Valkyries games in only Year 2 of their existence have become “suffocating, relentless and menacing, empowered by a one-of-one home-court advantage,” according to Dieter Kurtenbach of the San Jose MERCURY NEWS. Games at Chase Center are a “full-blown violet sensory overload,” and after Thursday’s down-to-the-wire win over the Fever, the Valkyries are “sure looking like legitimate title contenders.” There is “no doubt that right now, they’re the absolute best show in the Bay.” The team’s early success “still feels like the beginning of what the Valkyries are building, and they are way ahead of schedule.” The “violet hue is everywhere now, transforming from an expansion color scheme into a regional identity” (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 5/29).
GIVING BACK: In S.F., Shayna Rubin noted the Valkyries held a fireside chat on Sunday morning “with more than 50 girls to announce the reactivation of their She Plays On initiative,” where the team “donates $25 for each” jersey sold this year. The Valkyries “raised $400,000″ in their inaugural 2025 season. The girls in the audience hailed from two partnering organizations: the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative and Playworks (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/31).