Caitlin Clark is calling for full-time WNBA referees as inefficiencies mount in 2026.

During last year’s All-Star weekend, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert promised that the league would fix its problem. But almost two months into the 2026 season, it seems like everything is still a mess.

Last year, poor performance was one of the league’s biggest stories, overshadowing everything from playoff races to the WNBA Finals. Coaches publicly blasted the referees, players questioned the consistency of the calls, and Engelbert finally admitted that something had to change.

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So the league put together a team of coaches and managers to address concerns about excess physicality, freedom of movement and consistency in performance. The WNBA has also hired longtime executive Eric Brewton as its new consultant on play and referee development.

Well, here we are again.

Perhaps the best example came a few weeks ago, when Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark shot Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas in the throat during a loose ball sequence. Officials reviewed the game in real time and refused to review it for flagrant profanity.

Days later, the league upgraded the play to Flagrant 2 and suspended Thomas for one game.

Clark has made it clear that he believes the officials made a mistake.

“I thought it was a terrible mistake,” she said.

But he also said that this issue goes far beyond one missed call.

“It’s been a conversation for three years now, and I think we really need to do a better job of protecting people in this department,” Clark said Friday. “I’ve been involved in a few of those games, but there’s been a lot of others in the league that haven’t been called. You go back after a game or whatever, teams move clips and nothing’s changed. I think overall the league needs to do better.”

OWAYEY NBA DOCTOR WARNS OF BAD EFFECTS FOR CAITLIN CLARK IF HARD CONTACT NEWS CONTINUES

Clark also called for more investment in management.

“Overall, this unit must do better and we must invest in those areas,” he said. “Technology can be better. We can treat referees better. Pay them as if they were full-time employees.”

Caitlin Clark disputes a call with the referee during a game against the Washington Mystics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

The concern is not limited to Clark.

According to a report by The Athletic, coaches and general managers of eight different teams agreed that the standard of management in the WNBA remains low and that more resources, accountability and investment are desperately needed.

“Put in a big carrot,” one trainer told the outlet. “Pay them more money. Go get better talent to come to W. I don’t think we have the best talent. We have the best league in the world, but we don’t have the best talent.”

Some believe the league’s review process has been completely broken.

Teams can cut games and submit them for review, but multiple sources have said Athletic that the system suffers from lag and produces little noticeable improvement from game to game.

A close-up view of the WNBA logo on the referee’s whistle during a WNBA game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Connecticut Sun on September 6, 2025, at Mohegan Sun Arena. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

There have also been many high-profile mistakes this season.

The Chicago Sky were reportedly informed that three critical calls during the June 20 loss to Dallas were incorrect. In one game, officials failed to recognize that Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell had fouled and allowed the game to continue before Indiana could replace her.

“I hate to say it, but that’s a huge ignorance,” USA Network analyst Meghan McPeak said during the broadcast.

“This should never happen,” added WNBA legend Tamika Catchings.

Meanwhile, Atlanta Dream guard Jordin Canada couldn’t hide his frustration after losing to the Washington Mystics.

“I will be fined, but I don’t care,” said Canada. “Tonight, the manager was very bad.”

He even described one episode where an officer admitted to making the wrong call.

“But that doesn’t help me, because now I have two mistakes,” said Canada.

That sums up where the WNBA finds itself right now.

The department knew that management was becoming a problem, so it formed a team and (allegedly) made changes. It talked about protecting players and creating consistency.

However, players, coaches and managers are still having the exact same discussions they had last year.

Angel Reese talks to a quarterback during the fourth quarter against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena. (Jack Compton/Getty Images)

No one is asking for perfection. Officiating professional basketball games is incredibly difficult.

But for a league enjoying the most successful period in its history — expansion, record television audiences, a $3 billion media rights deal — something has to change.

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Maybe that means better training, better communication, a stronger review process and more clarity on what exactly makes a mess. Maybe that means hiring full-time refs and paying them a living wage. A novel concept.

But sometimes, “working on it” just doesn’t cut it.