Valkyries fans had two reasons to dress up on Saturday, Oct. 31. It was Halloween, and the team was playing Game 7 of the WNBA Finals. They beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 at Chase Center to win the title.
Inside Chase Center
KQED reported that the fan base, calling itself "Boohalla" for the night, filled the arena. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Barry Bonds, E-40 and Flavor Flav were in the crowd. When Gabby Williams took over in the second half, fans chanted "Gabby, Gabby" and "MVP."
"Y'all have been pouring into me," Williams said about the fans after she was named Finals MVP. Fan Taina Kissinger told KQED, "The Bay Area is magical right now. We all need this right now, it's so amazing."
At Rikki's
In the Castro, more than 100 fans packed Rikki's, the women's sports bar, SFGATE reported. Many wore purple jerseys, costumes or both. People walking on Market Street stopped to watch through the windows. Oakland resident Elena Martysh said, "It's iconic, it's historical, we made history."
Season-ticket holder Brea Mitchell told SFGATE that she was going to watch at Rikki's either way. "I've enjoyed seeing the community really rally around this team and around women's sports," she said.
We wrote about where to watch the Valkyries in SF earlier this season. The next party is the championship parade on Wednesday, Nov. 4.