US Sports Speakers: Leadership Lessons from the NFL, NBA, MLB and NCAA
Eleven US sports speakers from the NFL, NBA, MLB and NCAA, grouped by leadership, resilience, performance and business. Fees and formats included.
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US sports speakers work well for a leadership brief because the material is already framed the way business audiences think. Championship coaching, front-office decisions, coming back from a career-ending injury: each maps onto a familiar organisational problem without needing translation.
The twelve below span the NFL, NBA, MLB and NCAA. They are grouped by what a corporate audience is actually buying rather than by league, because that is the decision you are making.
What do US sports speakers bring to a corporate audience?
Four things, and it helps to know which you want before shortlisting. Leadership and culture, usually from coaches and executives who have built teams rather than only played in them. Resilience, from athletes whose careers ended abruptly or never began the way they expected. Performance under pressure, from players who made decisions in front of a hundred million people. And the commercial side, from the executives who ran the business rather than the roster.
Fees vary more than in any other category on our roster, from $6,000 to over $100,000, so the group you pick matters as much as the individual.
Leadership and culture
Steve Kerr
Book Steve for
Sustained team performance from someone who has won at both ends of the bench.
Steve Kerr won five NBA championships as a player and three more as head coach of the Golden State Warriors. That combination is rare and it is the reason to book him: he has been the person executing the plan and the person building it.
He works on leadership excellence, strategic decision making and team culture. For an audience wrestling with how to sustain performance rather than achieve it once, he is the strongest name here. $100,000 and over.
Learn more and book Steve Kerr →
Matt Mayberry
A former NFL linebacker turned organisational consultant, working on practical leadership frameworks for high performance during rapid change. Advisor to JPMorgan Chase, the FBI and Fortune 500 companies, and a Wall Street Journal bestselling author. $26,000 to $50,000.
Learn more and book Matt Mayberry →
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Six-time NBA champion and six-time MVP, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and a New York Times bestselling author. He works on teamwork, resilience, inclusion and education, drawing on activism and writing as much as on sport. Fees on enquiry.
Learn more and book Kareem Abdul-Jabbar →Resilience and adversity
Mohamed Massaquoi
Book Mohamed for
Adversity handled with the evidence base to explain why it works.
Mohamed Massaquoi is a former NFL wide receiver, an amputee and an organisational psychologist with Harvard training. He founded the leadership development firm VESSOL and works on navigating change, building high-performance cultures and overcoming adversity.
The combination is what makes him unusual. Most resilience speakers offer the story; he offers the story and the academic discipline that explains what actually transfers from it. For a leadership programme that wants substance rather than inspiration alone, he is the pick. $26,000 to $50,000.
Learn more and book Mohamed Massaquoi →
Eric LeGrand
Paralysed playing college football and later signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he is now an entrepreneur and disability rights advocate. He has won the ESPYs Jimmy V Award and raised over $2 million for spinal cord research. Fees on enquiry.
Learn more and book Eric LeGrand →
Anthony Robles
Won the 2011 NCAA wrestling championship with one leg, and is now an ESPN analyst and author of Unstoppable, which became a feature film. An ESPY recipient working on perseverance and peak performance. $26,000 to $50,000.
Learn more and book Anthony Robles →
Jon Dorenbos
An NFL All-Pro who placed third on America's Got Talent as a magician, and whose career ended when a medical screening found a heart condition. The only speaker here who performs as well as speaks, which suits a conference that also needs entertainment. $76,000 to $100,000.
Learn more and book Jon Dorenbos →
Johnny Quinn
Cut from three NFL rosters before making the US bobsled team in Sochi, the third person in history to play professional football and compete at the Winter Olympics. His P.U.S.H. framework turns that recovery into habits a team can use, and he has run it with Toyota, Southwest Airlines and Verizon. $11,000 to $25,000.
Learn more and book Johnny Quinn →Performance under pressure
Kurt Warner
Book Kurt for
The most improbable career arc in American sport, told properly.
Kurt Warner went from stocking supermarket shelves to Super Bowl MVP, and is now lead colour analyst on Monday Night Football. It is the story every US sports speaker list reaches for, and in his case it is genuinely his.
He works on resilience and purpose-driven leadership. Broadcasting keeps him current and sharp on stage, which is not true of every retired athlete. Fees on enquiry.
Learn more and book Kurt Warner →
Mark Teixeira
A three-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove winner and key player in the Yankees' 2009 World Series, now an ESPN analyst and investor. He covers peak performance and business strategy, which makes him a fit for a finance or commercial audience. Fees on enquiry.
Learn more and book Mark Teixeira →The business of sport
Cynt Marshall
Book Cynt for
Turning a broken culture around, with the results to show for it.
Cynt Marshall was CEO of the Dallas Mavericks and the first African-American woman to lead an NBA team. She was brought in to fix an organisation with serious cultural problems, which is the substance behind her work on inclusive leadership and cultural transformation.
She holds the NBA's Inclusion Leadership Award and has advised Fortune 500 companies. This is a business turnaround case study that happens to have taken place in sport, so it works for an audience with no interest in basketball. $100,000 and over.
Learn more and book Cynt Marshall →
Paul Epstein
A former NFL and NBA Chief Sales Officer who has worked a Super Bowl, now running leadership and culture programmes for Amazon, Disney, NASA and the LA Lakers. The commercial side of sport rather than the playing side. $26,000 to $50,000.
Learn more and book Paul Epstein →How much does a US sports speaker cost?
Johnny Quinn sits at $11,000 to $25,000. Matt Mayberry, Mohamed Massaquoi, Anthony Robles and Paul Epstein sit at $26,000 to $50,000. Jon Dorenbos sits at $76,000 to $100,000. Steve Kerr and Cynt Marshall are $100,000 and over. Kurt Warner, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Eric LeGrand and Mark Teixeira are priced on enquiry.
The gap between a marquee name and an equally capable speaker two tiers down is larger in US sport than anywhere else on our roster. If the brief is content rather than recognition, the $26,000 to $50,000 band is where the value sits.
Frequently asked questions
Will a US sports speaker work for a non-US audience?
The leadership and resilience material travels without difficulty. The sporting references may not, particularly for American football and baseball. Ask for a briefing call so the speaker can calibrate how much sport-specific detail to use.
Do we need to be a sports business to book one?
No, and most bookings are not. Cynt Marshall's material is a cultural turnaround, Mohamed Massaquoi's is organisational psychology, Paul Epstein's is commercial leadership. Sport is the setting rather than the subject.
Which are best for a large all-hands?
Kurt Warner, Jon Dorenbos and Eric LeGrand have the strongest narrative arcs, which hold a big room better than a framework-led session. For a smaller leadership group, Massaquoi, Mayberry or Epstein give you more to work with.
Can they deliver virtually?
Most can, and it usually reduces the fee by removing travel from the US. Confirm at enquiry, since availability for virtual sessions varies and time zones matter for a live audience in Europe.
For the UK side of the roster, see our guides to women's rugby speakers and after-dinner sports speakers for club dinners.
Tell us the audience, the budget and whether you need a name or a session, and we'll come back with a shortlist. Tell us about your event.
How they compare
Every speaker below turns elite sport into something a business audience can use. Where they differ is which problem they speak to, and that is what your brief decides.
| Speaker | Core topic | On stage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Kerr | Leadership, team culture, strategy | Measured, analytical, assured | Leaders sustaining performance, not just reaching it |
| Matt Mayberry | Culture change, leadership frameworks | Structured, practical, energetic | Organisations changing fast and needing a method |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Teamwork, inclusion, education | Reflective, authoritative, considered | Audiences wanting a cultural figure as well as an athlete |
| Mohamed Massaquoi | Adversity, organisational psychology | Evidence-led, calm, credible | Leadership programmes wanting substance behind the story |
| Eric LeGrand | Resilience, disability advocacy | Warm, direct, uplifting | Large all-hands audiences needing a strong narrative |
| Anthony Robles | Perseverance, peak performance | Focused, determined, clear | Teams facing a structural disadvantage |
| Jon Dorenbos | Resilience, gratitude, performance | Entertaining, surprising, physical | Conferences needing a speaker and an act in one |
| Johnny Quinn | Resilience, teamwork, high performance | Direct, practical, framework-led | Teams rebuilding momentum after a setback |
| Kurt Warner | Purpose-driven leadership, resilience | Personable, story-led, current | Big rooms wanting the most recognisable arc |
| Mark Teixeira | Peak performance, business strategy | Analytical, composed, commercial | Finance and investment audiences |
| Cynt Marshall | Cultural turnaround, inclusive leadership | Commanding, warm, results-focused | Executives fixing a culture with real problems |
| Paul Epstein | Commercial leadership, decision-making | Practical, frameworks-led, brisk | Sales and commercial teams |
Not sure which way to go? Tell us about your event and we'll match the speaker to the brief.
Lily Willen
Read more from Lily Willen
Lily Willen is a Senior Client Partner at PepTalk and the company’s first US hire, leading growth across the Americas. With 8+ years in client-facing and commercial operations roles across expert networks and consulting, she partners with senior leaders to scope complex needs and deliver high-impact solutions. Her experience spans account growth, strategic programme design, and building teams and playbooks in fast-growing global organisations. She holds a BSc in Management from Tulane University and is based in New York.
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