Valkyries Fans Take Dream Loss in Stride, Prepare to Rally for Game 4
In a hard-fought game, the Golden State Valkyries fell to the Atlanta Dream in Game 3 of the Women’s National Basketball Association Finals.
But fans who traveled to Atlanta from the Bay Area and beyond said the loss wouldn’t prevent the team, now down 2-1, from winning the best-of-seven series.
“They poured their heart into it and I’m not one of those people that blame the refs, but we got some really hard, bad calls,” said Aileen Casanave, a diehard fan who was staying in a vacation rental with more than a dozen other fans, some of whom she’d just met. “We’re going to figure out the strategy. They’re going to throw down at the next game.”
Casanave was part of one of the pockets of purple at State Farm Arena that stood out against a sea of hometown blue as diehard Valkyries supporters cheered for the Bay Area team.
Christine McSpadden was disappointed but remained optimistic.
“Well that was a tough loss, but I know they’re going to come back,” she said.
She will be back for Game 4 in Atlanta on Saturday. In the meantime, she plans to explore the city and meet other Valkyries fans who made the trip.
“I came all the way from San Francisco to cheer my girls on,” she said. “I love my girls, ride or die, I love them.”
The team lost 97-71, but the brutal final score obscured how close the game was at certain points — including briefly tying it up just after halftime.
“They play with heart. They play with passion,” said Melissa Gonzalez, a Santa Rosa resident who flew in Wednesday ahead of the game — the first time she’d ever done something like that. “Everybody is so warm and welcoming…the players, they stop, they sign, they acknowledge you.”
“We’re Balhalla in the A,” said Alex Morrison, a staunch fan from the start, referring to the name Valkyries fans use for the Chase Center in San Francisco. “That’s what we’re calling ourselves.”
They said going to the finals in the team’s second year was “just too hard to fathom. It’s just so awesome.”
Both teams came to Wednesday’s high-stakes game in Atlanta with a win under their belts. The Valkyries took Game 1 68-64 in a nail-biter at San Francisco’s Chase Center last week, but fell to the Dream 79-65 on Monday in Game 2 of the playoff series.
Valkyries guard Veronica Burton, in a postgame conference after Monday’s loss, said the team “shot terribly” and that they “need to be able to take a punch and punch back.”
By Wednesday, the team was ready to come back and leave it all on the court.
In spite of the loss, the number of fans in Atlanta reflected the pride and passion the Valkyries have inspired.
Casanave, a “founder” who has held season tickets since the beginning, said the team’s ownership and management has treated the women’s team the same way they treat the men who play for the Warriors, allowing them to soar.
“They didn’t have to scrape for every little dime, every little penny,” she said, adding that she hopes other teams will adopt a similar playbook. “I think we have the strongest bench in the league.”
At STATS Brewpub in downtown Atlanta, Jacob Harris, a 35-year-old from Berkeley who lives in Marin County, quickly grew to love the team.
Harris, a self-described massive Bay Area sports fan, quickly grew to love the team.
“Everything the players stand for is kind of what the Bay Area stands for … underdog culture,” he said. “They compete and they win because they care. That’s Bay Area.”
The Valkyries are only in their second season after launching in 2025, and quickly became the most valuable women’s sports team in the world and the first ever to generate over $100 million in annual revenue, according to Sportico.
The Bay Area’s WNBA team, which is owned by the same group as the Golden State Warriors, has racked up thousands of fans and season ticket-holders, selling out their home court at Chase Center dozens of times already.
Their meteoric rise comes as the WNBA has seen a boost in fandom across the country.
Games 3 and 4 in Atlanta were moved from the Dream’s regular 3,500-seat stadium in College Park to the 17,000-seat State Farm Arena downtown.
For many Valkyries fans, the rapid growth has been a source of pride and excitement.
For Los Angeles-based Valkyries fan Hill Winans, following the team has become a huge hobby.
“I believe in us. I still believe in us,” Winans said after the game.