WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert addressed reporters on Friday prior to the WNBA Finals tipoff between the Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury. Among other comments, Engelbert admitted the league needs to evaluate officiating and that “change is needed” (1:52 mark).
“As it relates to officiating and gameplay on the court, we hear the concerns, we take them seriously. Our game is faster, featuring more talent, and the game is more competitive than ever before. And with that evolution, game rules interpretation and officiating has to keep pace. Every major sport goes through this, rules evolve, officiating adapts, standards shift, alongside the growth of the game, the WNBA is no different. At the conclusion of the season, as we do every year, the league’s competition committee will meet to evaluate the state of the game, which includes game rules officiating and player safety on the court. The Players Association and players, as always, are invited to engage.
“Also, beyond that, we are establishing a multi-stakeholder task force call it, like, a ‘State of the Game’ committee inviting player voices and other stakeholders to that table to ensure that our officiated platform evolves in step with the growth of the league. We’ll have more details on that in the coming weeks.
“And referees and their work serve the game. That service at the highest level requires alignment with its stakeholders to perform and be held accountable to that performance based on that alignment.
“I think it’s pretty clear that we’re misaligned currently on what our stakeholders want from officiating. We have heard loud and clear that we have not lived up to that needed alignment and that attention and change is needed to serve the WNBA to the level of excellence that is not currently being met in the various stakeholders’ eyes.”
WNBA players and coaches have clearly been upset with the game’s officiating for quite some time, particularly its physical play. This was one of the major talking points from Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier in recent remarks criticizing league leadership.
“Since I’ve been in the league, you’ve heard the constant concerns about officiating, and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity in which it operates,” Collier said in part.
“Whether the league cares about the health of the players is one thing, but to also not care about the product we put on the floor is truly self-sabotage.”
Collier also noted how the officiating is a persistent problem that’s seen from fans, players and coaches, but that the league’s response is to simply issue fines.
“Fans see it every night. Coaches, both winning and losing, point it out every night in pregame and postgame media, yet leadership just issues fines and looks the other way. They ignore the issues that everyone inside the game is begging to be fixed. That is negligence.”
One doesn’t have to look far to see players and coaches clearly fed up with the matter. Chelsea Leite of Bleacher Report did a thorough breakdown of issues that have appeared during this year’s playoffs, which has led to players and coaches speaking their mind.
Before Collier’s remarks, in which she said the WNBA had the “worst leadership in the world,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve dropped the biggest soundbite on the matter.
All of this is happening as the collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on Oct. 31.
Needless to say, it’s a tense time right now in the WNBA. In the meantime, the best-of-seven Finals are now underway in Las Vegas, with four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and the Aces taking on an upstart Mercury team that’s improved from 9-31 in 2023 to league finalists in two seasons.
Read the full article here