"This is how disruptive it is" - Martina Navratilova reacts to mass departure of SJSU volleyball players after controversy involving trans athlete

Martina Navratilova marked her frustration at the recent departure of San Jose State University (SJSU) volleyball players after a controversy involving a trans athlete struck the team last season.

Blaire Fleming is a 22-year-old trans athlete who represented SJSU last season. The controversy surrounding Fleming ignited with opposition players filing lawsuits against the tournament organizers for allowing the athlete to play in the women's tournament. Several teams forfeited their matches against SJSU citing Fleming's participation.

Seven SJSU players seem to have had enough as they entered their names in the NCAA transfer portal to change teams. Reacting to the incident, Navratilova emphasized how "disruptive" the situation becomes whenever male athletes enter women's sports.

"Wow. This is how disruptive it is in everywhere at to have males on women's teams or in women's sports. Period," Martina Navratilova wrote on X.

Players who have reportedly submitted their names to the NCAA portal are Mari Lawton, Kiyana Faupula, Jade Epps, Ava Martin, Nayeli T'ia, Teya Nguyen, and Laurel Barsocchini.

Amid controversies, SJSU players and coaches faced internal unrest. The situation even forced current and former teammates of Fleming to file lawsuits against her. Former players claimed that the selection of the trans athlete constituted discrimination and promoted unsafe conditions for other players.

SJSU finished second in the Mountain West Conference last season, winning 14 and losing 7 matches. However, seven of the 14 wins were opposition forfeits. Boise State withdrew from the conference tournament to avoid facing them.

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Martina Navratilova highlights "advantage" men have over women in sports, emphasize need for sex-based categories

Martina Navratilova at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships (Source: Getty)

Martina Navratilova emphasized the need for sex-based categories in sports as she pointed out the "advantage" men possess over women in sports performance. The Hall of Famer was reacting to a publication posted by healthcare entrepreneur Mary I. O'Connor on social media.

The publication made by the European College of Sports Science divulged a study that showed that male swimmers aged 10 and under were faster than female swimmers in eight of the twelve swimming events. In no event did females exhibit dominance.

Navratilova expressed no surprise in what the study revealed as she emphasized that the differences could be easily observed even in a playground.

"Of course they have an advantage already- just go to any playground and compare what the boys are doing compared to the girls…," Navratilova wrote on X.

Martina Navratilova has long stood for the exclusion of biological male athletes in women's sports. While she acknowledges the identity of each individual, Navratilova has always been adamant about having strict sex-based boundaries within sports.