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 SOAPBOX - MARTINA NAVRATILOVA gets the last word
The tennis champ tackles a rainbow of causes
My personal philosophy is to help those who cannot help themselves. I have always felt for the underdog and for those who can’t get a fair shake. If there were a little kid getting beaten up by a bigger kid, I would jump in the fight to save the little one. I feel an affinity with all members of the underrepresented groups: the GLBT community, the elderly, children, animals and the environment. Coming from a communist country, I have seen firsthand how they abused the environment and these groups of their own citizens!
In tennis, I wanted to be number one, but now I want to be number one in raising as much money as possible for the Rainbow Endowment, which gives money back to our community. I am spending as much time as I can getting the word out for that and also for the Rainbow Visa Card. When you use it, a percentage of every transaction goes toward the foundation! In turn, the foundation awards grants to GLBT organizations that provide social and health services, advocacy and educational information. Instead of using a credit card that doesn’t give money back to anyone, the Rainbow Visa Card is the simplest way of giving back to our community. It’s a great way to communicate who we are to the world.
Retirement is a bad word. To me, retirement just means that I don’t have to play tennis anymore. I have been busier than ever since the last time I played professionally in the U.S. Open—I haven’t been home for more than five days in a row! I am focusing my time on raising money for the GLBT community through my new fitness book, television commentary and, of course, the Rainbow Endowment and the Rainbow Visa Card.
Eventually, I would like the Rainbow Endowment to be able to fund organizations in countries where people don’t have money or rights. In the United States and Canada, we are worried about really big problems, like the ability to be legally married, but in other countries, gay people are worried about staying alive! Someday, I want to see the Rainbow Endowment make a difference in the political area so we can help all communities achieve equal rights everywhere.
I am also spending time promoting my newest book, Shape Your Self: My 6-Step Diet And Fitness Plan To Achieve The Best Shape Of Your Life. The book’s about more than diet and working out. It’s about life and balance. Forget pursuing perfection. Excellence is much more obtainable. It gives you the attitude to carry on and to keep getting up until you get it right—over and over. Perfection is too fleeting! I had a major wake-up call when I was 26 years old. Thirty was just around the corner (a big deal in the professional sports world), and I wasn’t doing as much with my tennis as I could be. You have to take stock of your life and do everything you can with it. On their deathbeds, no one says that they wished they worked on weekends or skipped vacations. You don’t want to wait on bad news from a doctor to make changes in your life!
The key message of my book—and my motto in everything—is balance. I admit, it’s a constant struggle to find balance in your life, and I haven’t perfected the art of balance in mine yet. Am I overtraining or undertraining? Am I working too hard or not hard enough? When I feel myself tipping too strongly in one direction, I stop and say: “I want to enjoy what I’m doing.” I would rather give 100 percent five times than 50 percent 10 times.
There still aren’t many professional athletes who have come out. The situation is easier now, but not as much as it should be. It’s a bigger deal with team sports than with individual ones, and a bigger deal with men’s sports than with women’s. There is still so much institutionalized homophobia, especially by the NFL. It wasn’t that long ago that they were supporting Reggie White’s homophobic crusade. I was close to players who told me that if it were known that they were gay, they would be beaten up. Why should it matter to a football team if one or more players are gay?
I am a role model. Professional athletes are, like it or not—kids look up to us. We make a lot of money and get a lot of exposure for our accomplishments, so we have to live up to a lot of expectations. If kids see me throwing a hissy fit on the tennis court, then they might think that it’s okay for them to do it. I say that it is—but only after you win nine Wimbledons!
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Visit martinanavratilova.com for Martina’s schedule and charity work!
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Instinct Online 
written by Landon on August 17, 2007
I love Martina. She is such an inspiration. She has an amazing spirit and heart.