Currently, there are six female referees who work NBA games, up from one, Lauren Holtkamp, seven years ago. Fahy walked into Ndour during the second quarter while looking in the opposite direction . Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. They all worked between 20 and 26 games as non-staff referees last season. The first category of referees we're going to be looking at is WNBA referees. Holtkamp-Sterling finds comfort in having close working relationships with other NBA officials. Women's Champ Week predictions: Which teams will win the auto bids in all 32 conferences? Today, she is best known for the memes that surfaced after an encounter she had with Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic. "Like Vice President Harris, she worked her way to the . They get only $180,000 a year or $425 per match. Maj Forsberg, who came from Denmark and played for the Rainbow Wahine from 1996-2000, sat behind . "She did it way before all of us, before the world we live in now that's all accepting," Moyer-Gleich said of Kantner. 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. WNBA 2020: Points of Education (Part 1) "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. Holtkamp reffed in the G-League for six years before eventually getting the call-up to the big stage. 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. She competed in the Sweet 16 of the of the 2010 Division II NCAA Tournament. RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The NBA's roster of female referees continues to grow. The ability to advance in this career is evident. Were looking for the best referees, McCutchen said. Note: This article is archival in nature. They were audible conversations for Palmer and Kantner, and sometimes more. WNBA referees even less. As it turns out, there are three categories that NBA referees fall into. 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. Basketball Referee Salaries for Other Leagues. "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. In the 1990s, only two female referees managed to work their way to the top. Thirteen of the 31 referees in the WNBA are women. All that self-affirmation has finally come full circle. In the second game, the fifth-seeded Phoenix Mercury faces the eighth-seeded New York Liberty at 10 p.m. And 25 of the 63 referees in the G-League are women. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. When she retired in 2016 after her 18-season career, it was back to one: Lauren Holtkamp. 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. Our paths are all different but we all got to the same end goal.. So my predecessors recognized this and put those seeds into the G League. "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.'". 4091. WNBA. It does not store any personal data. Jelks views Palmer as a key mentor in multiple ways. 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. Before becoming an NBA referee, Holtkamp played college basketball at Southwest Missouri State. NBA officials Simone Jelks (left) and Ashley Moyer-Gleich working a game together in Chicago. 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. The 2022-23 Stanford Cardinal women's basketball team will represent Stanford University during the 2022-23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Women's College Basketball. The salary slab of referees is decided as per their experience. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. It put tears in her eyes "that someone would actually put me in that class of people." Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. 0. "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. 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. 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. In this particular business, thats one of the loftiest goals of diversity: Sameness. Mosher has four seasons of G League officiating experience, five seasons in the WNBA and worked both the G League Finals and the WNBA Finals last season. We are excited for them to have reached this milestone in their careers.. According to Career Trend, those who officiate WNBA games earn a salary of $180,000 per year to start. Chicago Sky centre Astou Ndour was walking down the court in . The NBA now has eight women at the full-time referee level, the most the league has ever had at one time. Weve all been rookies, whether youre a coach, a player or a referee. Six women referees took part in the . I'm good, I'll tell you whether or not she's cute!' New to motherhood another around-the-clock job Moyer-Gleich remembers getting hired in 2018 as the jumping-off point for the league, which has now been a domino effect of more women coming through the officiating pipeline. Your login session has expired. WNBA 2020 Playoffs: Points of Education (Part 2), 2019 WNBA Inside the Rulebook: Screens During the 2021-22 NFL season, the . The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. We won't send you spam. It'll just be the norm.". It hits harder now after years of reflection. Earning a high school diploma or GED is the minimum education requirement for referees across league levels. She played in high school and college in Croatia and Puerto Rico before returning to the States and becoming a ref. rights reserved. "Did I hear it? The NBA Referee's salary varies according to the job distinction as well as the experience of the referee. NCAA gymnastics 2023: Who has surprised this season? "And I say that very positively. You really dont know until you sit down and read a rule book, says Moyer-Gleich. 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. Ashley Moyer-Gleich (gleash) has officiated 110 regular-season games in four seasons as an NBA staff official. With the . . Browse 1,151 wnba referees stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. "I remember learning about Dee and Violet being NBA referees," Holtkamp-Sterling said of her younger self. If they are working full then they are paid $250,000 per season. As the buzzer sounded, the father of one of the boys in the game approached and accosted her over her gender. These goals are attainable now in ways they just couldn't have been even a generation prior. 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.. Danielle Scott (right) talks with officiating partners during a game. Referee. WNBA referee Kevin Fahy is facing criticism for his extravagant ejection of Chicago Sky center Astou Ndour. Scott, the daughter of college basketball officials, was promoted Monday to the full-time NBA staff referee roster. The NBA feels very strongly that this should be a meritocracy. Bonner already had started working NCAA Division I women's . 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. 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 . 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? 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. Its not uncommon, to be honest with you, Schroeder said with a laugh. 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 . Thats where she remembers watching Candace Parker with Tennessee, and Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird with UConn. The second category of referees are the Entry-level NBA referees. "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. 2021 Women's National Basketball Association. 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. Moyer-Gleich recounts similar experiences. The article is made available for educational use by individuals. Natalie Sago didnt watch much NBA basketball growing up. "[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. WNBA 2021: Points of Education (Part 3), 2020 WNBA Inside the Rulebook: Block, Charge But again, thats counting. With more female referees officiating games, fans have begun to wonder if there's a pay gap between female referees and male referees. The first female NBA referees Chuck Solomon/Getty Images. Those inside the program aren't the only ones seeing this progress anymore, either. Palmer and Kantner were so much more than just trailblazers; the weight they shouldered eased the burden for all who came after. Natalie Sago and Jenna Schroeder have made NBA history as the first female referees to work on the same court. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. 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. 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. "Here we are in a very male-dominated space, and the league was very proactive to make sure I had what I needed.". They make up 8% of the 75-member officiating staff. "There's no reason why we shouldn't have more women as officials, coaches and basketball executives in our league," Silver said. We [officials] are human, too. Of course," Palmer, who retired from the NBA in 2016, said. 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. 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The other five Sage, Schroeder, Simone Jelks, Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling and Ashley Moyer-Gleich are active in the league today and among . Players, Teams, Seasons, Leaders , . Moyer-Gleich played basketball at Millersville University in Pennsylvania. Five women officials is a step up from one or two, but still represents a minuscule percentage of the league's 65 total referees. I would love for you guys to be a part of it.' 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. 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. 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. Fifteen of the largest college conferences paid their male referees on average 22% more than female referees in . She's taken it to a new level. Everything we send is officiating specific because that's all we do. 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. WNBA 2019: Points of Education (Part 1) Referee assignments are posted at approximately 9:00am ET each game day. WNBA 2020: Points of Education (Part 1) 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. 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. Its just that they werent there to be recognized as a referee.. Holtkamp-Sterling, now 40, had just finished officiating a youth boy's game as the solo referee. 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. WNBA 2021: Points of Education (Part 1) As a proud Black and LGBTQ woman, Palmer especially was a barrier-breaker in more ways than one. And this is not a skill you can learn overnight.. "She'll always say, if I did it, you can do it. "There are a lot of things I want to say about the officiating . WNBA 2020: Points of Education (Part 2) It's needed that we strengthen each other emotionally, and just have that good support team.". Kicking off the list is Lauren Holtkamp. Mosher has . Jelks describes one of the many attributes of being a great NBA official is holding players and coaches accountable for their actions. "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 . Please logout and login again. It does take time to develop officials, McCutchen said. The Associated Press released a study Friday regarding the NCAA referee pay gap. Please logout and login again. Grasping it entirely is a struggle. Listed is the 2021 WNBA roster of officials, along with their number. If you've ever wondered why Finals games seem like they're officiated by many of the same people year after year, it's because those are senior-level referees. Including various bonuses and incentives, NBA referees can make a total of $550,000 annually. 4 Sean Wright, I had absolutely no idea you could be a referee and make a living out of it. Camp Hill resident Ashley Moyer-Gleich is in her second month as the fourth-ever female NBA referee. Republication or distribution of this content is 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. The NBA's roster of female referees continues to grow. The first female NBA referees. After all, she could have stayed in women's basketball, where she was one of the top officials in the college world. . Skype chats gave way to lengthy group texts, including several that persist to this day. Add four from the list of nine part-timers and the share of female refs bumps to 12%. The current group of eight full-timers all did games, as did Clare Aubry, ShaRae Mitchell, Blanca Burns and Jenna Reneau. "It's needed for women in this industry that already have a lot of things going against them. Tramel: Referee Amy Bonner earns ultimate compliment in historic debut season in Big 12. Sago says she will always praise the WNBA for helping prepare her for the NBA. "Those girls get to see me on this platform, working with men in a male-dominated field.". 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. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. By accessing any information beyond this page, you agree to abide by the Privacy Policy / Your California Privacy Rights and Terms of Use. 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. A WNBA referee has been slammed by fans after ejecting a player after the pair appeared to accidentally bump into each other. NBA adds 4 new full-time referees, including 2 female NBA referees . 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. Looking for a way to soothe anxious nerves, she called Kantner before her first WNBA game, then again before her first NBA preseason game. Simone Jelks worked her first game in the NBA in 2019. It stuck for good, always as a term of endearment. Could this have come sooner? It's not a big deal anymore," she remembers thinking. As WWE's New Day would say, shame! While top NBA stars such as LeBron James and Steph Curry pocket about $38 million to $40 million annually, the highest-paid WNBA stars don't even broach half a million. | Subscribe to access all D1 ref data. Referee data is available for the 1988-89 through 2022-23 seasons. 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. Since Holtkamp-Sterling, four more women have been hired as full-time NBA referees. And that is where the NBA has been busy in recent years. 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. (Prior to entering the league, Palmer worked as a referee in NCAA Division I women's basketball.) "And it's even better when the things they see are possible look like them.". "Because I answered those questions early in the process for myself, it helped me create a career that is sustaining and meaningful.". She worked the 2013 and 2014 NBA G League Finals and the 2014 WNBA Conference Finals. She becomes the sixth woman on the current staff, joining Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Simone . The first category of referees we're going to be looking at is WNBA referees. Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. -. Although there's no word on what their yearly raise looks like, after three to five years of working as an entry-level referee, officials are eligible to be promoted to the next level. N BA commissioner Adam Silver wants more female referees in the NBA. 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. 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. The approval of her peers in the officiating world. And Silver . 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. Referee Michael Oliver, however, waved play on and the VAR, Darren England, saw no reason to ask him to look again at his decision. Erica Ayala. Last up on the list is Jenna Schroeder. "She really did an awesome job of reaching out to us and saying, 'Hey, I really want to start this group. "Kids have to see that things are possible," Jelks said. The former Cedar Crest and Millersville guard wasn't planning to be a ref at all but a college . From pace of play to call selectivity, Scotts transition from the G League, to the WNBA and now to the NBA has been a whirlwind but shes enjoying the learning process. Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. 3 Nick Buchert, Smithfield, Ky., 10. Off the court, Moyer-Gleich likes to spend time outdoors with her family, plan events and take photographs. The NBA's roster of female referees continues to grow. None of it bothered me. 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. Lifelong bonds have been formed within this group. According to Career Trend, WNBA referees earn a base salary of $180,000 per year. Touchy, touchy. Any player or coach would be ill-advised to go there. Kantner's NBA career was the shorter of the two, spanning until 2002 when she was released by the league. College Park Skyhawks GM Tori Miller is breaking barriers in the landscape of pro sports. She heard whispers from some corners of the sport. "I'll prove myself amongst them, so they'll look at me as just a referee," Palmer said of her mindset at the time. . Holtkamp-Sterling has become a big sister figure to the other women in the program. You can e-mail himhere, findhis archive hereandfollow him on Twitter. But no one, not by a long shot, thinks the work is done. Were capable and not just capable but like beyond excellent and can do the job just as well as our male counterparts.. 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. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Im sure we would have been open to it, said Sam Perkins, forward/center who played for four teams from 1984 to 2001 and is now the treasurer for the National Basketball Retired Players Association. ESPN was unable to obtain comment from Kantner, 60, for this story. MLB umpires rake in an impressive $300,000 annually, and the referees in the NHL receives around $275,000 .