Coaches and front-office executives are criticizing the referee decisions they see on the court daily. They spoke anonymously to avoid fines, but are frustrated over the lack of visible accountability. 

Right now, unlike the NBA, there is no public Last Two Minute Report to detail calls in close games. Feedback stays through internal databases, and this has left teams without public explanations when mistakes happen.

One anonymous coach summed up the situation by stating, "Dangle a bigger carrot. Pay them more money. Go get better talent to come to the W. I don't think we have the best talent. We have the best league in the world, but we don't have the best talent."

These problems were discussed on No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show, by host Zena Keita and reporter Annie Costabile. 

The league tried to address these issues by assigning an officiating task force following criticism in 2025.

While the league increased foul calls in the initial phases of the 2026 season, leaders of the teams now believe that decisions are not consistent. 

General managers further pointed out that poor officiating impacts the legitimacy of the product for new and returning fans. Another executive added that when it comes to paying referees, "You get what you pay for." 

This lack of modern tools is why team leaders believe major structural updates are no longer something that can be pushed aside.

Why league leaders believe structural changes are impossible to ignore

The Athletic reported that the WNBA does not have an NBA-style centralized replay center like the facility located in Secaucus. Replay reviews depend on the on-court crew and whatever arena camera angles provide to the officials. 

Many coaches and executives believe implementing a centralized replay center and accountability reports could improve trust across the entire league.

In a June 20 game between the Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings, officials missed 3 calls involving Kamilla Cardoso, Li Yueru, and Azura Stevens.

Not just one game. In a June 24 game between the Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury, officials failed to recognize Kelsey Mitchell's 6th foul, and this allowed her to stay on the floor.

Caitlin Clark has publicly stated that officiating has been a problem "for three years now" and noted that "the league has to do better." 

The proposed solutions from team leaders need a serious financial commitment. As of now, WNBA referees earn around $1,500 to $4,000 per game. They are not full-time employees and also continue to work in NCAA games just to make a living.

Are structural changes the only solution, or does the league need to invest more in the referees?

Read more at Her Sports Nation! 

Written by

Utsav Sinha

Edited by

Utsav Sinha