Chris Evert is one of the most celebrated veterans in tennis. The 18-time Grand Slam champion has embedded her name in the annals of tennis forever. Therefore, it won’t be wrong to assume that she was pretty much on top of every sports journal back in the day.

However, were her achievements big enough to justify masking other players’ entire identities? Was it fair to address an athlete by another athlete’s name, when his sport wasn’t remotely similar to the other’s? Yes, we are talking about the famous outburst of Jim Everett.

Everett’s response to being called Evert

28 years ago, in 1994, renowned show host Jim Rome, in the ESPN2 show, repeatedly called the former American footballer Jim Everett as Chris Evert. Although the Quarterback was displeased with Rome’s wordplay, he calmly protested at first. He said, “You know what, you’ve been calling me that since last five years.”

Thereafter he added, “Well, let me tell you little secret that we’re sitting here right now and if you guys want to take a station break, you can, but if you call me Chris Evert to my face one more time, we better take a station break.“

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“You have been talking like this behind my back for a long time now. I think you probably won’t say it again,” the then Los Angeles Rams quarterback warned. However, Rome was in no mood to settle the matter, as he said, “I bet I’d do.” This, in turn, made Everett angry, and he flipped the table and attacked the host.

Later, Everett explained his actions to The Washington Post, “Really don’t condone my actions, but I was put in a position that I thought was going to be in a journalistic-type interview and, instead, I was put into what I felt was a taunting attack…I don’t regret what I did.”

According to the Twitter handle of Everett, the feud seems to be ongoing, as he has taken several jabs at the talk-show host over the years.

Why Chris Evert is such a big name?

The former World no.1 has a massive role in bringing light and fame to WTA. She, in her early days, showcased what complete dominance meant and later had one of the biggest rivalries of all time with Navratilova.

The seven times French Open champion had 80 thrilling clashes with the former Czech-American star, Martina Navratilova, during her playing days. Further, she touched several milestones, such as claiming 100 victories on the hard courts of the US Open. 

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Also, her game in clay was superior to every other WTA player at the time. Even Navratilova, who has a superior head-to-head record of 43-37, couldn’t outclass her on clay. Evert has a 11-3 record against her on the red dirt against Navratilova.