A 9:30 a.m. Valkyries game? S.F. fans showed up anyway - fried chicken and mimosas included
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Victory was elusive on Thursday morning, but that didn't stop a steady stream of Valkyries fans from playing hooky from work and stopping by the SoMa restaurant and nightclub Victory Hall at 9:30 a.m. for waffles, fried chicken and special violet hued Valks mimosas.
At first, owner Deanna Sison wasn't sure she was going to open for the early morning Game 6 against the Atlanta Dream. The brick-and-beam space on a SoMa alleyway doesn't typically open on weekday mornings. She called around to some of the big employers that are her loyal customers - Lyft, Airbnb, OpenGov - and learned that most companies were hosting their own watch parties in the office.
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Still, given the fact that it could have been a historic first championship for the Valkyries, she decided to give it a shot.
"I'm not much of a sports fan - I didn't even want to have screens here," she said. "But this team has made me fully appreciate fandom now, to embrace that community and nurture it."
Assembly Member Matt Haney, center, enjoys the special breakfast menu at Victory Hall in San Francisco while watching the Valkyries' early game in Atlanta. (Camille Cohen/For the S.F. Chronicle)About two dozen fans showed up to watch, including Assemblymember Matt Haney.
"It's a strange time to have a game - I think most people are watching from work. But this is a women-owned business so I wanted to come out and support Deanna," said Haney. "It's everybody in the Bay's favorite sports team right now."
With the score lopsided - the Dream led by 20 or more points for much of the game - fans at Victory Hall were starting to focus on what's next: Game 7 at Ballhalla in San Francisco on Halloween.
"How do we plan for that?" said Sison. "I should probably book a DJ. We should have a victory party if they do win. We are called Victory Hall, after all."
There was also some bitterness in the air about the fact that a WNBA championship game was forced to take place at 12:30 p.m. in Atlanta - 9:30 on the West Coast - because the men's NBA Atlanta Hawks have a home game scheduled for the arena that night.
"Universally all my friends think it's pretty insulting and offensive to women," said Angulo. "Come on guys, we are bringing the energy every single game and you can't even give these women their due and schedule it as a proper time?"
Deanna Sison, owner of Victory Hall, anxiously watches the Valkyries on Thursday morning. (Camille Cohen/For the S.F. Chronicle)Angulo said she likes watching the playoff games at local bars because it brings neighbors together who might not otherwise cross paths.
"You really get to know your neighbors when you are next to them screaming at the television screen," she said.
SoMa resident Payam T said he was willing to give the WNBA a pass this time around about the scheduling snafu, because neither the Dreams nor the Valkyries seemed like likely finalists before the season starts.
"It's the WNBA. They are trying to build a brand. I am not going to complain," he said. " If this happened next year? That would be preposterous - like come on, schedule it better."
Joni Norris wears a GSV sweatshirt while cheering with fellow San Franciscan Maria Timpson as they wait in line to attend a watch party at Rikki's Bar. (Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle)Raquel Redondiez, director of SOMA Pilipinas, the official Filipino Cultural Heritage District located in San Francisco, stopped by with colleague Christine Abiba. She said the Valkyries have been big supporters of her organization and community, hosting a SoMa Filipinas night at a game in August.
Despite the blow out, she was happy she showed up.
"You get to have chicken and waffles on a Thursday morning and be at Victory Hall," she said. "What the worst thing that could happen? Game 7 at Ballhalla on Halloween."
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There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at A 9:30 a.m. Valkyries game? S.F. fans showed up anyway - fried chicken and mimosas included.