The father of Golden State Valkyries star Tiffany Hayes wasn’t shy about blaming the for playing a potential championship-clinching game at 12:30 p.m. on a Thursday.
“I think its the leagues fault,” Renard Hayes told OutKick outside State Farm Arena before Game 6 between his daughters Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream.
“Its the leagues fault. And pretty much the Atlanta organization.”
He wasnt alone in questioning the 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 NBAs Atlanta Hawks were scheduled to host the Cleveland Cavaliers that night. Golden State entered Thursday with a 3-2 series lead and a chance to win its first championship.
Hayes, who said he lives in Florida, could make the early start work, but he expressed concern for the people who couldnt.
“Its kind of a shame about how they couldnt handle the situation better or couldnt be more prepared,” he said.
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For Golden State fans watching in California, the games 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. “But for me, Im good with it. Im okay with it.”
He pointed to Golden States experience relocating a playoff game to San Jose last season as an example of having an alternative ready. He also questioned whether the Dreams roughly 3,500-seat regular home, Gateway Center Arena, could have accommodated the demand for a Finals game.
Moving to State Farm Arena created room for more fans, but moving the start time created another obstacle to getting them there.
“We came from four hours away, so were not too thrilled. But were here,” one Dream fan told OutKick, adding that the child accompanying her was out of school for the game.
Another Atlanta fan said she had been able to get off work, but recognized that others wouldnt have that flexibility.
“For all of the other Dream fans, its not ideal,” she said. “We would have rather played at nighttime.”
Another fan declined to appear on camera, telling OutKick she had called out sick and didnt want her boss to see her at the game.
A father attending with his wife and two children offered a clarification after his interview: “Were responsible parents, we swear!”
He said the children had attended school for two hours before leaving and completed all their work.
Several fans questioned why the NBAs regular-season game received the evening slot while the WNBAs potential championship clincher was played during the workday.
“We should have been prime time,” one Dream fan said.
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.
The Hawks agreed to move their gam
