All Star Officials

[Linda L Caruso]

For the WNBA All Star game I was glad to see 2 females. They all 3 did a graet job. When they were announced I did not get their names. Could someone tell me their names? I was most impressed.

[BktBallRef]

Michael Price, Bonita Spence, and Melissa Barlow.

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by Linda L Caruso
For the WNBA All Star game I was glad to see 2 females. They all 3 did a graet job. When they were announced I did not get their names. Could someone tell me their names? I was most impressed.

What do you mean by glad? Who else did you expect to be officiating the game? I almost all the time see females doing the games in the first place. I guess I am suprised that you were suprised.

Peace

[WestCoastRef]

I agree Linda it was good to see. And, Rut, it is not the norm!

[BktBallRef]

Usually, in high profile games in the WNBA or NCAA, you'll see at least one, possibly two female officials. I've even seen 3 at some NCAA games. I thnk the powers that be want to promote the women's game. That usually includes female officials.

Works for me.

[Linda L Caruso]

Now how do I get the message to thses officials! As a person who deals with young children I would love to have kids see these females. I especially feel Melissa was on top of each play as they all were.
How are the officials picked for this game?

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by WestCoastRef
I agree Linda it was good to see. And, Rut, it is not the norm!

I guess you have not looked at too many NCAA Women's Final Fours or WNBA games? During the Championship in the Final Four for the past 3 to 4 years, all of the officials have been women. Now there have been men doing some of the semi-final games, but the Championship is an all women crew. And even when I look at the regular season, I do not see mostly men on the floor. Not to say that it has never happen, but if I do see a man he is with two women. Now I cannot speak that much for the WNBA during the regular season, but it is not unusual when I do watch to see an all-women crew. Now if it is not the norm, I see many women doing women ball.

And a matter of fact, that has been a huge complaint that I have heard about doing Women's college. Many of the men see more and more women, they would rather not try because they feel that the women are being pushed through. Now I do not know if that is completely justified, but I do not see men doing the "big" games that I see on TV.

[Edited by JRutledge on Jul 22nd, 2001 at 11:22 PM]

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by Linda L Caruso
Now how do I get the message to thses officials! As a person who deals with young children I would love to have kids see these females. I especially feel Melissa was on top of each play as they all were.
How are the officials picked for this game?

I do not know if there is any good way to contact them. But I do know that if you look at some Referee Magazines, it might be a start. See Referee Magazine list officials for all pro leagues in almost every sport in the back. They usually tell you where the officials are from and gives you the number (NFL, NBA and WNBA all have some number the officials are given) that they are. And even the post season in the NCAA and many bowl games, they give the college ranks too.

Now because of the protection of privacy, it might be hard to get things like mailing addresses or email address of these individuals for the obvious reasons. But knowing their name is a start. But it might be really hard to contact them or find out ways to contact them, unless they give out their own information themselves, or they might write and article on this site.

But to be honest, this is really not as much as an accomplishment or a new thing. Women have been doing all the big games on the women's side ever since I started. I mainly know because I have been paying attention. Before I cannot tell you.

Hope that helps

Peace

[rainmaker]

Originally posted by JRutledge

I guess you have not looked at too many NCAA Women's Final Fours or WNBA games? Now I cannot speak that much for the WNBA during the regular season, but it is not unusual when I do watch to see an all-women crew. Now if it is not the norm, I see many women doing women ball.

Rut -- we have season tickets for WNBA here in Portland (Go, Fire!!) and I can tell you that I have only seen one crew of all women. Actually, I didn't see it because I didn't make that game, but my husband told me. Of the games I have watched on TV (about 80% of what's available) I have never seen an all-women crew. I think this still fits the definition of unusual.

[BktBallRef]

It seems that there's usually a "token" male on the floor!

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by rainmaker



Rut -- we have season tickets for WNBA here in Portland (Go, Fire!!) and I can tell you that I have only seen one crew of all women. Actually, I didn't see it because I didn't make that game, but my husband told me. Of the games I have watched on TV (about 80% of what's available) I have never seen an all-women crew. I think this still fits the definition of unusual.

I think you need to read what I said. I never said that you always have an all-women crew. I am just saying that at the higher women levels, to have a all-women crew doing the Championship or and All-Star game is not very unusual. And my comments were to basically say that what she saw was not a "great" accomplishment. You might not see an all-Black crew all the time either, but it does happen from time to to in College and in the NBA. Basically, it was not a first, that was my point.

You also have to be realistic, women are not officiating in the numbers that men are. Only last year did I work with a female for the first time in a varsity game. And when I see or work a girls game still, I do not see hardly any women doing those games. But it is still not a major thing to see women work a game anymore.

[BktBallRef]

Rut, I have to disagree with you. I have watched hundreds and hundreds of NBA games in the past 25 years. I have never seen an all black crew in a game. And it's very, very seldom that I see an all white crew. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen, but it's very rare to see. I believe that the NBA intentionally integrates the crews. And that also happens on the college and high school levels when possible.

No, you don't see women calling very much at the high school level. But there are quite a few of them calling Women's college ball. I would venture that the percentage is close to 50%.

When you consider that, as you just said, men do dominate officiating, it actually is an accomplishment for a woman to call an WNBA All Star game. This is true even though there ranks are growing. My guess is that the original poster sees very few WNBA games and was, therefore, surprised to see two women working the game.

[ur call]

***** ball, who cares?

[BktBallRef]

Originally posted by ur call
***** ball, who cares?

Vulgarity....ooooh...what a big man you are!

If you don't care, ignore the post.

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by BktBallRef
Rut, I have to disagree with you. I have watched hundreds and hundreds of NBA games in the past 25 years. I have never seen an all black crew in a game. And it's very, very seldom that I see an all white crew. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen, but it's very rare to see. I believe that the NBA intentionally integrates the crews. And that also happens on the college and high school levels when possible.

No, you don't see women calling very much at the high school level. But there are quite a few of them calling Women's college ball. I would venture that the percentage is close to 50%.

When you consider that, as you just said, men do dominate officiating, it actually is an accomplishment for a woman to call an WNBA All Star game. This is true even though there ranks are growing. My guess is that the original poster sees very few WNBA games and was, therefore, surprised to see two women working the game.

TH, I think you guys are taking the comments way out of context. All I am saying is that this is not a record-breaking event. It is not like Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, or the implementation of Title IX. It does happen from time to time, it might not even be most of the time, but you do see all-women officials crews in the WNBA and all-Black crews in the NBA. I can only speak for the games I see on TV, not the games I have never seen or played around the league. And yes I have seen and all-Black crew in the NBA in both the reg. season and post season. Just like my earlier comments, it does not happen every but it does happen. Almost 1/3 of the NBA officials are Black. So I would think that at some point they would be a possibility that they would be a crew with all people of the same race other than those of the white color.

Now both may not be everyday situations, but they are not first either. That was my point.

And as it relates to HS women officials (at least in my area) if you are good, you will move fast. I know a female official that did college games in her first year. I worked with her in my first girls game of last year and she was telling me how she was doing college ball. She thought I was so good she could not believe I was not doing collge ball. And last year was my 5th season, and she was in her second doing college games. So it does not suprise me or makes since, that if you are a women and you can officiate, they are looking for you to move up fast. But then again, I am surrounded by college officials where I live.