{"id":534,"date":"2026-05-26T10:07:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:07:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=534"},"modified":"2026-05-26T10:07:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:07:43","slug":"wnba-players-call-foul-over-early-surge-in-penalties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=534","title":{"rendered":"WNBA players call foul over early surge in penalties"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Referees are calling more fouls against every team in the WNBA through the first three weeks of the season, to the chagrin of players who worry that the new emphasis on reduced physicality is disrupting the flow and entertainment value of the surging league.<\/p>\n

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WNBA officiating crews have called more than 43 fouls per game, a notable increase from the 35 infractions called per game last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cFouls are up. I don\u2019t think if we are going to get rid of rough play that we saw in previous seasons there is any other outcome other than at the beginning fouls will be up,\u201d Monty McCutchen, the head of WNBA officiating, said earlier this month. \u201cThat\u2019s a fairly safe assumption.\u201d<\/p>\n

A shift in officiating was a focus for the WNBA over the offseason.<\/p>\n

League officials reported concerns about the nature of play last year, with McCutchen citing a few games that featured \u201cegregious\u201d refereeing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A handful of 2025\u2019s high-profile games, including a matchup involving Caitlin Clark\u2019s Indiana Fever, devolved into brawls after hard fouls in the paint.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had some moments that got too big on top of us and we didn\u2019t handle with the appropriate amount of adjudication,\u201d McCutchen told The Athletic. \u201cAny time you miss the mark on that, then the emotions escalate in a game because the proper penalty wasn\u2019t [called]. \u2018If you\u2019re not going to take care of this, then I will\u2019 kind of mentality starts to seep into a game.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The league didn\u2019t make any rule changes. But referees, thanks to a renewed emphasis delivered by an officiating task force, were encouraged to call more fouls to allow an increased \u201cfreedom of movement\u201d for offenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

WNBA players have noticed the change. Most of them aren\u2019t pleased.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt disrupts everyone\u2019s flow, not just my team, both sides of the game,\u201d New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart said after a game against the Washington Mystics earlier this month that lasted 2 hours and 41 minutes due to 58 total fouls. \u201cThat\u2019s insane. \u2026 I know it\u2019s going to take time figuring out the standard of what\u2019s going to be called, but there are calls being made that are unnecessary on both sides, and then there\u2019s no flow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess we just have to adapt, because that\u2019s going to happen,\u201d Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale said earlier this month about the rise in foul calls.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Officials drew even more scrutiny last week after Chicago Sky Rickea Jackson tore her ACL during a game against the Minnesota Lynx. Jackson had been fighting through contact from Minnesota\u2019s defenders throughout the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cOn top of the points of emphasis that were emphasized at the beginning of the season, their ultimate job is to control and protect the players in this game,\u201d Sky guard Natasha Cloud said. \u201cAnd I think that this group today failed to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cloud and Stewart aren\u2019t the only players who have traded barbs with referees. Officials gave Wings guard Paige Bueckers a technical foul when she clapped during a rally against the Atlanta Dream.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The foul was later rescinded.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI know they\u2019re putting an emphasis on controlling the game more, not letting it get to be a bloodbath as much as it was last year,\u201d Bueckers said, noting that referees have \u201can extremely hard\u201d job.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey get criticized just as much as the players.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2025 No. 1 pick was being partially hyperbolic. The WNBA, like many leagues, discourages players and coaches from criticizing its referees. The athletes don\u2019t receive that same protection.<\/p>\n

Clark was on the receiving end of a fine for a cheeky Instagram comment slighting referees last season. She indicated that more fees could be on the way after officials gave her a technical foul during Friday\u2019s matchup with the Golden State Valkyries.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just makes sense with the refs tonight, so I\u2019m not surprised,\u201d Clark said after reporters informed her of the technical. \u201cThe refs were interesting. But I\u2019m not going to say anything else, because obviously I\u2019ve got about $1,000 worth of fines coming my way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

WNBA officials \u2014 and more generous players \u2014 insist that the referees are finding their rhythm.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last season, officials called more fouls in the first month of the season before holding their whistles more as the campaign wore on.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, we\u2019ll continue to work with the league on getting it right,\u201d said Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who was part of the WNBA\u2019s officiating task force during the offseason. \u201cBecause we\u2019re not the only team sitting here wondering why everything is a foul.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This article is based in part on wire service reports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Referees are calling more fouls against every team in the WNBA through the first three weeks of the season, to the chagrin of players who worry that the new emphasis on reduced physicality is disrupting the flow and entertainment value of the surging league.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[280,142],"tags":[438,440,439,437],"class_list":["post-534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-sports","tag-breanna-stewart","tag-caitlin-clark","tag-monty-mccutchen","tag-wnba"],"yoast_head":"\nWNBA players call foul over early surge in penalties - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=534\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WNBA players call foul over early surge in penalties - 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