Philly’s WNBA fans show out for Finals matinee: ‘I wanted to be somewhere with community’

An unusual combination of beer, coffee, laptops, and jerseys popped up at Dock Street Brewery South early Thursday afternoon as Stoop Pigeon hosted a watch party for Game 6 of the WNBA Finals.

The matchup between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream has been highly scrutinized after the WNBA announced that the game would tip off at 12:30 p.m. Philadelphia time, or 9:30 a.m. for Golden State fans watching from home.

Despite the unusual time, Philadelphia’s WNBA fans came out to show their support as the host Dream beat the Valkyries, 80-69, in front of 17,099 fans to force Game 7 on Saturday night in San Francisco. Stoop Pigeon, Philadelphia’s “women’s sports hub,” has been hosting watch parties since 2024. Once the WNBA announced the date and time for Game 6 earlier this week, Stoop Pigeon cofounder Jen Leary met the difficult schedule with a comedic social media post in the form of a letter to Philadelphia employers.

“We are writing on behalf of your employee,” the letter reads. “As you may have heard, Game 6 of the WNBA Finals was rescheduled to 12:30 p.m. on a workday. … We hope you grant [Name] a half day off to support these athletes.”

Though some attendees at Dock Street did take off work for the occasion, many sat behind open laptops, juggling emails and pivotal plays on the court.

“I knew this was a chance to celebrate the Valkyries if they win,” said Deborah Choi, a Philly resident who works in corporate healthcare and is a Valkyries fan. “I did not want to be at home, alone, watching it on my second computer screen. I wanted to be somewhere with community and fellow fans, but I’m frustrated this is how it had to be.”

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The Dream’s regular-season home, Gateway Center Arena, seats 3,500, making it the smallest venue in the WNBA by capacity. Meanwhile, State Farm Arena, home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, seats approximately 17,000.

Scheduling conflicts with the Hawks, as well as entertainment events, clashed with the WNBA Finals. The Atlanta Dream said in an open letter to the city that they had expressed their concerns to the WNBA weeks earlier. The solution of moving Game 6 from 8 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. was not “what they fought for.” The team also admonished the league for its handling of the situation, saying its “concerns did not receive the attention, nor the urgency that they deserved.”

The disappointment among WNBA fans was palpable Thursday afternoon.

“This is Finals. There’s no reason that it should be played in the middle of the week during the day,” said Allie Cohen, the founder of Higher Rung, a women’s sports marketing agency. “It would not be great if it was in a crowd of 3,500. That doesn’t match the level that the WNBA is at right now. They deserve to be in a place where they can play for their thousands of fans. But I do think this highlights the broader conversation we’re having about women’s sports right now, the disparity and investment.”

Leary detailed how the WNBA’s scheduling has strained not only the fan base but also business owners. With little time to plan, she faced challenges she hopes will soon fade as Stoop Pigeon prepares to open its brick-and-mortar location early next year.

“We are aiming for the third week in January to open,” Leary said. “But 100% we will be up and running by Unrivaled.”

The location will be at the corner of Broad and Pine Streets. Leary says will be a family-friendly hub serving coffee, food sourced from local chefs, and drinks, with dozens of TVs showing women’s sports throughout the day.

Leary’s yearslong dream is finally coming to fruition, and the turnout at Dock Street for the WNBA Finals is helping fuel her “cautious optimism” about Stoop Pigeon’s upcoming opening.

“I’m terrified, but really, really excited to see Stoop Pigeon filled with fans this time next year, not to mention when we get our own team,” Leary said. “Like, I’m already afraid that we’ll outgrow the space by the time we’re open.”

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Despite the excitement surrounding Stoop Pigeon’s opening, Leary is among those dismayed by the WNBA’s handling of the schedule, saying the situation “would’ve never happened if the roles had been reversed with the NBA.”

“It’s like, they take two steps forward and 10 steps back,” Leary said. “How many times can we rally and show support again? You know? It’s 2026. When are we going to stop doing this to women? Women’s sports, especially the WNBA fans, are so loyal. This game could have been at 2 o’clock in the morning, and people would have shown up.”