Emeryville businesses lose when Valkyries championship game moves to the morning
on October 30, 2026
Wearing a purple coat over a Golden State Valkyries T-shirt, Mari Johnston was the lone spectator at Bay Street mall’s “Purple & Proud” WNBA Finals watch party. Tip-off time for Thursday’s Game 6 between her team and the Atlanta Dream was at 9:30 a.m.
Johnston watched the game between sips of coffee.
“It’s a little early, normally basketball is after work,” said Johnston, an Oakland teacher.
“I hope there are more people coming later,” she said. “If they win, it’s going to be a big deal.”
The game was a consequential one — if the Valkyries won, the season would be theirs. The unusually early tip-off was due to a scheduling conflict with the men’s team: NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, who share an arena with the Atlanta Dream, got the evening spot. The WNBA announced the time change on Monday, but according to the Atlanta Dream’s owners, team leadership had been flagging scheduling concerns for months.
In the Bay Area, where the 2-year-old Valkyries have played to sell-out crowds, the change upended evening plans for viewing parties at bars, restaurants and other communal spaces as well as private gatherings among friends.
“We recognize this is a city that values local teams so we try as much as we can to provide experiences,” said Christa Williams, the marketing director for Bay Street and one of the few people seated at the viewing balcony. “This 9:30 game is not ideal.”
Bay Street mall has used its dining terrace to screen every game of the finals so far. The terrace has seven restaurants, an outdoor fireplace and multiple televisions, so patrons are able to both watch and eat. But at the game’s start, all of these businesses were closed.
The muted reception starkly contrasts what has otherwise been an extremely popular season for the Valkyries.
In October, they made history by becoming the first professional women’s sports team to generate $100 million in annual revenue. Their financial success can be attributed to record audience numbers.
In both their inaugural and second season, the team sold out every one of their home games. Their first game against the Dream, drew 2.1 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, the highest ratings ever for a WNBA Game 1 final, NBC reported. The franchise is the first WNBA team to be valued at $1 billion and the first to earn a playoff berth in its inaugural season, according to Sportico, which analyzes the global sports industry.
Fervor for the Valkyries has translated into revenue for local businesses. Watch parties have taken over the Bay Area during the playoffs. Some businesses have even benefitted from making Valkyries-themed products, such as logo cupcakes, purple-sprinkled cookies, and even a beer called “Brewhalla” — an homage to “Ballhalla,” Valkyries’ fans nickname for the Chase Center.
In Emeryville, the Public Market has served as a watch space friendly to the family crowd.
Bennett Van Der Veen is a cashier at Peet’s Coffee at the Public Market. When games are on, he can usually catch glimpses of the action on a nearby bar’s flat screens. But for Game 6, the screens were dark.
“The bar isn’t open right now,” he noted.
The Public Bar by Blush sits in the middle of the market and is usually a hub for sports-fan activity. But the business does not open until 3 p.m., hours after the final whistle was blown.
Van Der Veen has noticed his shifts are significantly busier during live sporting events. “It really does help boost business,” he said.
But on Thursday morning, few customers were passing through. By halftime, many neighboring businesses were still not open.
In the corner of the market, the game was projected onto a fold-down screen. Only a handful of people were seated to watch.
Rashaun Simpson owns Jamaica Again, a restaurant situated directly across from the projector screen. He said the previous evening games drew a crowd. When he noticed a game was playing this morning, he assumed it was a rerun due to its unusual time.
“That’s ridiculous,” Simpson said once he found out the game was live. “This is bad for business. … We rely on things like this to generate our income.”
Sitting at one of the few occupied tables were David Miguelucci and Kai Jaffe, colleagues at an Emeryville lighting sales company. They were taking a break from a meeting while Miguelucci’s laptop charged.
While neither are dedicated fans, they had been casually following the Valkyries’ ascent this season. Both agreed that scheduling the WNBA final outside of a prime-time slot to accommodate a regular season NBA game was unfair.
“It’s basically a slap in the face to the WNBA,” Miguelucci said.
By the time business began to pick up around noon, Game 6 had ended. The Valkyries’ lost, forcing a deciding Game 7 at the Chase Center on Saturday — Halloween, which fans have already dubbed “Boohalla.”
Tip-off will be at the more fan-friendly time of 5 p.m.
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