Martina Navratilova blasts BBC after paying John McEnroe 10 times more for Wimbledon coverage
WIMBLEDON commentator Martina Navratilova has blasted the BBC for paying her “at least ten times less” than fellow pundit John McEnroe.
The former Wimbledon champion, 61, revealed she is paid £15,000 whereas McEnroe, 59, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, takes home £150,000.
Martina made ten appearances for the Beeb at last year’s tournament compared to McEnroe’s 30.
Speaking on tonight’s Panorama programme Britain’s Equal Pay Scandal on BBC1, she says: “Overall it was a shock because John McEnroe makes at least £150k.
“I get about £15,000 for Wimbledon and unless John McEnroe’s doing a whole bunch of stuff outside of Wimbledon he’s getting at least ten times as much money.”
McEnroe, who retired the same year as Navratilova in 2006, was found to be earning between £150,000 and £199,999 when the BBC revealed the salaries of its top-paid talent last year.
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Czech-born Martina said: “[I’m] not happy needless to say, I mean it’s shocking.
“It’s still the good old boys network. And you know and at the bottom line is that male voices are valued more than women’s voices.”
Navratilova also confirmed her agent will be asking for more money ahead of next year’s Wimbledon.
In a statement, BBC Sport hit back: “John and Martina perform different roles in the team, and John’s role is of a different scale, scope and time commitment. They are simply not comparable. John’s pay reflects all of this; gender isn’t a factor.”
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