The recent surge in popularity of women’s college basketball, reflected both in the skyrocketing ratings and the amount of generational talent emerging in the scene, was abruptly disrupted by an unusual incident. This significant error, brought to light by diligent attorney, concerned one of the 3 point lines at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, which was incorrectly marked out on the floor. The line that separated a 2-point from a 3-point score was found to be 9 inches shorter on one side of the court, an error that went unnoticed for a shocking total of four full games.
This critical mistake was discovered by Michael McGrath, a divorce attorney who noticed the discrepancy almost instantly when attending a game at the Moda Center. He disclosed to the Willamette Week how his keen eye for errors attributed to his legal training allowed him to spot the mistake.
Upon noticing this discrepancy, McGrath immediately alerted the referees through a series of connections in the audience. However, despite unearthing the problem mid-game, both North Carolina State University and University of Texas at Austin decided to continue the game with the incorrect markings rather than delay the match. The court was rectified before the start of the Elite Eight game between the University of Connecticut and the University of Southern California.
While the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) acknowledged the occurrence, NCAA vice president for Women’s Basketball, Lynn Holzman, apologized for the incident and chalked it up to a blunder. Expressing her disappointment in the occurrence, Stanford coach Tara Vanderveer deemed the inaccurate 3-point line as “inexcusable and unfair.”
Despite the considerable disruption caused by this incident, it offers a salient reminder of the need for rigorous attention to procedural detail in sports, as much as in the legal field. This event underscores the unprecedented impact that legal professionals, even those as seemingly unrelated as a divorce attorney, can have in ensuring the correct execution of sports events by bringing their expertise to bear.