Chris Evert Defends Martina Navratilova On Trans Athletes: 'Science Doesn't Lie': Exclusive
Tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert had one of the great rivalries in sports history back in the 1970s and 1980s. The rivalry itself even has its own Wikipedia page.
But while the pair battled across from one another on the court, there's one area where they are standing on the same side of the net. Both Navratilova and Evert agree: biological men do not belong in women's sports.
Tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert might have been rivals on the court, but they agree that biological males don't belong in women's sports.
(Getty Images)
Navratilova delivered a speech on Tuesday at an "Our Bodies, Our Sports" rally during its "Take Back Title IX Summer 2024 Bus Tour" in Washington D.C.
Navratilova explained that she's as left-wing as they come, politically, but people she generally considers "allies" – a.k.a. Democrats – have attacked her for her position on transgender athletes.
"I personally have never been called worse names than I have been called this last few years," the tennis legend said. "'Oh, you are a lesbian.' That was the worst I got [in the 1980s]… Now, it's 'oh, you're a homophobe.' Go figure. I've been out since '81. Yeah, I'm a homophobe.
"'You're a bigot. You're a transphobe. You're a Nazi. You're a fascist. You're a communist. Anything and everything in between," Navratilova continued.
"And this is coming from the left. I am the left. My people are turning on me, and they're turning on us, women who speak up for women's sex-based rights."
Those attacks have shaken Navratilova, but she's not changing her position. Men do not belong in women's sports.
Chris Evert Defends Martina Navratilova In Her Push To Keep Transgender Athletes Out Of Women's Sports
And one of her allies comes in the form of someone she competed against for 15 years, Chris Evert.
"I'm sorry Martina is receiving backlash. I agree with her," Evert told OutKick in a text message.
Tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert might have been rivals on the court, but they agree that biological males don't belong in women's sports.
(Chip HIRES/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
"We have had many discussions about the unfairness [of transgender athletes competing in women's sports], especially transitioning after a male goes through puberty," she continued.
"The physical advantages are undeniable. Science doesn't lie. Bottom line: everyone is entitled to their opinion and shouldn't be attacked because of it."
This is the correct response from Evert who, as an elite female athlete, understands the inherent advantages that male players hold over female players. She also has a unique insight into this very debate.
Evert faced a transgender tennis player, Renee Richards, back in the 1970s. Although Evert defeated Richards, she struggled despite being in the middle of her prime and facing a 43-year-old biological male.
"Richards was 43 years old, not in great shape, couldn't move well, but had power," Evert told OutKick. "Yet, she was getting deep into tournaments!"
Renee Richards became the first transgender to compete in professional women's tennis and later admitted that it wasn't fair to compete against biological women.
(Manny Millan /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)
Richards Admitted To An Inherent Advantage
Even Richards, later in life, admitted that being born as a male afforded an inherent advantage.
"Having lived for the past 30 years, I know if I’d had surgery at the age of 22, and then at 24 went on the tour, no genetic woman in the world would have been able to come close to me. And so I’ve reconsidered my opinion." Richards said in 2012.
"There is one thing that a transsexual woman unfortunately cannot expect to be allowed to do, and that is to play professional sports in her chosen field. She can get married, live as a woman, do all of those other things, and no one should ever be allowed to take them away from her. But this limitation — that’s just life. I know because I lived it."
Evert is also right in saying that "science doesn't lie." It's fascinating that the people who shouted the loudest about "following the science" during COVID are now willing to ignore "the science" in the name of inclusivity.
That might seem like progress to them, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
Sacrificing fairness, safety and privacy for women in sports to placate the feelings of biological males isn't right. Not only is "the science" clear on that, but "the common sense" is, too.