the flag.”

The players and coaches have described it as routine. Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said the absences are “part of our pregame” and added, “We’re two years in.”

Gabby Williams said it is not a protest. “That’s been the routine for like, seven years now,” Williams said.

Dream guard Rhyne Howard said she does not believe she has been on the court for the anthem during her time in Atlanta, but that she stands for it with Team USA. “When I go put on USA jersey I’m out for the national anthem every time, there’s no doubt about it,” she said. Dream coach Karl Smesko declined to explain his team’s absences, saying, “We’re just focused on the Finals.”

The league’s rulebook adds to the confusion. The 2026 WNBA rulebook says players, coaches and trainers are to “stand and line up in a dignified posture” along the sidelines or on the foul line during the anthem. The Associated Press reported Oct. 20 that the league suspended its anthem protocols in 2017, and the provision is still in the rulebook.