“Still Standing”
This piece is crafted out of a collection of spare mannequin parts, Maxwell’s first owned WNBA hoodie, a cape, and a golden megaphone. Once assembled, it represents the power and resilience of the Women in the WNBA as a collective. The arrows sticking out of the body of the piece symbolize the racism, hyper-masculinity, and misogyny that they are constantly assaulted with. The chain represents their struggle to close the pay gap and expand due to lack of media coverage among other oppressive league regulations. And yet despite all of that, they are the leaders of all athletes and leagues around the world in the fight against social injustice.
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The historical impact of the WNBA
The WNBA has historically been mistreated by corporations and by society. Although change is being made every day, there is still a glaring difference in the treatment between the NBA and WNBA players. The pay gap is one of their most outstanding differences. This is partially because Women’s sports only receive a staggering 4% of ALL media coverage. In addition, WNBA players still travel via commercial transportation while their male counterparts travel with private companies. As if that wasn’t enough, in 2019, WNBA players were only receiving a mere 20 percent of their league’s revenue compared to the 50% in the NBA. It was not until 2020 that these players received paid maternity leave and increased salaries in a new collective bargaining agreement. As much as these women have endured, they still manage to be the most vocal about the injustices that others are experiencing around the world.
