Jul 6, 2018, 01:32 PM EDT. WNBA. She rattles off names: Steve Javie, Jack Nies, Billy Oakes, Joey Crawford. Tramel: Referee Amy Bonner earns ultimate compliment in historic debut season in Big 12. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. 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. She etched her name into the history books as the first mother to officiate a league game. . In addition, referees are paid bonus money for working the playoffs and NBA Finals. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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. Not only that, but the grind to becoming a professional referee requires true dedication. Add four from the list of nine part-timers and the share of female refs bumps to 12%. Sago says she will always praise the WNBA for helping prepare her for the NBA. According to Career Trend, WNBA referees earn a base salary of $180,000 per year. -. She was the first female referee in German professional football. NBA adds 4 new full-time referees, including 2 female NBA referees . Who will win nationals? Holtkamp, Moyer-Gleich, and Sago were the only three female referees that were active in the NBA for the 2018 season. RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. Were looking for the best referees, McCutchen said. Was the buffer Palmer and Kantner created an impenetrable one? The NBA now has eight women at the full-time referee level, the most the league has ever had at one time. presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution 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. In the 1990s, only two female referees managed to work their way to the top. Today, Palmer counts men she worked with among her best friends. 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. Boger, 67, joined the NFL in 2004 as a line judge. "While there were times it could wear on my spirit, it was also a real test of what I want to do and why it's important that I'm choosing to pursue this," Holtkamp-Sterling said of those initial struggles. It stuck for good, always as a term of endearment. "But did it bother me? So my predecessors recognized this and put those seeds into the G League. The NBA now has eight . The first female NBA referees Chuck Solomon/Getty Images. 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. Your login session has expired. The second category of referees are the Entry-level NBA referees. Please logout and login again. Sago would eventually work with all three superstars during her path to the NBA, which included stops at various levels including high school college, the G League and the WNBA. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Five women officials is a step up from one or two, but still represents a minuscule percentage of the league's 65 total referees. The NBAs roster of female referees continues to grow. None of it deterred her -- in fact, quite the opposite. :-). According to Career Trend, those who officiate WNBA games earn a salary of $180,000 per year to start. 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. I grew up watching her.". Holtkamp-Sterling has become a big sister figure to the other women in the program. 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. 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. Those inside the program aren't the only ones seeing this progress anymore, either. . The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Entry-level NBA referees earn $250,000 per year as "rookies." NCAA gymnastics 2023: Who has surprised this season? Ten women have held that job in league history, with the current eight joining Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner on that list. She competed in the Sweet 16 of the of the 2010 Division II NCAA Tournament. Katie Patterson. The NFL pays referees an average of $205,000 per annum. 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.. And to this day, I dont think people know that thats actually a thing.. 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.. Its not based on your gender, race or ethnicity.. Those whispers Holtkamp-Sterling would hear as she entered the league years later? "Those girls get to see me on this platform, working with men in a male-dominated field.". I see the competitive spirit of coaches treating everyone the same, he said. Because I've seen it done before.". Holtkamp-Sterling, now 40, had just finished officiating a youth boy's game as the solo referee. "Her advice is always authentic.". 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. With the average salary for a player in the WNBA being just $102,751, the fact that first-year referees are making so much is pretty surprising. "[He] confronted me and told me I didn't belong there, working that game," Holtkamp-Sterling recounted years later. 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 . 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. (Prior to entering the league, Palmer worked as a referee in NCAA Division I women's basketball.) These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. "They say I'm the sixth female referee in the NBA," said Schroeder, the sixth woman officially hired as a full-time NBA referee. In the N.B.A., four of the 70 full-time officials last season were women, the league said. Two black women did something this week that no other women have done before: They refereed a professional basketball game together. 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. "She taught me how to carry myself, how to be comfortable being the only woman in the room all the time. NBA officials Simone Jelks (left) and Ashley Moyer-Gleich working a game together in Chicago. 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. These women, who collectively had precious few female sports icons as children, now recognize their own role in inspiring a future generation. 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. It does take time to develop officials, McCutchen said. Touchy, touchy. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. By accessing any information beyond this page, you agree to abide by the Privacy Policy / Your California Privacy Rights and Terms of Use. "It's needed for women in this industry that already have a lot of things going against them. WNBA 2021: Points of Education (Part 1) Active referees are listed in bold. If they are working full then they are paid $250,000 per season. Subscribe to get the Referee.com Review every week plus periodic free training and special offers on the sports you officiate. During the 2021-22 NFL season, the . Maj Forsberg, who came from Denmark and played for the Rainbow Wahine from 1996-2000, sat behind . The NBA's roster of female referees continues to grow. 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 Sky centre Astou Ndour was walking down the court in . The 2022-23 Stanford Cardinal women's basketball team will represent Stanford University during the 2022-23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. "I'll prove myself amongst them, so they'll look at me as just a referee," Palmer said of her mindset at the time. The NBA, like the society it's part of, inches ever closer to true equity. Republication or distribution of this content is 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. They were audible conversations for Palmer and Kantner, and sometimes more. 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? Its just fantastic. Five full-time women in officiating today eclipses the total of the NFL, MLB and NHL combined. "Here we are in a very male-dominated space, and the league was very proactive to make sure I had what I needed.". She served as a WNBA referee in 2018. 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. 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.. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. The Orlando forward played only 11 games this season after missing two years with a torn ACL. 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. And thats the way our society should be, McCutchen said. Women's College Basketball. I had absolutely no idea you could be a referee and make a living out of it. "I always had that mentor, a role model on how to be successful in a male-dominated field," Schroeder said. WNBA 2020 Playoffs: Points of Education (Part 1) Long before she was hired in the NBA, the Flint, Mich., native didnt know that refereeing could be a full-time job. ESPN was unable to obtain comment from Kantner, 60, for this story. Ashley Moyer-Gleich has been a hooper her whole life. Scott has spent much of her first year in the league building rapport with the players and teams. "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.'". "Dee did it in a day where I'm sure she didn't have that support.". 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. 4091. Fahy walked into Ndour during the second quarter while looking in the opposite direction . 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.. Penn Manor wrestler Trinity Mowery taking part in the PIAA junior officiating program referees a match at the Elizabethtown Optimist Club Junior High wrestling tournament at Elizabethtown High . Last up on the list is Jenna Schroeder. Women's Champ Week predictions: Which teams will win the auto bids in all 32 conferences? For female basketball referees, men's college basketball may be the bleakest of frontiers. WNBA 2019: Points of Education (Part 2) The current group of eight full-timers all did games, as did Clare Aubry, ShaRae Mitchell, Blanca Burns and Jenna Reneau. 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.