The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting. Two black women did something this week that no other women have done before: They refereed a professional basketball game together. Grasping it entirely is a struggle. Referees: Katie Lukanich, Darren Krzesnik, Kyle Bacon. 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. But now, in 2021-22, the NBA has six female referees on its full-time officiating staff, the most ever. "I'll prove myself amongst them, so they'll look at me as just a referee," Palmer said of her mindset at the time. Be the first one to comment on this story. "They say I'm the sixth female referee in the NBA," said Schroeder, the sixth woman officially hired as a full-time NBA referee. 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. And 25 of the 63 referees in the G-League are women. "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. 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 . Within several years, for the 2014-15 season, Holtkamp-Sterling would become the first woman hired as a full-time NBA official in nearly two decades. I think that the NBA is very visual and theyve done a great job of showing that. 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. Palmer broke barriers in 1997 when she became the first female to referee an NBA game. Scott credits her colleagues for helping to guide her throughout this first year as a full-time ref. Floyd Mayweather interested in buying NBA team, Blake Griffin trolled by YouTuber courtside. College Park Skyhawks GM Tori Miller is breaking barriers in the landscape of pro sports. Referee Eric Brewton during the game between the Las Vegas Aces and Connecticut Sun in Game Three of the Semifinals of the 2020 WNBA Playoffs on. In 2003, she was the main referee for the 2002-03 Women's DFB-Pokal final between 1. Sago says she will always praise the WNBA for helping prepare her for the NBA. It was early in Holtkamp-Sterling's young basketball officiating career, years before she'd ascend to the NBA level. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Bonner already had started working NCAA Division I women's . Palmer's focus was internal. Certainly not. "[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. 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. The initiative is one that comes straight from the top of the NBA hierarchy. Michaela Gilmer is an Interactive Producer for NBA.com. She dedicated herself completely to the game, but also to earning respect just like anyone else. The NBA has always been a league that prides itself on giving equal opportunity to everyone. Republication or distribution of this content is Because I've seen it done before.". . "I see little girls sitting courtside, parents asking me to take a picture with their little daughter," Moyer-Gleich said. 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. She etched her name into the history books as the first mother to officiate a league game. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The first female NBA referees. . 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. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. Female referees make a maximum single-game pay of $5,000 if they work the Super Bowl. Those who followed them still faced real challenges. Please logout and login again. And 25 of the 63 referees in the G-League are women. The first female NBA referees Chuck Solomon/Getty Images. The 2004 graduate of Brush High School worked 16 regular-season NBA . Chicago Sky centre Astou Ndour was walking down the court in . Now in her third NBA season, she feels this is a whole new grind in comparison to her journey but there is no place else she would rather be. All rights reserved. October 13, 2022 9:36 AM. In March 2015, the NBA began issuing Last Two Minutes reports that detail the performance of referees at the ends of games which the . In 1997, Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner became the first women . After playing college basketball in Millersville, Pennsylvania, Ashley Moyer decided to pursue a career in officiating. As a young girl, the basketball court was one of the only places where Simone Jelks could simply be herself. 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.. When it comes to mentors within the officiating world, though, it all comes back to the paths forged before them. Turner is permitted to get to a spot twitter.com/i/web/status/1, TONIGHT Players, Teams, Seasons, Leaders , . In the beginning, back in 1997, there were two: Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner. Today, there are five full-time women referees in the NBA -- the most in the . 4091. She's taken it to a new level. Because the Women's National Basketball Association is less successful than the NBA and has a shorter season, WNBA officials earn significantly less than NBA officials. 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. None attempt to discount their own burdens that they overcame. 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. . "[He] confronted me and told me I didn't belong there, working that game," Holtkamp-Sterling recounted years later. "I'm not sure how it was that it remained so male-dominated for so long," said Silver last month. "Dee did it in a day where I'm sure she didn't have that support.". The other five Sage, Schroeder, Simone Jelks, Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling and Ashley Moyer-Gleich are active in the league today and among . We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The first time Jenna Schroeder was booed by 40,000 NBA fans as she exited the court, she knew she had finally made it. If they are working full then they are paid $250,000 per season. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". But no one, not by a long shot, thinks the work is done. The most recent estimations put NBA referees annual salaries between $180,000 and $550,000. The average salary of a male basketball player is put at $7.7 million while that of their female counterparts is a mere $100,658. "They congratulated me for getting hired and being in the WNBA, I was like, that . You can e-mail himhere, findhis archive hereandfollow him on Twitter. Mosher has . 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. In the N.B.A., four of the 70 full-time officials last season were women, the league said. Similar to Holtkamp, Jelks played basketball at a highly competitive level before entering the world of officiating. "I remember learning about Dee and Violet being NBA referees," Holtkamp-Sterling said of her younger self. 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 former Cedar Crest and Millersville guard wasn't planning to be a ref at all but a college . In its . 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. The NBAs roster of female referees continues to grow. | Subscribe to access all D1 ref data. . The NBA now has eight women at the full-time referee level, the most the league has ever had at one time. And despite having to transcend this gendered space, the officials recognize that the job of refereeing is not actually gendered work. SHARE. ET. In the 1990s, only two female referees managed to work their way to the top. Natalie Sago says her time officiating games in the WNBA prepared her for an NBA officiating job. The article is made available for educational use by individuals. The Pennsylvania native has four years of collegiate officiating experience, with stints in the ACC, Atlantic 10, Patriot League and Ivy League, among other conferences. Were looking for the best referees, McCutchen said. Holtkamp reffed in the G-League for six years before eventually getting the call-up to the big stage. WNBA 2020 Playoffs: Points of Education (Part 1) Thats where she remembers watching Candace Parker with Tennessee, and Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird with UConn. But neither supply nor demand were what they are now. The league is ahead of its peers here, although progress must be viewed relatively. Jelks, along with her female counterparts, dont pay much attention to what fans or critics have to say and know they wouldnt be here if it wasnt for their esteemed skillset. Moyer-Gleich officiated three seasons in the NBA G League, including the 2018 playoffs. Referee, the world's original sports officiating magazine, educates, challenges and inspires officials at all levels. And as the first to reach this plateau since, she's turned around and served a similarly important role for those following her. She became a professional referee in 1999 by officiating matches in the Women's Bundesliga, after that she was selected to officiate in the Regionalliga. Your login session has expired. Five full-time women in officiating today eclipses the total of the NFL, MLB and NHL combined. A WNBA referee has been slammed by fans after ejecting a player after the pair appeared to accidentally bump into each other. Just as meaningful, though, is the broader support structure that's been created. Scott, the daughter of college basketball officials, was promoted Monday to the full-time NBA staff referee roster. As the buzzer sounded, the father of one of the boys in the game approached and accosted her over her gender. Please try again. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. As the NBA continues to normalize the notion of women officials in this male-dominated space, Holtkamp-Sterling is confident the league is moving in the right direction. I commend those women [in hockey] because first of all, you have to know how to skate, and I would be out there busting my butt trying to do that, Sago said with a laugh. To amplify your resume, you can try to get involved with your school's basketball team as either a student manager, player or referee assistant if possible. 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. When we see one referee get some type of accolade, we highlight it on our pages on social media. Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. She was the first female referee in German professional football. After seeing an overwhelmingly male-dominated officiating staff through the late 1990s and early 2000s, fans began to notice more female referees. All rights reserved. NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee Guide, Proficient in Referee and Umpire positions, High-level play calling, partnering skills, and tools for handling any game situation, including interpersonal communication, Understands the importance of extending into their secondary area of coverage, with accuracy, Proficient in all Umpire position requirements, Effectively the glue for a crew through consistency, teamwork, and communication - makes partners better by carrying a larger portion of the crews load than an Umpire, Capable of handling some plays in secondary area of coverage, Ability to recognize and appropriately manage shifts in game conditions (intensity, emotions, decorum, style of play etc. Erica Ayala. A multi-dimensional, hard-working woman, Jelks played collegiate basketball at USC and is a certified foreign language K-12 educator. We [officials] are human, too. Holtkamp-Sterling has become a big sister figure to the other women in the program. Moyer-Gleich tells multiple stories of NBA security staff confusing her for a cheerleader or a referee's wife when she entered the building to officiate games; to varying degrees, her peers have similar experiences. 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. Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. And Silver . Women officials are often generalized as being too sensitive when they dont tolerate or permit certain forms of disrespect on the court. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. FFC Frankfurt and FCR 2001 Duisburg. "There are a lot of things I want to say about the officiating . When she retired in 2016 after her 18-season career, it was back to one: Lauren Holtkamp. 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. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. 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.. There's no jealousy here, no bitterness over an "easier" path faced by today's young women. WNBA 2020: Points of Education (Part 1) The first category of referees we're going to be looking at is WNBA referees. She also enjoys Bikram yoga and swimming. They allow the league's scouts to evaluate larger swaths of the population and identify greater cumulative talent. The WNBA Playoffs 2021 presented by Google will tip off on Thursday, Sept. 23 with two first-round single-elimination games on ESPN2. View. "Because I answered those questions early in the process for myself, it helped me create a career that is sustaining and meaningful.". The current group of eight full-timers all did games, as did Clare Aubry, ShaRae Mitchell, Blanca Burns and Jenna Reneau. In the WNBA, an entry-level referee makes an average of $16,000 a year, or $425 per game . Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. copyright 2023 National Basketball Referees Association. Seven women have worked as full-time NBA referees. The NFL pays referees an average of $205,000 per annum. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. The Pennsylvania native has four years of collegiate officiating experience, with stints in the ACC, Atlantic 10, Patriot League and Ivy League, among other conferences. Adding women to the refereeing positions has been a priority for McCutchen and other NBA executives, including Commissioner Adam Silver. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, Miller making history as female G League GM, Women referees among latest called up to work games, Female officials Q&A Part 1: Path to the NBA, Female officials Q&A Part 2: Womens empowerment, Ex-NBA player Morrow facing assault charges, Durant passes 'Big O' for 13th in career points, NBA Fantasy: Under-the-radar additions for playoffs, Magic's Isaac (torn adductor) out for rest of season, Triple-double win streak shows Jokic dominance, NBA DFS Picks: Yahoo plays and strategy for March 3. The NBA's roster of female referees continues to grow. The 15 referees assigned to the 2021 WNBA Playoffs are below: Copyright 2023 NBA Media Ventures, LLC. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Referee. Luka Doncic Arguing With The Female Ref Fouling In Love What? 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. Her love for simply being on the basketball court fused with her desire to prove those naysayers wrong. In 1997, Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner became the first women to serve as referees in the NBA. WNBA. NCAA gymnastics 2023: Who has surprised this season? First, the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky hosts the seventh-seeded Dallas Wings at 8 p.m. 2019 WNBA Inside the Rulebook: Continuation 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. And that is where the NBA has been busy in recent years. Today, she is best known for the memes that surfaced after an encounter she had with Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic. Schroeder explains the disparities within the NCAA when women officials were not being paid the same as the men and how that growing theme troubled her. Danielle Scott (right) talks with officiating partners during a game. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of all the cookies. Depending on experience and how far into the playoffs they're working, officials can reportedly receive a per game bonus of anywhere between $800 to $5,000. Captaincy chaos and Waldrum ultimatums - Will Nigeria be ready for World Cup. Referee Michael Oliver, however, waved play on and the VAR, Darren England, saw no reason to ask him to look again at his decision. They all worked between 20 and 26 games as non-staff referees last season. According to Career Trend, those who officiate WNBA games earn a salary of $180,000 per year to start. Today, there are a total of five full-time women NBA referees, an all-time league high. The names she's invoking are Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner, the first full-time women referees to ever work in the NBA. It's not a big deal anymore," she remembers thinking. Success! When we see three females working the G League together, we're empowered, we're inspired. Rules, interpretations, mechanics, philosophies and other information may or may not be correct for the current year. Please logout and login again. She also has five years of high school officiating experience in her home state. Of course," Palmer, who retired from the NBA in 2016, said. She is the leagues longest-tenured woman official. Kantner's NBA career was the shorter of the two, spanning until 2002 when she was released by the league. I grew up watching her.". There's simply a desire to make this world, and others like it, more accessible. 2020 WNBA Inside the Rulebook: Block, Charge. to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about To order copies of RotoWire considers the best player values in Yahoo fantasy leagues for Friday's 10-game slate. Rather, they've tried to go further. Earning a high school diploma or GED is the minimum education requirement for referees across league levels. Holtkamp officiated six seasons in the NBA G League and four seasons in the WNBA. But Palmer and Kantner's influence on today's generation is immense and undeniable. All that self-affirmation has finally come full circle. The NBA feels very strongly that this should be a meritocracy. Boger, 67, joined the NFL in 2004 as a line judge. Today, we're going to be taking a look at all three categories, how much each make and how a referee can climb their way up to the top level. Scott has spent much of her first year in the league building rapport with the players and teams. 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. With no big distinguishable difference between the referee pay for men and women, it's still clear that being a referee is a high-paying job. . ET each game day. "It's almost normal now. All 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. Her currency? Professional referees in the National Basketball Association are divided into three distinctions: Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), entry-level and Senior. The NBA now has eight . Entry-level referees are on the lower end of that scale and receive larger paydays the longer they are in the league. "Like Vice President Harris, she worked her way to the . Danielle Scott decided to join the family business. Palmer and Kantner were so much more than just trailblazers; the weight they shouldered eased the burden for all who came after. 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.. "And it's even better when the things they see are possible look like them.". G League referee ShaRae Mitchell becomes the 15th woman in NBA history picked to work a regular-season game. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. Referee Kevin Fahy on Sunday ejected Astou Ndour of the WNBA 's Chicago Sky after she appeared to accidentally make contact with his stomach as he walked into her. Now were bearing the fruit of this.. Top 5 NBA female referees in the game today 1) Lauren Holtkamp . 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. "I feel very grateful that there were people before me to have experienced the initial pushback of what it's like being a female in a male-driven world," Jelks said. Referee Position. "But did it bother me? 7:30 PM ET :-). That only works if there are sufficient aspirants to form a true competitive pool of candidates. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of 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. Including various bonuses and incentives, NBA referees can make a total of $550,000 annually. February 4, 2021. None of it deterred her -- in fact, quite the opposite. "She did it way before all of us, before the world we live in now that's all accepting," Moyer-Gleich said of Kantner. 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. 2 min read. Its just fantastic. None of it bothered me. By accessing any information beyond this page, you agree to abide by the Privacy Policy / Your California Privacy Rights and Terms of Use. Five women officials is a step up from one or two, but still represents a minuscule percentage of the league's 65 total referees. "Those girls get to see me on this platform, working with men in a male-dominated field.". And thats the way our society should be, McCutchen said. The salary slab of referees is decided as per their experience. Simone Jelks worked her first game in the NBA in 2019. So my predecessors recognized this and put those seeds into the G League. The six full-timers are Natalie Sago, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Simone Jelks, Jenna Schroeder, Danielle Scott and Holtkamp-Sterling (married to fellow NBA ref Jonathan Sterling). 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. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. By TIM REYNOLDS October 18, 2021. Kicking off the list is Lauren Holtkamp. 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 . Ashley Moyer-Gleich (gleash) has officiated 110 regular-season games in four seasons as an NBA staff official. (Suggested reading: Blake Griffin trolled by YouTuber courtside), Be the first one to comment on this story. Currently, there are six female referees who work NBA games, up from one, Lauren Holtkamp, seven years ago. 0. And as McCutchen points out, 42% of G League referees are women. The first category of referees we're going to be looking at is WNBA referees. WNBA 2019: Points of Education (Part 3), 2020 WNBA Inside the Rulebook: Block, Charge, WNBA 2020 Playoffs: Points of Education (Part 1), WNBA 2020 Playoffs: Points of Education (Part 2), 2019 WNBA Inside the Rulebook: Continuation. She got her professional start in the WNBA, which was a big deal for her because she grew up idolizing players such as Candace Parker and Diana Taurasi. The Australian was the first female to officiate the A-League series in 2015. In 2014, Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling became the first woman hired as a full-time NBA official in nearly two decades. 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. This season has seen a record 7 female referees officiate at least one game in the NBA. According to Career Trend, WNBA referees earn a base salary of $180,000 per year. WNBA 2019: Points of Education (Part 1) 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. By accessing any information beyond this page, you agree to abide by the Privacy Policy / Your California Privacy Rights and Terms of Use. "Did I hear it? "Here we are in a very male-dominated space, and the league was very proactive to make sure I had what I needed.". Jul 6, 2018, 01:32 PM EDT. A camera crew came out to the floor to film the in-arena entertainment and there was a woman videographer who approached her and said, I am really glad that youre here.. No portion of NBA.com These officials begin with a salary of $250,000 as first-year referees. And if it were male officials, you wouldnt call them sensitive.. With the . The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Jelks views Palmer as a key mentor in multiple ways. She told The Daily Telegraph she almost quit officiating due to A-holes in the crowd yelling derogatory things to her. The 2022-23 Stanford Cardinal women's basketball team will represent Stanford University during the 2022-23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Referee data is available for the 1988-89 through 2022-23 seasons. Its not uncommon, to be honest with you, Schroeder said with a laugh. Under scrutiny from her first tipoff, Palmer instantly proved she could withstand the grumbling and ref . Ashley Moyer-Gleich talks with Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell. Lifelong bonds have been formed within this group. And to this day, I dont think people know that thats actually a thing..