WILL somebody please tell me what the big deal is about female officials in the NBA? Women as NBA refs:
They’ve done tougher jobsWomen do just about every job that men do these days, and they can do them well. They are firefighters, they are cops and they run construction sites.
The only rightfully controversial occupation for a female these days is combat soldier.
And despite the image the players like to project, an NBA game -- especially a regular season one -- isn't exactly a war. This is a bit short of sending women into combat. Dennis Rodman is capable of some strange deeds, but I don't think capturing and torturing a woman who makes a call against him is one of them.
Also, contrary to what some seem to believe, Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer will not be dressed in high heels and skirts on the court.
They are in top physical condition and have athletic backgrounds with extensive officiating experience, including in the NBA's summer league and exhibition games.
SEVERAL players, including Michael Jordan, have complained that women aren't able to keep up with the fast pace of the men's pro game and won't be able to maintain control of its physical nature.
Bull. Last I checked, there weren't any world-class sprinters blowing NBA games. The guys are in good shape, but they are generally older than the players. Good officiating isn't about how fast you are -- it's about being in the right place to make the correct call, and being in excellent condition so you have the stamina for the key final minutes of the game.
And can anyone -- anyone without a shotgun, anyway -- really control NBA players if they don't want to be controlled? The only folks I know of who qualify already have jobs: they play football in the NFL.
One of my most vivid memories of last season involved the entire New York Knicks bench activating itself as a militia battalion against the Miami Heat. Where were the officials?
Then there's the whole butt-patting controversy. Some players like to pat officials on the posterior when they make what they consider a good call, and they're afraid that they might get in trouble if they butt-pat a woman official.
Here's a novel idea: Don't touch the refs at all. But if you really feel you have to congratulate them for doing their job correctly, muss up their hair. I don't know, maybe a little peck on the cheek is in order.
Let's face it. The players are just looking for excuses to keep women off the court.
ONE of the ironies is that when women began working in the sports media en masse in the 1970s, they generally considered NBA players the classiest pro athletes to deal with.
There were fewer vulgar locker room confrontations than there were with baseball and football players. Most of the players treated them as professionals trying to do a job under trying conditions -- for some, it was a common bond.
But basketball players have changed a lot. While the talent level has increased, the maturity level has declined. Even the king of the sport, Jordan, often talks about "respect," as in not getting enough.
We won't even get into Charles Barkley here.
Now, if this is an affirmative action type deal where men who are better officials are being denied opportunities, then I have a problem with the situation.
But because of the nature of the job, we won't know if that's true until after Kantner and Palmer work a few real games.
They will be under a microscope. As all officials do, they will miss some calls, and players will complain.
Like any other rookie officials, they will be tested under fire. But women have succeeded at tougher jobs. They've been tested under real fire -- the kind in a four-alarm blaze.
Dave Reardon is a magazine editor and freelance
writer who has covered Hawaii sports since 1977.
He can be reached via the Star-Bulletin or
by email at dreardon@hmsa.com.
