WNBA Champion Left in Splits With Witty Tweet From Eye Brand Over Poor Refereeing in New York-Atlanta Game

With the lack of pay being a hot topic, it takes a lot to be willing to pay a fine just to vent your anger. As the post-game press conference wrapped following a nail-biting loss to the Mystics, Aces head coach Becky Hammon didn’t just exit. She dropped a grenade on the WNBA’s officiating. “Tell me how much my fine is,” she fired over her shoulder, storming out. That really says a lot about the level of officiating the league has seen. 

This outburst was due for some time. The quality of WNBA officiating has been a longtime discussion, but with the stakes increasing year by year, the discourse seems to have reached a boiling point. Coaches are going off in press conferences and on the court, players are unhappy, and fans are booing the referees instead of the opponent. However, this one courtside fan had a unique and funny reaction to a call in the New York Liberty’s win against the Atlanta Dream on Sunday. 

Protesting a foul call against Liberty star Leonie Fiebich in a tight final frame, the fan offered her glasses to officials as the German had some words with the official. The person sitting beside her was into splits, and so was most of the internet. It went viral and caught the eye of the eye brand famous for trolling referees across sports. LASIK, a national LASIK referral network, replied with, “Doesn’t even need the glasses, we offer all WNBA refs LASIK for free,” along with a smiling face with sunglasses and a side eye emoji. That reaction also sent the WNBA community, and they piled up on the trolling. Liberty star Jonquel Jones also saw the funny side of it as she replied, “I’m dead”  along with a Face with Tears of Joy and rolling on the floor laughing emoji. 

Jonquel’s season has been derailed by a recurring right ankle sprain, first on June 5 and then re-aggravated on June 19, sidelining her for most of the summer. Jones has played only nine games but is slated to be back after the All-Star weekend. She saw the New York Liberty initially struggle against the Dream, but they wiped out a 19-point deficit en route to a 79-72 win. That was a hard-fought one. Jones and the fan had a reason to be exasperated as they watched Liberty get to the free throw line only 11 times in the game as opposed to Atlanta’s 28.  No wonder that fan was offering the referee glasses for some extra help. 

LASIK is no stranger to this kind of stunt. Since last year, they have been offering free eye surgeries to referees through their “Better Vision, Better Calls” policy and social media campaign. Covering every major league from MLB to the WNBA, the initiative combines savvy marketing with fan-driven trolling, with LASIK’s social media accounts often leading the charge and energizing fans with playful jabs at questionable officiating. And champions like Jonquel Jones are all for it! The funnier part is, more than 10 referees have taken this offer worth $5000, and the fans and players will hope that the WNBA follows suit if they are having problems calling plays. The fans will be even more enraged to find out the league is monitoring different things rather than focusing on the referee problem. 

New York Liberty Suffer From The Referees, For A Change

The New York Liberty are often on the favorable side of the whistle. Opposing teams have routinely voiced frustration over the officiating in Liberty games, feeling as though crucial calls tend to swing New York’s way. The most explosive example came during the 2024 WNBA Finals, when Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve launched into a blistering postgame tirade. She didn’t mince words, accusing officials of outright theft.

“All the headlines will be, ‘Reeve cries foul.’ Bring it on,” she said. “Bring it on. Because this s— was stolen from us. Bring it on.”

That wasn’t an isolated sentiment. This season, following a nail-biting Liberty win over the Indiana Fever, Fever coach Stephanie White called the officiating “egregious.” The flashpoint was a controversial no-call involving Natasha Cloud locking up Caitlin Clark in the closing seconds. The Liberty attempted 25 free throws in that game, while the Fever had just 15. In a contest decided by two points, those extra chances at the line weren’t just significant, they were decisive.

New York has seen multiple games tilt their way at the stripe. They currently hold a +64 net free-throw differential. They average 20.5 attempts per game, tied for the third highest in the league. The numbers paint a clear picture: the Liberty have enjoyed more leniency from officials than most teams in the WNBA.

But the story took a turn in their most recent outing, when the officiating tide finally shifted against them. It was a rare moment where Liberty players themselves shared in the frustration that so many opponents have long expressed. At the core of it all lies a deeper issue: the inconsistency of refereeing. It’s no longer just rival coaches and players raising the alarm. Even those who’ve typically benefited, like the Liberty, are beginning to lose patience with the unpredictable standard of officiating across the league.