Referees were the point of difference for Chicago Sky’s head coach Tyler Marsh and Co. in their agonizing loss to the Dallas Wings. They had led most of the game, but an off-ball foul meant Sydney Taylor fouled out. Dallas’ Paige Bueckers made her three and was also fouled in the process. When it came to the Wings’ final possession, Bueckers had fumbled it, after which Li Yueru took a hail mary shot with Kamilla Cardoso on her.

Cardoso was called for a foul, and she exited the game. It goes without saying that Tyler Marsh was not too happy with the calls, as he revealed WNBA ignorance of his protests. 

“We send all of them in every game, we send all of them in.” Tyler Marsh told the media, “We get left on read. We send text messages directly. We don’t get responses.”

Here’s the thing: Two free throws for Li Yueru eventually iced the game for the Wings as the Sky failed to convert the final possession through traffic. Tyler Marsh flatly said that it was a foul and they ‘deserved to have that one.’ After this clear confession, Marsh was further asked if he would appeal it to the league, and that’s when he revealed that the league barely ever responds. 

With the greater freedom of movement, more fouls are being called, and it’s not only Marsh that’s unhappy.

• Rookie Azzi Fudd admitted during the preseason that she was unsure how physical defenders are even allowed to be anymore.
• Breanna Stewart called the refereeing in their 2-hour-plus Washington Mystics clash ‘insane’ because of the constant interruption.
• Stephanie White said in the past, it’s an ‘overcorrection.’

Even the Sky’s Sydney Taylor is unhappy with the officiating.

“You never want to blame the officials, but there were some bad calls here at the end of the game. I got hooked on the first one. Tash didn’t touch her,” Sydney Taylor said in her post-game press conference. “And then I’m pretty sure we got fouled in those last couple seconds with some of the tip-ins. But I guess you just have to play through those and make shots. Don’t even make it close. Just don’t even play five feet off of them so you don’t get a foul call. But some pretty bad calls down the stretch.”

The frustration wasn’t limited to Marsh and Taylor. Fans were equally vocal about the officiating after the final whistle. X user @D_truth777 shared several clips from the game that they believed showed calls going against Chicago, with particular attention being paid to the foul called on Kamilla Cardoso in the dying seconds.

The play quickly became one of the most debated moments of the game, with many fans arguing that the contact between Cardoso and Li Yueru was minimal. Cardoso, who fouled out on the play, was later seen on the bench with a towel draped over her face as she tried to process the dramatic ending.

The central problem here is consistency.

There would have been fewer complaints from Marsh and Co. if the Sky were given the call during that final play where there was a lot of contact in the paint.

Marsh’s side committed a backcourt violation in their reset timeout during the final seconds. Jacy Sheldon had a great look in the final seconds to win the game and some put-back chances for Azura Stevens. Ultimately, they will rue the calls from the referees, which is a league-wide problem. 

When the Indiana Fever faced the Atlanta Dream earlier in the day, Caitlin Clark had contact with Rhyne Howard and Naz Hillmon simultaneously and yet did not receive the call. On the other end of the floor, they were given soft calls for Illegal screens by Aliyah Boston. 

These are just two examples; the league hasn’t yet figured out the standard of physicality they want to allow. If they want to really improve on the officiating standards, the league needs to address Tyler Marsh’s complaints and take immediate steps.