"It's needed for women in this industry that already have a lot of things going against them. The NBA's roster of female referees continues to grow. Sun Belt apologizes to Troy for refs' late blunder, Irish move past Wolfpack as Miles still sidelined, Spirit make NWSL history by signing 15-year-old, Volynets stops Stearns to reach first WTA semi, Shiffrin 4th in super-G, still chasing 86th win, Sheldon gives Buckeyes lift vs. Michigan in return, White out as Pitt hoops coach after 42-99 mark, All in the family: how three generations of Jaquezes have ruled West Coast basketball. Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. Select referees by season: . Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. I think that the NBA is very visual and theyve done a great job of showing that. She joined the pros as a full-time ref in 2018 and had a side career as a bartender while climbing her way up the ranks. We can look at data, say from the 2011-12 season, to get an . As WWE's New Day would say, shame! And to the people who run the NBA's officiating program, efforts in recent years to open recruiting pathways and increase diversity are far from merely symbolic: They're practical for a league always striving to improve. The first category of referees we're going to be looking at is WNBA referees. And thats not where the NBA or any other meritocracy wants to be if its goal is to have the most talented, hardest-working members get the most opportunities and rise highest. The approval of her peers in the officiating world. Its really satisfying to say, We dont have to go and search for women referees, said Monty McCutchen, the NBAs senior vice president, head of referee development and training. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. I'm good, I'll tell you whether or not she's cute!' While standing on the free-throw extended line during a timeout, Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling recalls a quiet yet powerful moment early in her NBA officiating career. ET. Flores and Mosher join Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling, Simone Jelks, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Natalie Sago, Jenna Schroeder and Danielle Scott as women at the full-time NBA referee level. And thats the way our society should be, McCutchen said. WNBA 2020 Playoffs: Points of Education (Part 2), 2019 WNBA Inside the Rulebook: Screens Referee data is available for the 1988-89 through 2022-23 seasons. Fast forward to 2022, Sago worked the Suns-Bucks game Sunday in Milwaukee, where Phoenix coach Monty Williams dismissed any notion that female refs might cause a games texture or tone to be different. N BA commissioner Adam Silver wants more female referees in the NBA. It'll just be the norm.". Our women officials give technical fouls at the same rate as anyone else., Said Williams: I hope one day well be able to look at them as officials instead of a lady official or a male official.. None of it deterred her -- in fact, quite the opposite. While the NBA continues to be at the forefront of providing more opportunities for women officials, other leagues such as the NFL and the American Hockey Association (the NHLs minor league affiliate) have taken strides in recent years with hiring their first women officials. Thirteen of the 31 referees in the WNBA are women. She was working a high school AAU tournament one weekend when a bystander approached her with a simple question: Why dont you do this for a living? These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. . So, we make mistakes out there on the floor, but the main thing is we have to just move on and reset., For me, if something goes wrong or if I can do something better, I look at the clock, then memorize the time on the game clock and time on the shot clock and just reset.. may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. "While there were times it could wear on my spirit, it was also a real test of what I want to do and why it's important that I'm choosing to pursue this," Holtkamp-Sterling said of those initial struggles. Below is the 2020-21 NBA roster of officials with each official's uniform number, name, years in the league through last season and hometown. any players who have declared for the 2022 WNBA draftincluding seniors, . There's no jealousy here, no bitterness over an "easier" path faced by today's young women. When Holtkamp-Sterling returned to officiating after giving birth in 2019, the league had arranged specific accommodations for her as its first-ever mother to officiate a game. Those inside the program aren't the only ones seeing this progress anymore, either. "Once or twice a week in the summer, we would get on a Skype call and spend an hour or two hours talking rules, talking scenarios, situations. It stuck for good, always as a term of endearment. To that effect, there have been real efforts toward promoting equality and diversity within the officiating ranks, the sort that may not make headlines but truly advance a progressive agenda. Palmer's focus was internal. . @ESPNNBA This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. The NBA feels very strongly that this should be a meritocracy. Penn Manor wrestler Trinity Mowery taking part in the PIAA junior officiating program referees a match at the Elizabethtown Optimist Club Junior High wrestling tournament at Elizabethtown High . "And it's even better when the things they see are possible look like them.". Just as meaningful, though, is the broader support structure that's been created. Conley was in the G League for seven seasons, Schwab for five and, like Scott, they also worked WNBA games this season. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. October 13, 2022 9:36 AM. Flores has spent nine seasons in the G League and 10 in the WNBA, and is also an accomplished women's college referee with two Final Fours on her resume. All parties involved can talk about themes like equality until they're blue in the face, but the truest mark of that state is actually when it's not a constant discussion topic. Natalie Sago and Jenna Schroeder have made NBA history as the first female referees to work on the same court. In the beginning, back in 1997, there were two: Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner. WNBA 2020: Points of Education (Part 2) If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Schroeder said she'd love to see her daughter take up officiating when she grows up -- although she joked her wife, Anderson, may represent the more lucrative career path as a physician. She worked the 2013 and 2014 NBA G League Finals and the 2014 WNBA Conference Finals. The NFL pays referees an average of $205,000 per annum. "In that moment, he was being very clear -- there was no micro-aggression or anything: 'I'm going to tell you exactly that I don't think you belong here doing this.'". But now, in 2021-22, the NBA has six female referees on its full-time officiating staff, the most ever. This article is the copyright of Referee Enterprises, Inc., and may not be republished in whole or in part online, in print or in any capacity without expressed written permission from Referee. It was the first time that women officiated regular-season games in an all-male U.S. professional league. CHICAGO --Prior to Game 3 of the 2021 WNBA Finals on Friday night, Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi addressed the $2,500 fine she received from the league for making "inappropriate contact . $18K. They congratulated me for getting hired and being in the WNBA, I was like, thats crazy because I was watching you guys when I was 12 years old and now were working together.. WNBA referees even less. Entry-level referees are on the lower end of that scale and receive larger paydays the longer they are in the league. Seven women have worked as full-time NBA referees. Officiating is ostensibly the main subject, and certainly a common thread. That only works if there are sufficient aspirants to form a true competitive pool of candidates. Moyer-Gleich played basketball at Millersville University in Pennsylvania. Boger is the only referee to retire this offseason. (Suggested reading: Floyd Mayweather interested in buying NBA team). Holtkamp-Sterling has become a big sister figure to the other women in the program. THE FIRST NBA INDIAN ORIGIN REFEREES JOURNEY FROM PRE-MED TO PRE-REF, NBRA ANNOUNCES RATIFICATION OF AGREEMENT FOR G LEAGUE START OF SEASON, While Turners arms are vertical, he is jumping A to B into the path of Brown. As it turns out, there are three categories that NBA referees fall into. There was an error submitting your subscription. Holtkamp, Moyer-Gleich, and Sago were the only three female referees that were active in the NBA for the 2018 season. The entry-level referees are paid around $600 per match. Long before she was hired in the NBA, the Flint, Mich., native didnt know that refereeing could be a full-time job. Before joining the big-league ranks, Natalie Sago was a ref for the G-League and WNBA. Other projections put the base salary for new referees somewhere around $250,000. I feel like women, especially women in male-dominated industries, always in the back of our heads, theres a little space, no matter how well we are doing, like Am I good enough? and the answer will always be yes.. "I just hope one day we can stop counting. She served as a WNBA referee in 2018. That doesn't bother me, because we're all just referees and we have to be able to co-mingle. Top 5 NBA female referees in the game today 1) Lauren Holtkamp . Several of the full-timers are close friends off the court. During the 2021-22 NFL season, the . #24 Scott, #77 Lane, #17 Sterling Luka Doncic Arguing With The Female Ref Fouling In Love What? (Suggested reading: Blake Griffin trolled by YouTuber courtside), Be the first one to comment on this story. Turner is permitted to get to a spot twitter.com/i/web/status/1, TONIGHT She is the leagues longest-tenured woman official. Facebook. ESPN was unable to obtain comment from Kantner, 60, for this story. A record 12 women worked games last season in the NBA, some getting called up from the G League and non-staff levels to help when the leagues officiating roster was decimated by COVID-19. Holtkamp reffed in the G-League for six years before eventually getting the call-up to the big stage. Listed is the 2021 WNBA roster of officials, along with their number. 2021 Women's National Basketball Association. Certainly not. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". All rights reserved. rights reserved. The NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee has approved the 11 game officials, who will bring a combined experience of 63 Women's Final Four appearances, to officiate the three games . The setting was a local recreation center in her home state of Missouri, where she'd previously played four years of college basketball at Drury University before becoming a referee. And not everyone was comfortable. Professional basketball has broken world barriers by having star players from countless different countries and broken the gender barrier as well. Thats where she remembers watching Candace Parker with Tennessee, and Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird with UConn. Who was the highest paid female NFL referee during the 2021-22 season? Its not uncommon, to be honest with you, Schroeder said with a laugh. Danielle Scott and Angelica Suffren officiated an NBA Summer League game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat on Tuesday evening. Please logout and login again. Collect, curate and comment on your files. They allow the league's scouts to evaluate larger swaths of the population and identify greater cumulative talent. Her currency? Scott, the daughter of college basketball officials, was promoted Monday to the full-time NBA staff referee roster. . A WNBA referee has been slammed by fans after ejecting a player after the pair appeared to accidentally bump into each other. Despite women entering the professional sports ranks in historically all-male leagues - Jen Welter was an Arizona Cardinals assistant coaching intern this summer, and former WNBA star Becky Hammon . Fifteen of the largest college conferences paid their male referees on average 22% more than female referees in . Probably. I grew up watching her.". WNBA 2021: Points of Education (Part 2) Was the buffer Palmer and Kantner created an impenetrable one? As the buzzer sounded, the father of one of the boys in the game approached and accosted her over her gender. WNBA 2020: Points of Education (Part 1) After finishing up her studies in physical education at the University of Missouri-St. Lois decided to make her way into a career of reffing basketball. Before finally making her way to the league, Schroeder reffed in almost every league imaginable. The NBA has made significant alterations since Palmer and Kantner's day, where the league would have to improvise a makeshift women's locker room in arenas that weren't prepared for them. :-). By TIM REYNOLDS October 18, 2021. Women officials are often generalized as being too sensitive when they dont tolerate or permit certain forms of disrespect on the court. They all worked between 20 and 26 games as non-staff referees last season. According to a warrant for Morrow's arrest, he's facing charges of assault by strangulation, second-degree kidnapping and communicating threats. Danielle Scott (right) talks with officiating partners during a game. Rules, interpretations, mechanics, philosophies and other information may or may not be correct for the current year. "[He] confronted me and told me I didn't belong there, working that game," Holtkamp-Sterling recounted years later. And despite having to transcend this gendered space, the officials recognize that the job of refereeing is not actually gendered work. ET. As a young girl, the basketball court was one of the only places where Simone Jelks could simply be herself. Referee, the worlds original sports officiating magazine, educates, challenges and inspires officials at all levels. Her expediated journey, as she describes, to the NBA began by navigating a very competitive, male-dominated, officiating industry where she quickly moved up the referee ladder. Flores and Mosher earned promotions from the G League level, as did another pair of new hires Matt Kallio, who becomes the NBAs first international full-time official, and Robert Hussey. The most recent estimations put NBA referees annual salaries between $180,000 and $550,000. Mosher has . When we see one referee get some type of accolade, we highlight it on our pages on social media. Sago would eventually work with all three superstars during her path to the NBA, which included stops at various levels including high school college, the G League and the WNBA. Schroeder's wife, Britta Anderson, was a pioneer in her own right: Back in 2011, with virtually no women in similar positions whatsoever, she was hired as the associate team physician for MLB's Detroit Tigers -- a role she still occupies today. As of last season, 11 different women were employed in assistant coaching positions around the NBA. Not that anyone is counting or, at least, needs to be. Palmer and Kantner smashed this barrier; those who came after them are trying to stomp on its remains. "Being able to see myself in them -- they trailblazed that.". Professional referees in the National Basketball Association are divided into three distinctions: Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), entry-level and Senior. | Subscribe to access all D1 ref data. "I said to the guys: 'You can curse! Referees in the National Basketball Association (NBA) oversee 120 pre-season games, 1,260 regular season games, and four rounds of playoff matches.These officials "oversee competition in real-time between 10 exceptional athletes, making calls with 95% accuracy.". McCutchen said the league has no data indicating referees are challenged more or less based on gender. Amy Bonner took up refereeing as a student at the University of Missouri in the early 1990s, calling rec league games, and by 2002 she was officiating games in the NBA's Developmental League. The other five Sage, Schroeder, Simone Jelks, Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling and Ashley Moyer-Gleich are active in the league today and among . For female basketball referees, men's college basketball may be the bleakest of frontiers. "I always had that mentor, a role model on how to be successful in a male-dominated field," Schroeder said. Included aren't just the five women who have achieved full-time NBA status, but also many more working their way up through the G League or WNBA training ranks. She etched her name into the history books as the first mother to officiate a league game. Currently, there are six female referees who work NBA games, up from one, Lauren Holtkamp, seven years ago. Compared to other sports, referee's earnings in the NBA and WNBA are among the best. Of course," Palmer, who retired from the NBA in 2016, said. Flores has spent nine seasons in the G League and 10 in the WNBA, and is also an accomplished women's college referee with two Final . But again, thats counting. First, the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky hosts the seventh-seeded Dallas Wings at 8 p.m. Taking a look at the numbers behind Nikola Jokic's historic season for the Nuggets. In 1997, Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner became the first women . Whether they are sharing experiences from their rookie seasons or answering any of her questions, she finds comfort knowing she can trust her peers in any situation. Women officials now make up 8% of the 75-member officiating staff as the league continues its focus on hiring the most talented and hardest-working referees in the business. The 15 referees assigned to the 2021 WNBA Playoffs are below: Copyright 2023 NBA Media Ventures, LLC. And as McCutchen points out, 42% of G League referees are women. Holtkamp-Sterling, now 40, had just finished officiating a youth boy's game as the solo referee. You can e-mail himhere, findhis archive hereandfollow him on Twitter. Chicago Sky centre Astou Ndour was walking down the court in . Danielle Scott decided to join the family business. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. All that self-affirmation has finally come full circle. "They say I'm the sixth female referee in the NBA," said Schroeder, the sixth woman officially hired as a full-time NBA referee. But, its hard for someone whos a player to sit down and read the rule book and understand it because its so its not relatable to how a player understands the game.. Inspiration was even easier to come by for Jenna Schroeder, 35, another former collegiate athlete who, like Holtkamp-Sterling, transitioned to the officiating side following college. Young women shouldn't have to look at officiating, or so many other traditionally male-dominated professions, as rarified air for only the chosen few. UFC 285's Shevchenko by the numbers: It all adds up to domination, Infighting of Women's World Cup faves Spain, France, Canada reveals big issues in the sport. Tom Washington, a 30-year veteran whom Palmer names as one of her top mentors, bestowed the nickname "Queen" upon her during a group event midway through her career. Your login session has expired. The first time Jenna Schroeder was booed by 40,000 NBA fans as she exited the court, she knew she had finally made it. Areas like these come to the forefront as the NBA continues to strive for an earned reputation as a progressive organization. In 1997, Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner became the first women to serve as referees in the NBA. The NBA's roster of female referees continues to grow. He was promoted to referee in 2006 and has overseen gameday officiating crews since. Next up is Simone Jelks, who became the league's seventh full-time female ref in 2019. She will return for her 10th season in the WNBA, all of which have been in Phoenix, after she missed last year because of a 10-month detainment in Russia. Five full-time women in officiating today eclipses the total of the NFL, MLB and NHL combined. In 1997, Violet Palmer and Dee . "I'm not sure how it was that it remained so male-dominated for so long," said Silver last month. Female referees make a maximum single-game pay of $5,000 if they work the Super Bowl. And this is exactly what a true meritocracy looks like., More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports, Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling remembers feeling vulnerable, but not intimidated. Now were bearing the fruit of this.. Five women officials is a step up from one or two, but still represents a minuscule percentage of the league's 65 total referees. These goals are attainable now in ways they just couldn't have been even a generation prior. Grasping it entirely is a struggle. After playing college basketball in Millersville, Pennsylvania, Ashley Moyer decided to pursue a career in officiating. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Im so happy for you.. MLB umpires rake in an impressive $300,000 annually, and the referees in the NHL receives around $275,000 . Still, there's unanimous agreement that without the groundwork laid by the two trendsetters before them, the path would have been rockier. In March 2015, the NBA began issuing Last Two Minutes reports that detail the performance of referees at the ends of games which the . Scott credits her colleagues for helping to guide her throughout this first year as a full-time ref. When it comes to mentors within the officiating world, though, it all comes back to the paths forged before them. WNBA. "Like Vice President Harris, she worked her way to the . . Natalie Sago says her time officiating games in the WNBA prepared her for an NBA officiating job. RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. $425. WNBA 2020: Points of Education (Part 1) The hiring of Holtkamp-Sterling (the "Sterling" comes from Jonathan, her husband and fellow NBA referee) was a first domino of sorts with Silver's modern NBA, after almost two decades of no upward movement for women referees. Note: This article is archival in nature. Captaincy chaos and Waldrum ultimatums - Will Nigeria be ready for World Cup. Shop NEW Women Hooping summer apparel: http://www.womenhooping.com/Support the channel through PAYPAL: paypal.me/womenhoopingORPlay as WNBA players/teams in . Sago says she will always praise the WNBA for helping prepare her for the NBA. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Tickets for the WNBA's first-ever preseason matchup in Canada featuring the Chicago Sky and the Minnesota Lynx go on sale Wednesday, March 8, on International Women's Day. "I remember learning about Dee and Violet being NBA referees," Holtkamp-Sterling said of her younger self. Jelks describes people telling her that their daughters tune into NBA games she works and won't even focus on the players; their eyes only on her. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. No portion of NBA.com Furthermore, a lot of WNBA referees spend their off-season refereeing Division I women's (and men's) college basketball games. With four more working on a part-time basis and two fill-ins from the NBA G League, the league has a dozen women on call to make calls on any given night. With the . Six women referees took part in the . None of it bothered me. I think when I got hired, that had its own sort of significance and same for all the women after me. In addition, referees are paid bonus money for working the playoffs and NBA Finals. 2020. February 4, 2021. "And I say that very positively. -. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Similar to Holtkamp, Jelks played basketball at a highly competitive level before entering the world of officiating. Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. But Holtkamp-Sterling believes shes the one paying homage and praises Palmer and Kantner for breaking barriers as the first two women officials in the NBA. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. WNBA 2019: Points of Education (Part 1) "She taught me how to carry myself, how to be comfortable being the only woman in the room all the time. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. 2023 Getty Images. I [grew up] admiring Allen Iverson because I felt like he was just so unapologetically himself, despite what society or what the basketball community thought of him, good or bad, says Jelks. On top of that, shes getting as many reps as she possibly can at various levels and navigating up to four different sets of rulebooks, depending on her schedule. Sago, Holtkamp-Sterling, Schroeder and Moyer-Gleich were all on-hand in Clearwater, Florida to celebrate Sago's 30th birthday a couple summers ago (Jelks wasn't yet a full-time official). Who will win nationals? Those changes include separate dedicated locker rooms for women officials. Fahy walked into Ndour during the second quarter while looking in the opposite direction . Legitimate acceptance has come in waves. All Rights Reserved. A native of Cleveland, a city she describes as being filled with underdog energy and soul, her family relocated to the suburbs where Jelks, like many teenagers, yearned to fit in among her peers. . Referee, the world's original sports officiating magazine, educates, challenges and inspires officials at all levels. The three prominent distinctions among the NBA Referees are entry-level referees or rookies, referees for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and senior-level referees. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These officials begin with a salary of $250,000 as first-year referees. But Palmer and Kantner's influence on today's generation is immense and undeniable. The first category is WNBA referees, the second is entry-level referees and the third is the top of the line senior referees the best of the best. I dont notice whether coaches are hands off. I havent seen any [bullying]. Senior-level referees are the best of the best. Today, there are five full-time women referees in the NBA -- the most in the . ncaa home, women, post season history: men, women 2022-23 2021-22 2020-21 2019-20 2018-19 NCAA Women Referee Leaders. By accessing any information beyond this page, you agree to abide by the Privacy Policy / Your California Privacy Rights and Terms of Use. "In recent years, we have focused on expanding our pipeline of officials to greatly increase the pool of potential hires, and we have seen encouraging results, not only in the NBA but in the WNBA and the G League as well," Adam Silver, who became NBA commissioner in 2014, said to ESPN. We are excited for them to have reached this milestone in their careers.. The league is ahead of its peers here, although progress must be viewed relatively. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. NBA adds 4 new full-time referees, including 2 female NBA referees . Who is the player of the year in every women's college basketball conference? Consider a theme like locker rooms. "Because I answered those questions early in the process for myself, it helped me create a career that is sustaining and meaningful.". As our numbers are increasing, that sort of noteworthiness is becoming more about this collective experience and collective momentum that is here and thats just really, really rewarding.. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Success! Capable of handling some plays in secondary area of coverage. She played in high school and college in Croatia and Puerto Rico before returning to the States and becoming a ref. "Kids have to see that things are possible," Jelks said. Sago was a collegiate athlete but played softball instead of basketball. All five women said they'd absolutely recommend refereeing both men's and women's basketball to any young woman with the drive and dedication. These women, who collectively had precious few female sports icons as children, now recognize their own role in inspiring a future generation. Jelks describes one of the many attributes of being a great NBA official is holding players and coaches accountable for their actions.