The father of Golden State Valkyries star Tiffany Hayes wasn't shy about blaming the WNBA for playing a potential championship-clinching game at 12:30 p.m. on a Thursday.
asserted
father → blame → Thursday
"I think it’s the league’s fault," Renard Hayes told OutKick outside State Farm Arena before Game 6 between his daughter’s Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream.
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Hayes → think → Valkyries
"It’s the league’s fault.
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It → ’ → ?
He wasn’t alone in questioning the arrangement.
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He → question → arrangement
Fans outside the arena described taking time off work, pulling children out of school and traveling hours to attend a game originally scheduled for 8 p.m.
The WNBA moved Game 6 to the afternoon to accommodate a doubleheader at State Farm Arena, where the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks were scheduled to host the Cleveland Cavaliers that night.
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Hawks → describe → Cavaliers
Golden State entered Thursday with a 3-2 series lead and a chance to win its first championship.
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State → enter → championship
Hayes, who said he lives in Florida, could make the early start work, but he expressed concern for the people who couldn’t.
uncertain
who → say → people
"It’s kind of a shame about how they couldn’t handle the situation better or couldn’t be more prepared," he said.
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he → ’ → situation
For Golden State fans watching in California, the game’s start time was 9:30 a.m.
"Probably have to take a break off work, take the day off or whatever like that," Hayes said.
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Hayes → watch → that
"But for me, I’m good with it.
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I → ’m → it
I’m okay with it."
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I → ’m → it
He pointed to Golden State’s experience relocating a playoff game to San Jose last season as an example of having an alternative ready.
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alternative → point → example
He also questioned whether the Dream’s roughly 3,500-seat regular home, Gateway Center Arena, could have accommodated the demand for a Finals game.
uncertain
home → question → game
Moving to State Farm Arena created room for more fans, but moving the start time created another obstacle to getting them there.
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Moving → move → them
"We came from four hours away, so we’re not too thrilled.
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we → come → ?
But we’re here," one Dream fan told OutKick, adding that the child accompanying her was out of school for the game.
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child → ’re → game
Another Atlanta fan said she had been able to get off work, but recognized that others wouldn’t have that flexibility.
"For all of the other Dream fans, it’s not ideal," she said.
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she → say → fans
"We would have rather played at nighttime."
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We → play → nighttime
Another fan declined to appear on camera, telling OutKick she had called out sick and didn’t want her boss to see her at the game.
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boss → decline → game
A father attending with his wife and two children offered a clarification after his interview: "We’re responsible parents, we swear!"
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we → attend → interview
He said the children had attended school for two hours before leaving and completed all their work.
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children → say → work
Several fans questioned why the NBA’s regular-season game received the evening slot while the WNBA’s potential championship clincher was played during the workday.
"We should have been prime time," one Dream fan said.
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fan → question → workday
The father who brought his family called the arrangement "kind of disrespectful to the Dream," pointing out that the Hawks were only beginning their season.
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Hawks → bring → season
The Hawks agreed to move their game to 8 p.m. to accommodate the doubleheader.
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Hawks → agree → doubleheader
But fans who spoke with OutKick argued that the Finals should have received priority.
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Finals → speak → priority
One Valkyries supporter said the women deserved more respect and should have gotten the prime-time slot.
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women → say → slot
Still, he welcomed the opportunity to play in a much larger arena.
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he → welcome → arena
"It’s awesome that it’s being played at State Farm Arena rather than a 3,500-seat arena," he said.
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he → ’ → arena
"So with that being in mind, I think that’s a win regardless."
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that → think → mind
Not everyone objected to the early start.
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everyone → object → start
One Dream fan said she was fine with it and encouraged people who couldn’t attend to support the team wherever they were.
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they → say → team
A Valkyries fan who had arrived from San Francisco at 6 a.m. dismissed the suggestion that she might be tired.
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she → arrive → suggestion
We’re ready," she said.
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she → ’re → ?
The league announced the scheduling change Monday, three days before Game 6, with tickets going on sale that afternoon.
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tickets → announce → sale
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert praised the sellout crowds at State Farm Arena for Games 3 and 4 and emphasized the opportunity to accommodate thousands more fans.
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Engelbert → praise → fans
The league also announced plans for a coordinated promotional push with its broadcast partners to build awareness of the new start time.
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league → announce → time
OutKick asked the WNBA why it chose the afternoon start, what alternatives it considered and whether it was concerned about the potential impact on viewership.
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it → ask → viewership
The league has not responded.
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league → respond → ?
USA Sports, which is airing the game on USA Network, acknowledged that the afternoon start wasn’t ideal for attracting a television audience.
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start → air → audience
"The daytime window isn’t perfect from a TV audience perspective, but the league had to make a really difficult decision taking a lot into account across multiple stakeholders," a USA Sports spokesperson told OutKick in a statement.
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spokesperson → have → statement
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
