BBC paid McEnroe 10 times more than Navratilova and she's not happy

Martina Navratilova has found out fellow Wimbledon television pundit John McEnroe is paid at least 10 times more than her and she is not happy.

Former tennis great Martina Navratilova.

Tennis great Martina Navratilova. Source: AAP

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has hit out at the BBC after discovering fellow Wimbledon television pundit John McEnroe is paid at least 10 times more than her.

McEnroe's pay packet of STG150,000 to STG199,999 ($A270,000-$361,000), was revealed in a list of the BBC's top-paid talent last summer.

Navratilova, 61, told Panorama she is paid around STG15,000 by the BBC for her commentator role at Wimbledon.

"It was a shock because John McEnroe makes at least STG150,000 ... I get about STG15,000 for Wimbledon and unless John McEnroe's doing a whole bunch of stuff outside of Wimbledon he's getting at least 10 times as much money", she said.

Navratilova said she was told she was getting paid a comparable amount to men doing the same job as her, adding: "We were not told the truth, that's for sure....

"(I'm) not happy ... It's shocking ... It's still the good old boys network ... The bottom line is that male voices are valued more than women's voices."

Navratilova, who was crowned Wimbledon ladies' champion nine times, said her agent will ask for more money in future.

BBC Sport told Panorama "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."

Panorama said it estimated McEnroe, 59, who was crowned Wimbledon champion three times, appeared around 30 times for the BBC at Wimbledon last year, compared to Navratilova's 10 appearances.


Share
2 min read

Published

Updated



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world