How much did the BBC pay John McEnroe for Wimbledon role and how does it compare to Gary Lineker’s salary?

The BBC has released its annual on-air salaries of its top earners and tennis great John McEnroe remains among the highest-paid employees despite a slight decrease in his earnings.
The public broadcaster’s full list of salaries of those who earned above £178,000 for the 2023/24 financial year has been made public and some have once again raised eyebrows.
Seven-time Grand Slam winner McEnroe has been one of the mainstays of the BBC’s commentary team for Wimbledon for several years and he once again collected a hefty cheque for his two weeks’ work.
The American earned £195,000-£199,999 for the fortnight, a slight decrease from the £205,000-£209,999 he collected the previous year.
The £195,000-£199,999 sees him joint-53rd on the list with Match Of The Day anchor Gary Lineker once again top as he earned £1,350,000 and £1,354,999, which is unchanged from the previous year.
BBC Radio 2’s Zoe Ball is second behind Lineker on £950,000-£954,999 with BBC news presenter Huw Edwards (£475,000-£479,999), BBC Radio 1’s Greg James (£415,000-£419,999) and Question Time’s Fiona Bruce and BBC Radio presenter Stephen Nolan (£405,000-£409,999) completing the top five.
McEnroe, though, is the top earner when it comes to weekly and day rates as he collects £97,500 per week and roughly £14,000 per day over the two weeks. Lineker, meanwhile, makes £28,125 per week.
The news has been met with the usual outrage on social media with one X user stating: “John McEnroe got £200k for being part of Wimbledon for 14 days?? The @BBC is a disgrace, the licence fee really needs to be scrapped #DefundTheBBC.”
Another wrote: “How can the BBC justify paying John McEnroe £195,000 to commentate for a few hours per day over 14 days?”
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McEnroe’s earnings have previously caused a stir after it emerged he was paid at least 10 times more than fellow great Martina Navratilova back in 2019.
“It was a shock because John McEnroe makes at least 150,000 pounds — I get about 15,000 pounds for Wimbledon,” Navratilova told the BBC’s Panorama.
She added: “We were not told the truth that’s for sure,” she said. “The bottom line is that male voices are valued more than women’s voices.”
Navratilova and the rest of the BBC’s Wimbledon 2024 broadcast team were once again absent from the top-earners list.
Former Wimbledon presenter Sue Barker appeared on the list for the 2022/23 financial year as she earned £185,000 – £189,999, but the veteran retired after last year’s grass-court Grand Slam.
Clare Balding, who took over from Balding, also featured last year as she was paid £178,000 – £184,999, but her name is absent from the latest list.