WNBA referees haven’t had it easy this season. Several coaches and players have said officiating has been an issue.
But the league has decided players using references to “some refs” being “stupid,” “slow” or “useless” on social media won’t stand.
Indiana Fever starter Sophie Cunningham posted Wednesday she was fined $500 for her TikTok post lip-synching to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild.”
The clip included the lyrics: “Stupid/Or is it … slow?/Maybe it’s … useless”
Cunningham posted: “this is funny to me… like ok you got it bud! Cause there’s not more important things to be worried about with our league right now”
On June 18, Fever coach Stephanie White took the officials to task, saying: “Everybody’s getting better, except the officials. So we got to find a way to remedy it. I mean, you’ve heard every coach talk about it, so I don’t know what the answer is.”
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said ahead of the All-Star Game the league evaluates officials every game, and they’re looking into ways to improve it.
“We hear the concerns, we take that input, and every play is reviewed, we spend hours and hours on hours,” Engelbert said. “Obviously, we then use that to follow up with officials training. Obviously, consistency is important … I realize consistency is the name of the game, so I think it’s something we definitely look at and evaluate.”
The league and the players’ association have begun negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement. The current one ends after this season. Players wore “Pay us what you owe us” T-shirts before last weekend’s All-Star Game.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘Stupid,’ ‘slow,’ ‘useless’? Fever’s Sophie Cunningham fined for TikTok poking fun at WNBA refs
Reporting by Scott Horner, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
