Two black women did something this week that no other women have done before: They refereed a professional basketball game together. But Palmer and Kantner's influence on today's generation is immense and undeniable. "Being able to see myself in them -- they trailblazed that.". WNBA 2019: Points of Education (Part 2) #NBA #NBAReferees twitter.com/i/web/status/1. And as McCutchen points out, 42% of G League referees are women. I was totally fan-girling. However, her journey was slightly different from some of her female counterparts. "I remember learning about Dee and Violet being NBA referees," Holtkamp-Sterling said of her younger self. And thats the way our society should be, McCutchen said. To order Mosher has . presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution Oct 15, 2022. 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. 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. I see the competitive spirit of coaches treating everyone the same, he said. "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. NCAA gymnastics 2023: Who has surprised this season? Now, there are five different women officiating games on a nightly basis. Including various bonuses and incentives, NBA referees can make a total of $550,000 annually. "We are a very empowered group of women," Jelks said. Not only that, but the grind to becoming a professional referee requires true dedication. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Ashley Moyer-Gleich has been a hooper her whole life. I havent worked as hard in my life ever at a job, then Ive worked in the NBA as a referee., Working her first NBA game in 2019, Jelks remembers an unprompted conversation with a player who approached her at center court, shook her hand and said Welcome to the League. All Rights Reserved. "She'll always say, if I did it, you can do it. And 25 of the 63 referees in the G-League are women. No portion of NBA.com may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. 1. 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. WNBA announces officials for WNBA Playoffs 2021 presented by Google, WNBA Draft 2023 presented by State Farm to be held on April 10, NBA legend Pau Gasol named recipient of 2023 Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award, WNBAs streaming platform, WNBA League Pass, to include 2023 Athletes Unlimited basketball games, First-ever WNBA Canada game to feature Sky and Lynx in Toronto, Defending WNBA champion Aces to host AT&T WNBA All-Star 2023, DICKS Sporting Goods becomes Official Sporting Goods Retail Partner of the WNBA. There aren't many great answers for why 17 years passed between women being hired, for instance, although it's understandable why those at the top of today's league prefer to look forward. As a proud Black and LGBTQ woman, Palmer especially was a barrier-breaker in more ways than one. 2020. It was early in Holtkamp-Sterling's young basketball officiating career, years before she'd ascend to the NBA level. "Being a Black woman herself, being a trailblazer as the first African-American [woman referee] in the NBA, she understands 100% of the challenges that I face," Jelks, 35, said. 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. @ESPNNBA It hits harder now after years of reflection. With the second half of the 2021-22 season well underway, shes now starting to develop those relationships as she gets more reps across the league. Sago was a collegiate athlete but played softball instead of basketball. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. "Her advice is always authentic.". 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. ET each game day. By accessing any information beyond this page, you agree to abide by the Privacy Policy / Your California Privacy Rights and Terms of Use. 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.. I had absolutely no idea you could be a referee and make a living out of it. There's simply a desire to make this world, and others like it, more accessible. Add onto that insurance, retirement plans and the opportunity to travel the country for free, it's no wonder referees stick around for the long haul. It's needed that we strengthen each other emotionally, and just have that good support team.". Thirteen of the 31 referees in the WNBA are women. The NBA, like the society it's part of, inches ever closer to true equity. Currently, there are six female referees who work NBA games, up from one, Lauren Holtkamp, seven years ago. Those changes include separate dedicated locker rooms for women officials. Jelks becomes the seventh female full-time ref in NBA history, with the current five preceded by Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer. In 1997, Violet Palmer and Dee . 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. "Dee did it in a day where I'm sure she didn't have that support.". Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. She is the leagues longest-tenured woman official. Five full-time women in officiating today eclipses the total of the NFL, MLB and NHL combined. 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. Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. None of it deterred her -- in fact, quite the opposite. All rights reserved. And Silver . 2023 Getty Images. He was promoted to referee in 2006 and has overseen gameday officiating crews since. Her husband, Johnee Gleich, is currently an official in the NCAA. The initiative is one that comes straight from the top of the NBA hierarchy. 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. College Park Skyhawks GM Tori Miller is breaking barriers in the landscape of pro sports. Each game crew consists of three on-court officials and one on-site alternate. 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 . "Once [my peers] saw that I was about the business and the work and wanting to learn the craft, they were more than willing to open themselves up to teach me.". They're just talking about something they're uncomfortable with.". "I'll prove myself amongst them, so they'll look at me as just a referee," Palmer said of her mindset at the time. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. 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. After seeing an overwhelmingly male-dominated officiating staff through the late 1990s and early 2000s, fans began to notice more female referees. Next up is Simone Jelks, who became the league's seventh full-time female ref in 2019. ESPN was unable to obtain comment from Kantner, 60, for this story. Referees: Katie Lukanich, Darren Krzesnik, Kyle Bacon. ET. 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. Those who followed them still faced real challenges. When it comes to mentors within the officiating world, though, it all comes back to the paths forged before them. The NBA's roster of female referees continues to grow. Women NBA Referees. Palmer broke barriers in 1997 when she became the first female to referee an NBA game. My ideals completely match up with the NBAs and I think it would be difficult to work for a company if your ideals didnt and I just feel very fortunate that they believe in everything I believe in.. Seven women have worked as full-time NBA referees. The NBA's roster of female referees continues to grow. Instead, the Farmington, Mo., native spent most of her time traveling with her dad, a high school and collegiate basketball referee for 35-plus years, to all of his games and tournaments. Danielle Scott decided to join the family business. Officiating is ostensibly the main subject, and certainly a common thread. Palmer recalls all the media hubbub that surrounded her and Kantner when they entered the league; when Holtkamp-Sterling did the same 17 years later, there was hardly so much as a press release -- something Palmer delighted in seeing. She rattles off names: Steve Javie, Jack Nies, Billy Oakes, Joey Crawford. "I see little girls sitting courtside, parents asking me to take a picture with their little daughter," Moyer-Gleich said. The names she's invoking are Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner, the first full-time women referees to ever work in the NBA. 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? Fifteen of the largest college conferences paid their male referees on average 22% more than female referees in . 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. 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. They make up 8% of the 75-member officiating staff. 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. According to Career Trend, those who officiate WNBA games earn a salary of $180,000 per year to start. Not that anyone is counting or, at least, needs to be. The 2004 graduate of Brush High School worked 16 regular-season NBA . 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. Flores has spent nine seasons in the G League and 10 in the WNBA, and is also an accomplished women's college referee with . We won't send you spam. In 2014, Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling became the first woman hired as a full-time NBA official in nearly two decades. NEW YORK - The WNBA today announced the 15 referees who have earned spots to serve as on-court and/or alternate officials in the WNBA Playoffs 2021 presented by Google.. Playoff officials are selected by the WNBA Referee Operations management team based on three specific criteria throughout the season: WNBA Referee Operations' graded rankings, play-calling accuracy and team feedback. The current group of eight full-timers all did games, as did Clare Aubry, ShaRae Mitchell, Blanca Burns and Jenna Reneau. Erica Ayala. may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. Hussey has worked five G League seasons and two in the WNBA. According to the National Basketball Association (NBA), this is the first time ever that two female referees officiated the same NBA game. Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. Could this have come sooner? That doesn't bother me, because we're all just referees and we have to be able to co-mingle. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. In the N.B.A., four of the 70 full-time officials last season were women, the league said. McCutchen said the league has no data indicating referees are challenged more or less based on gender. @BrooklynNets at @celtics Legitimate acceptance has come in waves. But she viewed the NBA as a challenge to conquer, plus she took comfort in the fact that at the time, NBA mechanics were actually pretty similar to those she was used to at the women's college level. Floyd Mayweather interested in buying NBA team, Blake Griffin trolled by YouTuber courtside. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 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. In 1997, Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner became the first women . Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. Although she considers herself a basketball junkie, the former collegiate softball player is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan and follows the sport closely. Even while on maternity leave, shes locked into games every single night, which now she gets to do with her son by her side. With the . "[The NBA] worked closely with me to make sure that the locker room was where I needed it to be as a nursing mother," Holtkamp-Sterling said. Before we do, check out a compilation video of every technical foul handed out last season. Now were bearing the fruit of this.. The referees had to be ready and so did the players, coaches and fans. With more female referees officiating games, fans have begun to wonder if there's a pay gap between female referees and male referees. 4 Sean Wright, Officiating In Perspective with Barry Mano, 2020 Womens National Basketball Association, 2017 Womens National Basketball Association Roster, 2016 Womens National Basketball Association Roster, Next Level Softball Umpiring Free Email Series, High School Volleyball Officials Quiz 2023. Meet Lauren Holtkamp, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Natalie Sago, and now Jenna Schroeder. Because I've seen it done before.". 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. The first time Jenna Schroeder was booed by 40,000 NBA fans as she exited the court, she knew she had finally made it. Add four from the list of nine part-timers and the share of female refs bumps to 12%. Listed is the 2021 WNBA roster of officials, along with their number. Five women officials is a step up from one or two, but still represents a minuscule percentage of the league's 65 total referees. Before joining the big-league ranks, Natalie Sago was a ref for the G-League and WNBA. WNBA 2021: Points of Education (Part 2) Your login session has expired. However, her journey was slightly different from some of her female counterparts. Earn a high school diploma. 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. 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. There was an error submitting your subscription. Natalie Sago and Jenna Schroeder have made NBA history as the first female referees to work on the same court. WNBA. 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.. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting. Not Available. Natalie Sago didnt watch much NBA basketball growing up. 7:30 PM ET Here's the 12 hottest female referees on the planet. 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.. Ashley Moyer-Gleich, 33, a former Millersville University college basketball player who debuted as a full-time NBA referee in 2018 after working in the WNBA, took years of mentorship from Kantner; both are from cities within an hour of each other in Pennsylvania. Simone Jelks, the first Black woman hired in this role since Palmer herself, was also one of several women to attend Palmer's yearly refereeing camps before reaching the NBA level (such camps are common in the refereeing world, both for development and scouting; Palmer's is open to all collegiate officials). These were different times. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". 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. "They say I'm the sixth female referee in the NBA," said Schroeder, the sixth woman officially hired as a full-time NBA referee. Ashley Moyer-Gleich talks with Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. 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. Palmer's focus was internal. 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. Lifelong bonds have been formed within this group. Copyright 2022 Referee Enterprises Inc. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Mosher has . They were audible conversations for Palmer and Kantner, and sometimes more. Both entered the league fully in 1997, and Palmer, now 56, got the honor of making history when she donned the whistle for a late October game that year. If they are working full then they are paid $250,000 per season. NBA officials Simone Jelks (left) and Ashley Moyer-Gleich working a game together in Chicago. Twenty-four of the G League's 57 referees are women, plus several who jump between the NBA and G League (all NBA officials with under four years of experience are commonly assigned as crew chief for G League games to gain experience); 15 of the WNBA's 33 referees are women, nine of whom also work games in the G League. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Female NBA Referees Are Becoming a Normal Part of the Game. The NBA Referee's salary varies according to the job distinction as well as the experience of the referee. Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. "Middle child" is perhaps more fitting; as the only one of the five, current full-time women in the league with a direct connection to the Palmer/Kantner days. And that is where the NBA has been busy in recent years. Players, Teams, Seasons, Leaders , . to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about Women's Champ Week predictions: Which teams will win the auto bids in all 32 conferences? The NBA feels very strongly that this should be a meritocracy. "I have always shown great respect for the referees and my career supports me," Ndour wrote on Twitter with a clip of the incident after . To its credit, the NBA hasn't been satisfied at simply hitting numerical targets for the sake of appearance -- although no one's saying it's been perfect, either. "She really did an awesome job of reaching out to us and saying, 'Hey, I really want to start this group. "This isn't, 'Let's go out and do social work,'" Monty McCutchen, NBA's vice president of referee development and training, said. Republication or distribution of this content is You can e-mail himhere, findhis archive hereandfollow him on Twitter. First, the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky hosts the seventh-seeded Dallas Wings at 8 p.m. Kicking off the list is Lauren Holtkamp. rights reserved. Before becoming an NBA referee, Holtkamp played college basketball at Southwest Missouri State.