"Kids have to see that things are possible," Jelks said. As far as WNBA referees, they make considerably less. These goals are attainable now in ways they just couldn't have been even a generation prior. 1. Other projections put the base salary for new referees somewhere around $250,000. WNBA 2021: Points of Education (Part 2) There's no jealousy here, no bitterness over an "easier" path faced by today's young women. Were looking for the best referees, McCutchen said. Any player or coach would be ill-advised to go there. More than anything, it's that normalcy that today's women NBA referees aspire to. "[He] confronted me and told me I didn't belong there, working that game," Holtkamp-Sterling recounted years later. It was the first time that women officiated regular-season games in an all-male U.S. professional league. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. 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. Add four from the list of nine part-timers and the share of female refs bumps to 12%. Last up on the list is Jenna Schroeder. Scott has spent much of her first year in the league building rapport with the players and teams. Women's Champ Week predictions: Which teams will win the auto bids in all 32 conferences? Women's . Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. R denotes rookie. The salary slab of referees is decided as per their experience. And as McCutchen points out, 42% of G League referees are women. 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. Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. Officiating is ostensibly the main subject, and certainly a common thread. We won't send you spam. I thought that was awesome. expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto 2023 Getty Images. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". During one year of Schroeders journey, she worked seven days a week for six months straight. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. With the . Rules, interpretations, mechanics, philosophies and other information may or may not be correct for the current year. Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling is the NBAs longest-tenured female official. In its . 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. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. Be the first one to comment on this story. While Palmer and Kantner are no longer working for the NBA, their legacies live on. Today, she is best known for the memes that surfaced after an encounter she had with Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic. Effectively the glue for a crew through consistency, teamwork, and communication - makes partners better by carrying a larger portion of the crew's load than an Umpire. She competed in the Sweet 16 of the of the 2010 Division II NCAA Tournament. There was an error submitting your subscription. None of it deterred her -- in fact, quite the opposite. 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. 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.". However, her journey was slightly different from some of her female counterparts. This is the league's . McCutchen has long said that the NBA will hire the best people to fill the job, regardless of gender. Not only that, but the grind to becoming a professional referee requires true dedication. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. (Prior to entering the league, Palmer worked as a referee in NCAA Division I women's basketball.) She played in high school and college in Croatia and Puerto Rico before returning to the States and becoming a ref. She played through college and worked her way up the high school, college . She also enjoys Bikram yoga and swimming. Chicago Sky centre Astou Ndour was walking down the court in . "I said to the guys: 'You can curse! 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. While that was the most overtly negative experience Holtkamp-Sterling recalls from her career, it wasn't the only one. I'm good, I'll tell you whether or not she's cute!' But when she made the transition from basketball player to basketball referee, her perspective on those tough moments shifted dramatically. Your login session has expired. Who was the highest paid female NFL referee during the 2021-22 season? may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. They allow the league's scouts to evaluate larger swaths of the population and identify greater cumulative talent. NBA officials Simone Jelks (left) and Ashley Moyer-Gleich working a game together in Chicago. Could this have come sooner? Most notably, then-Celtics broadcaster Cedric Maxwell used a stunningly offensive "get back in the kitchen" line for a game Palmer was officiating in 2007 (Maxwell would later apologize). 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. Entry-level referees are on the lower end of that scale and receive larger paydays the longer they are in the league. Several of the full-timers are close friends off the court. The two even got to officiate two high school games together, a moment that seems like yesterday in her memory even as she's gone on to call contests in both the WNBA and NBA. Top 5 NBA female referees in the game today 1) Lauren Holtkamp . Moyer-Gleich recounts similar experiences. All Rights Reserved. Holtkamp officiated six seasons in the NBA G League and four seasons in the WNBA. $425. Its just fantastic. Then, five years later, there was one: Palmer. Because I've seen it done before.". "There are a lot of things I want to say about the officiating . rights reserved. In 1997, Violet Palmer and Dee . WNBA 2019: Points of Education (Part 1) Women NBA Referees. 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. 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. It hits harder now after years of reflection. 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. And 25 of the 63 referees in the G-League are women. 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. You can e-mail himhere, findhis archive hereandfollow him on Twitter. Professional referees in the National Basketball Association are divided into three distinctions: Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), entry-level and Senior. "Lauren took about six of us under her wing a couple summers ago," Sago said. 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.. 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's almost normal now. These were different times. The Orlando forward played only 11 games this season after missing two years with a torn ACL. Palmer broke barriers in 1997 when she became the first female to referee an NBA game. #NBA #NBAReferees twitter.com/i/web/status/1. We are excited for them to have reached this milestone in their careers.. She etched her name into the history books as the first mother to officiate a league game. I grew up watching her.". 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. In his words, all the league had to do was hire the best people for the job. Jelks becomes the seventh female full-time ref in NBA history, with the current five preceded by Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer. Scott credits her colleagues for helping to guide her throughout this first year as a full-time ref. The former Cedar Crest and Millersville guard wasn't planning to be a ref at all but a college . Maj Forsberg, who came from Denmark and played for the Rainbow Wahine from 1996-2000, sat behind . 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. 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 2003, she was the main referee for the 2002-03 Women's DFB-Pokal final between 1. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Lifelong bonds have been formed within this group. And thats the way our society should be, McCutchen said. Next up is Simone Jelks, who became the league's seventh full-time female ref in 2019. 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. Off the court, Moyer-Gleich likes to spend time outdoors with her family, plan events and take photographs. . Certainly not. I would love for you guys to be a part of it.' I love that Im a part of an organization that hires you based on if you can do the job and based on your skills. None of it bothered me. Please logout and login again. 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. (Suggested reading: Blake Griffin trolled by YouTuber courtside), Be the first one to comment on this story. Earning a high school diploma or GED is the minimum education requirement for referees across league levels. Copyright 2023 NBA Media Ventures, LLC. When she retired in 2016 after her 18-season career, it was back to one: Lauren Holtkamp. Before joining the big-league ranks, Natalie Sago was a ref for the G-League and WNBA. "I'm not sure how it was that it remained so male-dominated for so long," said Silver last month. 12 12. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. Of course," Palmer, who retired from the NBA in 2016, said. Facebook. Holtkamp-Sterling has become a big sister figure to the other women in the program. In 1997, Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner became the first women to serve as referees in the NBA. 4 Sean Wright, 2020. Earn a high school diploma. Six women referees took part in the . 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 . 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. Players, Teams, Seasons, Leaders , . The 15 referees assigned to the 2021 WNBA Playoffs are below: Copyright 2023 NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Boger, 67, joined the NFL in 2004 as a line judge. There won't be a number anymore. Since Holtkamp-Sterling, four more women have been hired as full-time NBA referees. In the N.B.A., four of the 70 full-time officials last season were women, the league said. Who will win nationals? He was promoted to referee in 2006 and has overseen gameday officiating crews since. 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. So my predecessors recognized this and put those seeds into the G League. N BA commissioner Adam Silver wants more female referees in the NBA. Including various bonuses and incentives, NBA referees can make a total of $550,000 annually. By. With more female referees officiating games, fans have begun to wonder if there's a pay gap between female referees and male referees. 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. Holtkamp officiated in numerous collegiate conferences, including the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East and Colonial Athletic. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. $18K. WNBA 2019: Points of Education (Part 2) Each game crew consists of three on-court officials and one on-site alternate. 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. Conley was in the G League for seven seasons, Schwab for five and, like Scott, they also worked WNBA games this season. We all started somewhere. San Diego State. February 4, 2021. To order 3 Nick Buchert, Smithfield, Ky., 10. Consider a theme like locker rooms. Referee data is available for the 1988-89 through 2022-23 seasons. All that self-affirmation has finally come full circle. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. "I'll prove myself amongst them, so they'll look at me as just a referee," Palmer said of her mindset at the time. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. 4091. Its not uncommon, to be honest with you, Schroeder said with a laugh. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The 2022-23 Stanford Cardinal women's basketball team will represent Stanford University during the 2022-23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Were capable and not just capable but like beyond excellent and can do the job just as well as our male counterparts.. During the 2021-22 NFL season, the . It stuck for good, always as a term of endearment. However, her journey was slightly different from some of her female counterparts. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Capable of handling some plays in secondary area of coverage. Ten women have held that job in league history, with the current eight joining Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner on that list. According to Career Trend, those who officiate WNBA games earn a salary of $180,000 per year to start. Tramel: Referee Amy Bonner earns ultimate compliment in historic debut season in Big 12. You really dont know until you sit down and read a rule book, says Moyer-Gleich. Senior-level referees are the best of the best. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Natalie Sago and Jenna Schroeder have made NBA history as the first female referees to work on the same court. "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.'". Holtkamp, Moyer-Gleich, and Sago were the only three female referees that were active in the NBA for the 2018 season. 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. . "They congratulated me for getting hired and being in the WNBA, I was like, that . As a lifelong hooper and collegiate player, Ashley Moyer-Gleich knows first-hand about those frustrating moments during a game, like when a whistle is blown against her or not getting a call after thinking she was fouled. ET. Select referees by season: . 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. Women's College Basketball. ET. 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 . She served as a WNBA referee in 2018. 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. 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. 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.. . 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. Currently, there are six female referees who work NBA games, up from one, Lauren Holtkamp, seven years ago. It was that support and recognition that both of us were sort of in the space that women arent typically in and that we were sort of bolstered by seeing each other there, doing the work, said Holtkamp-Sterling. "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. WNBA 2020: Points of Education (Part 2) But now, in 2021-22, the NBA has six female referees on its full-time officiating staff, the most ever. :-). 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. Referees: Katie Lukanich, Darren Krzesnik, Kyle Bacon. 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. And despite having to transcend this gendered space, the officials recognize that the job of refereeing is not actually gendered work. Captaincy chaos and Waldrum ultimatums - Will Nigeria be ready for World Cup. 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. ESPN was unable to obtain comment from Kantner, 60, for this story. Meet Lauren Holtkamp, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Natalie Sago, and now Jenna Schroeder. All rights reserved. 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. She becomes the sixth woman on the current staff, joining Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Simone . "Because I answered those questions early in the process for myself, it helped me create a career that is sustaining and meaningful.". "Those girls get to see me on this platform, working with men in a male-dominated field.". 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. 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. WNBA 2021: Points of Education (Part 1) 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. 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. 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. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. That doesn't bother me, because we're all just referees and we have to be able to co-mingle. Scott, the daughter of college basketball officials, was promoted Monday to the full-time NBA staff referee roster. Referee, the worlds original sports officiating magazine, educates, challenges and inspires officials at all levels. 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. Women's Euros. Ex-Rainbow Wahine Maj Forsberg makes mark in WNBA landscape as league's only female crew chief. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. 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. October 13, 2022 9:36 AM. In the 1990s, only two female referees managed to work their way to the top. Individual game assignments for referees are posted at NBA.com/official at approximately 9 a.m. In the second game, the fifth-seeded Phoenix Mercury faces the eighth-seeded New York Liberty at 10 p.m. Shop NEW Women Hooping summer apparel: http://www.womenhooping.com/Support the channel through PAYPAL: paypal.me/womenhoopingORPlay as WNBA players/teams in . Those changes include separate dedicated locker rooms for women officials. . Female referees make a maximum single-game pay of $5,000 if they work the Super Bowl. 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. Sago was a collegiate athlete but played softball instead of basketball. As of last season, 11 different women were employed in assistant coaching positions around the NBA. The entry-level referees are paid around $600 per match. 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. "I remember learning about Dee and Violet being NBA referees," Holtkamp-Sterling said of her younger self. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting. "Dee did it in a day where I'm sure she didn't have that support.". She told The Daily Telegraph she almost quit officiating due to A-holes in the crowd yelling derogatory things to her. Simone Jelks worked her first game in the NBA in 2019. No portion of NBA.com Not that anyone is counting or, at least, needs to be. 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. . Even while on maternity leave, shes locked into games every single night, which now she gets to do with her son by her side. Rather, they've tried to go further. Those inside the program aren't the only ones seeing this progress anymore, either. 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.. 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.. "[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. "We are a very empowered group of women," Jelks said. NBA adds 4 new full-time referees, including 2 female NBA referees . College basketball referees for D-1 men's NCAA games make over $2,000 per game and they can work over 70 games per season, so their annual salary for working the NCAA season is approximately $150,000 the same as an entry-level ref in the NBA. All You can talk about the girl in the fifth row with the big ta-tas! By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of all the cookies. As a young girl, the basketball court was one of the only places where Simone Jelks could simply be herself. The ability to advance in this career is evident. She is the leagues longest-tenured woman official.