WNBA referees are clamping down on physicality. Is it helping or hurting players?

After outcry over inconsistency last year, a taskforce sought to improve the league’s officiating. Now foul calls are up, and players and coaches are adjustingThe moment Rickea Jackson went down during the Chicago Sky’s game against the Minnesota Lynx is difficult to watch, even days later. Jackson, who had just brushed off physical contact right before she was hurt, was driving to the basket about halfway through the second quarter when she suddenly lurched backward and fell, pointing toward her left knee.The Sky announced Tuesday that Jackson will miss the remainder of the 2026 season with a torn ACL, tough news to receive when she was only a handful of games into her first campaign with Chicago after an offseason trade. Continue reading…

After outcry over inconsistency last year, a taskforce sought to improve the league’s officiating. Now foul calls are up, and players and coaches are adjustingThe moment Rickea Jackson went down during the Chicago Sky’s game against the Minnesota Lynx is difficult to watch, even days later. Jackson, who had just brushed off physical contact right…

After outcry over inconsistency last year, a taskforce sought to improve the league’s officiating. Now foul calls are up, and players and coaches are adjustingThe moment Rickea Jackson went down during the Chicago Sky’s game against the Minnesota Lynx is difficult to watch, even days later. Jackson, who had just brushed off physical contact right before she was hurt, was driving to the basket about halfway through the second quarter when she suddenly lurched backward and fell, pointing toward her left knee.The Sky announced Tuesday…