All rights reserved. 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. Sago says she will always praise the WNBA for helping prepare her for the NBA. October 13, 2022 9:36 AM. 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. ET. Holtkamp, Moyer-Gleich, and Sago were the only three female referees that were active in the NBA for the 2018 season. Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. 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. She rattles off names: Steve Javie, Jack Nies, Billy Oakes, Joey Crawford. In March 2015, the NBA began issuing Last Two Minutes reports that detail the performance of referees at the ends of games which the . NBA officials Simone Jelks (left) and Ashley Moyer-Gleich working a game together in Chicago. By accessing any information beyond this page, you agree to abide by the Privacy Policy / Your California Privacy Rights and Terms of Use. We [officials] are human, too. WNBA 2020 Playoffs: Points of Education (Part 1) Adding women to the refereeing positions has been a priority for McCutchen and other NBA executives, including Commissioner Adam Silver. 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. Before becoming a ref in 2018, Moyer-Gleich officiated games for the WNBA. "It's needed for women in this industry that already have a lot of things going against them. Holtkamp-Sterling finds comfort in having close working relationships with other NBA officials. It does not store any personal data. Women officials are often generalized as being too sensitive when they dont tolerate or permit certain forms of disrespect on the court. 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.. Today, she is best known for the memes that surfaced after an encounter she had with Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic. R denotes rookie. Skype chats gave way to lengthy group texts, including several that persist to this day. NBA.com spoke with each of the six women to learn more about their unique journeys to the league: Jenna Schroeder talks with Spurs guard Dejounte Murray before a game. The other five women officials speak highly and graciously of her and look to her as a mentor as well as a trailblazer for referees. Sago, 31, and Schroeder, 35, were two of the three people on the officiating crew . Even while on maternity leave, shes locked into games every single night, which now she gets to do with her son by her side. Ashley Moyer-Gleich (gleash) has officiated 110 regular-season games in four seasons as an NBA staff official. But now, in 2021-22, the NBA has six female referees on its full-time officiating staff, the most ever. They allow the league's scouts to evaluate larger swaths of the population and identify greater cumulative talent. . 2023 Getty Images. Collect, curate and comment on your files. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of all the cookies. As of last season, 11 different women were employed in assistant coaching positions around the NBA. However, her journey was slightly different from some of her female counterparts. She played in high school and college in Croatia and Puerto Rico before returning to the States and becoming a ref. A WNBA referee has been slammed by fans after ejecting a player after the pair appeared to accidentally bump into each other. 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. As it turns out, there are three categories that NBA referees fall into. Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the, The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star 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. Top 5 NBA female referees in the game today 1) Lauren Holtkamp . With more female referees officiating games, fans have begun to wonder if there's a pay gap between female referees and male referees. Each game crew consists of three on-court officials and one on-site alternate. 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. Today, though, this is frankly the bare minimum; no one in the league office is patting themselves on the back for simply keeping up with the times. 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. "This isn't, 'Let's go out and do social work,'" Monty McCutchen, NBA's vice president of referee development and training, said. "I just hope one day we can stop counting. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The NBA now has the most . Who will win nationals? "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. Before joining the big-league ranks, Natalie Sago was a ref for the G-League and WNBA. Natalie Sago was a ref for the G-League and WNBA. 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. 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. As far as WNBA referees, they make considerably less. They were audible conversations for Palmer and Kantner, and sometimes more. "They say I'm the sixth female referee in the NBA," said Schroeder, the sixth woman officially hired as a full-time NBA referee. "Because I answered those questions early in the process for myself, it helped me create a career that is sustaining and meaningful.". Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Thats where she remembers watching Candace Parker with Tennessee, and Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird with UConn. WNBA. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. It was early in Holtkamp-Sterling's young basketball officiating career, years before she'd ascend to the NBA level. The initiative is one that comes straight from the top of the NBA hierarchy. It's something that the NBA's senior vice president spoke about last year, pointing out how there hasn't been a concentrated effort to hire female referees. :-). The salary slab of referees is decided as per their experience. She is the leagues longest-tenured woman official. Players, Teams, Seasons, Leaders , . As a young girl, the basketball court was one of the only places where Simone Jelks could simply be herself. Certainly not. Fifteen of the largest college conferences paid their male referees on average 22% more than female referees in . Facebook. 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 colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about 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 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. The NFL pays referees an average of $205,000 per annum. | Subscribe to access all D1 ref data. It would quickly give way not only to an increase in gender diversity among officials, but to an inspiring tale of women empowerment and mentorship at the highest levels of a traditionally male field -- one full of locker room anecdotes, weekly Skype chats, group birthday vacations and a number of challenges. Those whispers Holtkamp-Sterling would hear as she entered the league years later? It put tears in her eyes "that someone would actually put me in that class of people." The WNBA Playoffs 2021 presented by Google will tip off on Thursday, Sept. 23 with two first-round single-elimination games on ESPN2. Simone Jelks worked her first game in the NBA in 2019. The article is made available for educational use by individuals. 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. Holtkamp-Sterling, now 40, had just finished officiating a youth boy's game as the solo referee. We all started somewhere. Women NBA Referees. Referees: Katie Lukanich, Darren Krzesnik, Kyle Bacon. 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. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Oct 15, 2022. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. She played through college and worked her way up the high school, college . WNBA 2020: Points of Education (Part 1) They're just talking about something they're uncomfortable with.". She struggled at times with the constant demands from those she encountered, both stated and implied, to justify herself or explain her pursuit of success in a heavily male-dominated field. The names she's invoking are Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner, the first full-time women referees to ever work in the NBA. WNBA referee Kevin Fahy is facing criticism for his extravagant ejection of Chicago Sky center Astou Ndour. Copyright 2023 NBA Media Ventures, LLC. 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. "And I say that very positively. 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. She competed in the Sweet 16 of the of the 2010 Division II NCAA Tournament. 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. Shop NEW Women Hooping summer apparel: http://www.womenhooping.com/Support the channel through PAYPAL: paypal.me/womenhoopingORPlay as WNBA players/teams in . These officials begin with a salary of $250,000 as first-year referees. The Australian was the first female to officiate the A-League series in 2015. Professional basketball has broken world barriers by having star players from countless different countries and broken the gender barrier as well. In the beginning, back in 1997, there were two: Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner. By TIM REYNOLDS October 18, 2021. Camp Hill resident Ashley Moyer-Gleich is in her second month as the fourth-ever female NBA referee. 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.. . Referee Position. Mosher has . 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. Palmer and Kantner were so much more than just trailblazers; the weight they shouldered eased the burden for all who came after. And as the first to reach this plateau since, she's turned around and served a similarly important role for those following her. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. Its not based on your gender, race or ethnicity.. She worked the 2013 and 2014 NBA G League Finals and the 2014 WNBA Conference Finals. Entry-level referees are on the lower end of that scale and receive larger paydays the longer they are in the league. Maj Forsberg, who came from Denmark and played for the Rainbow Wahine from 1996-2000, sat behind . 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. 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. The 2022-23 Stanford Cardinal women's basketball team will represent Stanford University during the 2022-23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. 12 12. In recent years there has been a massive uptick in female referees in the NBA. Scott credits her colleagues for helping to guide her throughout this first year as a full-time ref. "She'll always say, if I did it, you can do it. . Because I've seen it done before.". Kicking off the list is Lauren Holtkamp. Its not uncommon, to be honest with you, Schroeder said with a laugh. "Kids have to see that things are possible," Jelks said. Mosher has . View. Female NBA Referees Are Becoming a Normal Part of the Game. Before we do, check out a compilation video of every technical foul handed out last season. Palmer broke barriers in 1997 when she became the first female to referee an NBA game. And that is where the NBA has been busy in recent years. In 2014, Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling became the first woman hired as a full-time NBA official in nearly two decades. And this is not a skill you can learn overnight.. "Here we are in a very male-dominated space, and the league was very proactive to make sure I had what I needed.". The entry-level referees are paid around $600 per match. According to Career Trend, those who officiate WNBA games earn a salary of $180,000 per year to start. She dedicated herself completely to the game, but also to earning respect just like anyone else. All "[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. 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. She becomes the sixth woman on the current staff, joining Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Simone . In 1997, Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner became the first women .
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