WNBA Finals Game Heads to Bizarre Non-Primetime Slot

Fans of the WNBA Finals might be eating lunch as the ball tips off for Game 6. Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Jason Gay reports that the league has slotted Thursday's potentially title-clinching matchup between the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream for 12:30pm ET—9:30am on the West Coast—setting off backlash from devoted viewers and non-watchers alike. The odd timing stems from a scheduling crunch: Atlanta wanted to stage the game at 8pm in the Hawks' 17,000-seat State Farm Arena instead of its usual 3,500-seat home, but didn't secure dates early enough to avoid an overlap with a Hawks-Cavaliers NBA game. After weighing the options, the midday start was deemed the least-bad solution.

The league expected heat and got it, especially with concerns about TV ratings and even having time for a proper trophy ceremony. In an open letter, the Dream said its efforts to stage the game in an adequate venue were ignored and the midday game was "not what we fought for," ESPN reports, noting that the team has played all its home games this season at State Farm Arena. Yet fans are still showing up: about 10,000 tickets moved in the first 90 minutes. On the court, a tense, physical series has Golden State up 3-2, with Atlanta's Angel Reese trying to extend it to Game 7.