Martina Navratilova once defended her right to criticize George W. Bush and his administration. The Czech-American argued that athletes had a responsibility to address social and political issues.
Navratilova chose to defect from Czechoslovakia to the USA as a teenager in 1975, fleeing from the oppressive social and political environment under the communist regime. Her decision was motivated by her frustration over being barred from competing in America.
However, the 18-time Grand Slam champion found similar issues within the George W. Bush administration. She criticized Bush and the Republican Party for “manipulating public opinion,” asserting that she had “exchanged one system that suppresses free opinion for another.”
Navratilova’s comments didn’t sit well with American journalist Connie Chung. In a 2002 interview on CNN’s Connie Chung Tonight show, Chung accused the former World No. 1 of being “un-American” and “unpatriotic,” even revealing that she had wanted to tell her to “go back to Czechoslovakia.”
However, Martina Navratilova defended her right to free speech, arguing that the Bush administration was infringing on Americans’ freedom.
“When I see something that I don’t like, I’m going to speak out because you can do that here. And again, I feel there are too many things happening that are taking our rights away,” Martina Navratilova said.
Navratilova also emphasized that it was the “duty” of athletes to speak out on social issues that were ignored, expressing her belief that people should no longer have to face the same barriers she had to jump over as a lesbian and a female athlete.
“I think athletes have a duty to speak out when there is something that’s not right, when they feel that perhaps social issues are not being paid attention to. As a woman, as a lesbian, as a woman athlete, there is a whole bunch of barriers that I’ve had to jump over, and we shouldn’t have to be jumping over them any more,” she added.
Martina Navratilova: “I’ve always been political just by being a lesbian… I’m too political to be embraced by Madison Avenue”
Martina Navratilova has been open about her struggle with discrimination as a lesbian. On the On with Kara Swisher podcast at the end of 2023, Martina Navratilova admitted to not being a prime choice for advertisers due to her sexual orientation.
The former World No. 1 asserted that her identity as a lesbian was a political statement in and of itself, which made her undesirable to big brands.
“You know, I’ve always been political just by being a lesbian. That’s a political statement too, apparently, and coming from a communist country. So, I never had a chance one way or the other on Madison Avenue. And that’s okay,” Martina Navratilova said.
“I actually got a deal because I am a lesbian with Olivia Cruises. This is back in the, like 20 years ago in the 2000s. But other than that, I don’t think it’s been a plus or minus one way or the other. I’m too political to be embraced by Madison Avenue,” she added.
Navratilova also expressed her frustration with former female athletes not getting the same advertisement opportunities as their male counterparts, disclosing that she “would love to do a commercial for luggage with Chris Evert.”
