“Although the majority of players in the WNBA rarely get credit for their societal contributions, their actions are far-reaching and ever-present,” Tamryn Spruill writes for Harper’s BAZAAR. “The t-shirt campaign they started during the 2020 season to support Warnock spun off into a “Vote Georgia” shirt by BreakingT, the proceeds of which benefit Rock the Vote and the NAACP. Kristen Wiig even wore the shirt while hosting Saturday Night Live on December 19.”
From transforming Rev. Raphael Warnock’s “low-profile candidacy into one that earned enough votes to force a runoff election” against Atlanta Dream co-owner and Sen. Kelly Loeffler, whose opposition to Black Lives Matter inspired players during the 2020 WNBA season to “kick her in her political ambitions” by supporting her rival,” according to Spruill, to increasing LGBTQ+ visibility and acceptance over the last decade, the woman behind The Hard Screen takes a hard look at the undeniable social and political contributions WNBA players, and the WNBA generally, have made.
“In a political era populated by elected officials who have demonstrated themselves to be too self-interested or cowardly to speak up, the willingness of WNBA players to speak truth to power strikes an impression,” Spruill also writes. “Their dogged commitment to the fight for racial and social justice exemplifies just how effective activism can be. It models the power of people working together toward shared goals and the lasting impact such work can produce.”
Through it all, the players let their fashion do the talking.