LSU, Iowa and women’s basketball deserve better than lousy officiating and paternalistic discourse

Editor’s Note: This story is included in The Athletic’s Best of 2023. For some, the lasting image of the 2023 women’s basketball national championship game will be Kim Mulkey’s tears of joy or Angel Reese taunting Clark in the final seconds. “From a fan standpoint, there was enormous disappointment with how the game was officiated because the best players were not playing,” said John Adams, former NCAA national coordinator of men’s basketball officiating. There is not perfect officiating anywhere ever, but, man, that was awful.” “Here’s the T on Caitlin Clark… I mean… you have GOT to be kidding me.” – @RyanRuocco “No player in this game should get a technical foul for that.” – @RebeccaLobo pic.twitter.com/qQuJD6bUTz — Awful Announcing April 2, 2023 Adams, who headed up the men’s officiating program from 2008 to 2015, said he used to remind his Final Four officiating crews that the games were always better when the best players were playing. Angel Reese postgame presser: pic.twitter.com/RgCYbIibfa — Nicole Auerbach April 3, 2023 So many of the male pundits who rushed into the conversation ostensibly on Clark’s behalf wanted to paint her as a victim, despite the fact that Clark expressed no anger or hurt feelings afterward and said she didn’t even see Reese’s hand-waving because she was trying to get to the handshake line.