This week on The IX Sports Podcast Basketball Edition, host Howard Megdal spoke with coaches and players in Chicago for the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) All-Star Game. He and co-host Jackie Powell discuss the takes those coaches and players have on officiating and player safety.
The pair started with an analysis of comments from Minnesota Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve.
“So here I am with a microphone in front of me, saying that I think the officiating is in a good space, a better space. We’ve made progress. Are we perfect? No one’s ever going to be perfect,” Reeve said. “So we’re striving for perfection from officials. It’s never going to happen. We’re going to be disappointed.”
When Megdal brought up the idea of an official replay booth, Reeve said it was “an appropriate line of questioning” for WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Powell said that the idea of a replay booth played into the “idea of accountability” from players and coaches. Something like a replay center with an independent reviewer could be a step toward that accountability that they are seeking, she said.
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart said in response to questions from the media Friday that she thinks officiating has “kind of settled down” from the beginning of the season.
“I just think like the thing that that some of us were on the call with Cathy [Engelbert] about was like the resources, you know, making sure that we’re also investing in the resources … whether it’s camera angles or the under-two-minute review type things, and like listen, all things cost money. But if you want things to be better, then we need to be willing to like put that money there,” Stewart said.
Megdal told Powell that every player he spoke with felt the same way as Stewart. Powell called a move toward more camera angles and a formalized review process a step toward professionalization in the WNBA.
On the topic of protecting players from harassment, Jonquel Jones said she didn’t know an app to protect players from harassment on social media was even available to WNBA players until earlier this week.
“But I do think it’s something that we as players have to make sure we’re reaching out to each other and letting them know because having apps like that can really help, you know, with our experience,” Jones said.
Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike, president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, said Friday that the WNBA is doing “a good job” implementing a program to filter out hate.
“But I think that our call on Monday was to try and figure out what else, what more we can do,” she said, referencing a conversation between league and WNBPA representatives. “But I do know players feel as though they they want to feel a sense of accountability for the interactions that that that are taken way too far.”
Tune in to the episode to hear what Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey had to say on the topic of online harassment, and more, in this week’s episode.
Make sure to subscribe to The IX Sports Podcast for in-depth coverage of women’s soccer, hockey and basketball; and tune in each weekday morning for a quick overview of the biggest headlines on Women’s Sports Daily, like WNBA news and PWHL expansion updates.
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