"It's a damn shame" - Martina Navratilova slams Megan Rapinoe after soccer sensation urges NCAA not to ban transgender athletes from women's sports
Martina Navratilova has called out Megan Rapinoe after the American soccer icon joined a group that advocates for the participation of transgender athletes in NCAA women's sporting events.
The group, Athlete Ally, also includes Sue Bird, a former WNBA star and Rapinoe's fiancee. Furthermore, the group features hundreds of former and active collegiate and professional athletes. 100 separate advocacy organizations and 300 academics are part of the group as well.
Several separate statements were released by members of the group urging the NCAA to allow transgender athletes the right to compete against biological women. Rapinoe herself wrote a statement, in which she reaffirmed her belief in sports being for everyone, including transgender athletes.
"The time is now for the NCAA and the nationwide athletic community to speak up and affirm that sports should be for everyone, including transgender athletes," Rapinoe's statement read.
The former soccer star's stance and statement have caused controversy, with author and former elite marathon runner Mara Yamauchi launching a scathing attack on Rapinoe on social media. According to Yamauchi, Rapinoe's illustrious career in women's soccer would not have happened had she competed against transgender athletes.
"Megan would be a complete nobody if the female category had not been for females only when she was playing. Now she pulls up the ladder to destroy the dreams of girls & young women & prevent them from enjoying the success she had. Despicable," Yamauchi wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Navratilova, one of the most vocal critics of transgender athletes being allowed to compete in women's sports, took notice of Yamauchi's post. According to the former WTA World No. 1, Rapinoe has been "wrong" to take the stance she has.
"Megan is wrong on this. And it’s a damn shame," Navratilova wrote.
Martina Navratilova recently reacted to five middle school girls' refusal to compete against a transgender athlete
Earlier this month, controversy erupted during the 2024 Harrison County Middle School Championships after five middle school girls from West Virginia staged a protest against the participation of Becky Pepper-Jackson, a transgender athlete.
Navratilova reacted to the development via a social media post. She acknowledged the girls' bravery. However, according to Navratilova, their refusal to compete was "forced" amid growing discontent towards transgender women's participation across biological women's events in America.
"Too bad these girls were forced to make this brave gesture," Navratilova wrote.
Pepper-Jackson's participation was allowed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. The court cited 13-year-old Pepper-Jackson's consumption of puberty-blocking medication and her identification of herself as a girl since she was in third grade to justify its decision.