Basketball Fairness, Equality & Beyond

I have known Shelley Russi since I was in elementary school when I babysat her daughters at times when she was refereeing.  During that time, I got to know Shelley well and ever since, I have admired her ability to bring out the best in others. In early 2020, I graduated from Washington State University with my master’s degree in Sport Management and found myself living at my parents’ house in Northern California; trying to figure out what to do next. While I was always involved in sport (swimming, water polo or rowing crew) I was constantly focused on performing at an elite level. Growing up in Alameda, California, I was blessed with many opportunities to play different sports; whatever was being played, I was playing it. For 15+ years I was on elite club swim teams and eventually walked-on at a Division 1 institution as a dual sport athlete. However, this led me to only view sport from one side – the athlete.

      Continue reading...

The direct sharing by the participants of Embodying Equality through Officiating was an opening for this group to have constructive and healing conversations as we continue to meet.  Through the feedback on the first two surveys, we are refining the opportunity for this collective to narrow in on the types of expressions, dialogues, practices, and services desired by this working group.

Monte’s Voice (Reflection):

Sports-affiliated personnel often exist at the tip of the spear as our culture continues to seek the change immortalized by the late Reverend Dr. Martin L. King, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

As a collective, referees, in my experience, tend to be the most reflective, sharing and service-oriented individuals I have interacted with throughout my life.  Sports in general allows for cultural-change constructs to be developed and honed.  Cultural Continue reading...

“An official's experience provides the opportunity to affirm or develop a value system that is not only  foundational to officiating fairly, it also allows Referees the opportunity to mindfully practice fairness, consistency and embody equality - both on and beyond the hardwood.”–MW/SR

In basketball, as in life, the terms equality, equity and fairness are often used interchangeably.  In the first Embodying Equality through Officiating discussion (October 20th), we presented definitions of these terms in context, along with defining embodiment and basketball.  Our intention for hosting these discussions is to create an open dialogue where a diverse group of Referees collectively discuss a referee’s role in creating fairness on the cou Continue reading...