The Speaker Experts

Most high profile professional and amateur sports have iconic representatives on the speaking circuit. In a post last year, we identified Terry Bradshaw and Lou Holtz as two of the most in-demand NFL speakers of all time. Their counterparts for the world of professional baseball would be legendary Ironman Cal Ripken Jr. and Dodger great Tommy Lasorda. From the NBA and NCAA basketball, celebrated cager Bill Walton and Coach Mike Krzyzewski would certainly qualify as another duo of iconic professional speakers.

When it comes to the intersection of professional tennis and the speaking circuit, the most popular speaker is Billie Jean King. As a winner of thirty nine Grand Slam titles on the court, her off-the-court achievements are even more compelling – she is the founder of World Team Tennis and the Women’s Sports Foundation, and an outspoken advocate for worldwide sexual equality.

You might be thinking, this is all great, but what does it have to do with the world of professional speaking and my upcoming meeting? Well, there are currently three films in development right now about Billie Jean King’s life and her epic tennis match with Bobby Riggs. The Speaker Experts have gazed into our crystal ball and feel it is a safe bet to say that at least one of the film projects listed below will be a hit and increase Ms. King’s already high demand and visibility on the speaking circuit:

• “The Match Maker” (Will Ferrell as Bobby Riggs) – Based on Don Van Natta Jr.’s 2013 ESPN article “The Match Maker: Bobby Riggs, The Mafia and The Battle of the Sexes”.
• “Untitled HBO Project” (Elizabeth Banks as Billie Jean King and Paul Giamatti as Bobby Riggs) – Backed by the powerhouse producing team of Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman.
• “Battle of the Sexes”(Emma Stone as Billie Jean King and Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs) – Fox Searchlight set to begin filming in fall 2015.

 
As a fun way to celebrate Ms. King’s impact on the speaking circuit, the Speaker Experts are announcing the chance to win one of Billie Jean King’s personal tennis racquets signed by the tennis legend. Below is a photograph of the signed Wilson Surge – the racquet features her trademark “W” stencil on the strings and comes with a Wilson tennis bag.

The drawing for the racquet will take place on Friday, May 8, with the winner being announced on our Twitter Feed, @Speaker_Experts. You can enter the drawing in any number of ways – contact us via Twitter, email, fill out the form below, or even give us a call!

Check with your speaker bureau of choice to determine if Ms. King is good fit as the keynote speaker at one of your upcoming meetings.

Gary McManis & Jay Conklin