Valkyries fans celebrate big win over Mercury at packed San Francisco watch parties
Sunday was a great day for Golden State Valkyries fans as many gathered at Rikki's in San Francisco to cheer on their favorite basketball team — and celebrate a big win.
The Valkyries defeated the Phoenix Mercury 95-79 Sunday night in their home opener at Chase Center.
"I think the fans are great. This is a good group of people to watch games with," Andrew Olson, a fan, told CBS News Bay Area.
"We love the Valkyries. I previously didn't do sport watching, but Valkyries are awesome," Liesbeth Koning, who was also watching the game on Sunday evening, said.
Danielle Thoe, co-owner of Rikki's, said Valkyries watch parties are a great boost to their business.
"Friday, the first away game, we were packed. The line was out the door. A little bit of a smaller crowd tonight, I think a lot of folks are at the game and really wanted to make sure they were at the first game of the season. But definitely the Valkyries games really fill the bar for us, they're our biggest nights by far," she told CBS News Bay Area.
For these fans, the team means so much more.
Thoe added, "The Valkyries took the city by storm last year. They've been great community partners, and they are playing incredible basketball, especially as a first-year team. So, I feel like the sky's the limit this year."
"It's not just about the basketball team, but it's about equity. Women's equity in general and so I feel like supporting the Valkyries is supporting myself and other people like us," fan Akira Demoss said.