WNBA Finals Game 6 moved to 12:30 p.m. ET; Atlanta Dream say concerns were ignored

The WNBA moved Game 6 of its Finals between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries from an 8 p.m. ET start to 12:30 p.m. ET Thursday, the league announced Monday. The change lets the Dream play at State Farm Arena, which seats about 17,000, instead of Gateway Center Arena, which seats about 3,500, because the Atlanta Hawks play the Cleveland Cavaliers at State Farm Arena that night. Golden State leads the best-of-seven series 3-2, so the game could decide the title, and Valkyries fans in California will watch at 9:30 a.m. local time. In an open letter Tuesday, the Dream said they had raised concerns about conflicts with NBA games at State Farm Arena two months earlier, when the WNBA finalized playoff dates, and that those concerns went unheeded. The letter did not say whom the team raised them with.

Left-leaning NPR's headline and excerpt focus on fans who are angry that the game falls during the workday to make room for a routine NBA game. The Guardian leads with the Dream's complaint that their concerns were not addressed, gives the arena capacities and the 9:30 a.m. start for California fans, and notes that the letter did not explain the concerns. Right-leaning Breitbart leads with a headline about resale ticket prices falling to $32, compares that with $166 and $246 for earlier games, and quotes a TicketData founder on the likelihood of empty seats. Right-leaning Daily Mail frames the move as a scheduling mess that the Dream blame on WNBA leadership, and it highlights the Hawks as the arena's main tenant and the roughly 15,000 extra seats. Both sides agree on the move, the arenas and the Dream's letter, but they differ on emphasis: the left centers fan and team grievances, while the right centers ticket prices and blame. Alternative Yahoo Sports adds bar owners' anger over the change, while ESPN's preview asks whether the early tip will affect the outcome.