John McEnroe is almost as famous for his words on the tennis court as he is for his play. He is known as much for his famous outbursts of “You cannot be serious!” as for his three Wimbledon titles and four U.S. Open championships. McEnroe, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999, is never at a loss for words and that makes him an obvious choice as a motivational speaker or company spokesman. In addition to his singles titles, McEnroe proved he could also be a team player as he captured nine Grand Slam men’s doubles titles and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title. With his many fans earned because of his fierce battles with Bjorn Borg and his great rivalry with Jimmy Connors, few former athletes from any sport can match the drawing power of a John McEnroe appearance. When you are looking for an engaging, charismatic speaker, a tennis player might not be at the top of the list, unless you are talking about a John McEnroe speaker appearance. And unless you represent an association of tennis umpires, a John McEnroe speech is sure to be a hit. Although we haven’t seen any recent John McEnroe appearances on the tennis court, he’s kept busy since hanging up his racket. He hosted a CNBC talk show, appeared on the NBC comedy “30 Rock” and as host on “The Chair” quiz show in both the U.K and the U.S. Despite his bad boy image, or perhaps because of it, the John McEnroe endorsement portfolio was huge during his heyday on the court and he continues to be a popular commercial endorser.
