Last year, poor officiating became one of the league's biggest storylines, overshadowing everything from playoff races to the WNBA Finals.Coaches publicly blasted referees, players openly questioned the consistency of calls, and Engelbert eventually acknowledged that something had to change.CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGEWNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks during a news conference before the WNBA All-Star basketball game on July 19, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)So the league assembled a task force of coaches and executives to address concerns over excessive physicality, freedom of movement and consistency in officiating.The WNBA also hired longtime official Eric Brewton as its new referee performance and development advisor.And yet, here we are again.Perhaps the best example came a couple of weeks ago, when Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark took a shot to the throat from Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas during a loose-ball sequence.
Officials reviewed the play in real time and declined to assess a flagrant foul.Days later, the league upgraded the play to a Flagrant 2 and suspended Thomas for one game.Clark made it clear she believed officials got it wrong."I did think it was a flagrant foul," she said.But she also said the issue extends far beyond one missed call."It's kind of been a discussion for three years now, and I think we really need to do a better job protecting the people in this league," Clark said Friday."I've been involved in a few of those plays, but there's been plenty of others across the league that haven't been called.
You go back postgame or whatever it is, teams submit clips and nothing changes.I think overall the league has to do better."FORMER NBA DOCTOR WARNS OF DIRE CONSEQUENCES FOR CAITLIN CLARK IF HARD CONTACT ISSUES CONTINUEClark also called for greater investment in officiating."Overall, the league just has to do better and we have to invest in those areas," she said.
"The technology ca...