Yesterday, Forbes released its annual list of the 10 most hated athletes in sports. I wasn't surprised to see some of the names that were on there, although I didn't agree with a bunch of them. Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress both made the list (Vick was No. 1), but in my opinion, they both paid the penalties for their crimes and deserve a second chance. Tiger Woods was No. 2, but I've got no issue with him. Tiger's personal life is none of my business and golf isn't a sport. Ndamukong Suh? Anger management issues, nothing more. How do you go from obscure to fifth-most-hated? Marry a Kardashian. Although, people hate the Kardashians, so I don't get why people hate Kris Humpheries when all he did was marry and divorce one. Kobe Bryant? Only because of his reputation. I respect Kobe's talent way too much. T.O.? Don't you have to be relevant? And as a Yankees fan, I'm contractually barred from disliking any member of the New York Yankees. I doubt I would hate Alex Rodriguez anyway, though.
The remaining two athletes on the Forbes list, LeBron James and Kurt Busch, absolutely qualify among my Top 10 Most Hated, as well. There are a number of professional athletes that I dislike, but I definitely dislike some more than others. Picking 10 was somewhat easy. Even after I limited the list to just athletes, letting guys like Roger Baddell and Jim Dolan off the hook. Also, since it would've been easy to simply name 10 members of the Boston Red Sux, I decided to share the wealth a little bit. As for the rest of the list, there were different criteria used. I can't really explain why I dislike some of these guys so passionately. I just do. For the rest of them, it's really easy to explain why I don't like them.
10. Kurt Busch-I considered giving the 10-spot to Jimmie Johnson, but Johnson hadn't really done anything to deserve a place on the list. I was just really tired of him winning every year. (Finally someone else won! Thank You Tony Stewart!) Kurt Busch, on the other hand, is a complete jackass. He gets into it with other drivers, his crew, owners, sponsors, the media, NASCAR, you name it. That's why he got fired at the end of last season. Kyle Busch isn't a saint, either, but Kyle's problems seem to stem more from anger management issues.
9. Alexander Ovechkin-Alexander Ovechkin is a supreme talent. He also might be the most overrated player in sports. Ovechkin thinks he's better than he is, so he complains about every call that goes against him. And the officials give him every call! In my opinion, Ovechkin's also a dirty player. And, once again, he gets away with it.
8. Shaun White-This one might seem weird, but I've never embraced Shaun White the way most of America has. He's a little too laid-back for me. Dude, you're a professional athlete (in two sports). I know they're both "alternative" sports, but couldn't you at least pretend to care, at least sometimes? It might just be the hair. He really needs to cut it. I can't get past that.
7. Tim Thomas-I don't think there are many people that hate Tim Thomas, but I'm one of them. I've always thought Thomas was overrated, but this intense dislike only started pretty recently. And it all has to do with his decision not to go to the White House. Even if you disagree with the President's politics, when your team is invited to the White House, you go. Especially if you're the only American on the team. It's about celebrating your championship, nothing else. Not going just made Thomas look like a jerk. Besides, he plays in Boston, which is an automatic deduction.
6. Floyd Mayweather-Mayweather makes the list because he's a straight-up punk. He's spent two years ducking Manny Pacquiao, yet now is talking all this crap like Pacquiao's been the one avoiding him. When they finally fight (which seems inevitable now), I hope Pacquiao knocks him into last week. Just shut up, jackass. If you think you're better than Pacquiao, fight him and prove it!
5. LeBron James-Two words: "The Decision." If he was finding a way to make as many people as possible all start to dislike him at the time, I'd say "The Decision" was a tremendous success. LeBron, get over yourself, dude. It takes about a second to say "Miami." We don't need an hour. And you don't need to completely screw over Cleveland in the process. ESPN, with its complete obsession with all things NBA and their collective belief that we all care about the NBA as much as they do, deserves an equal share of the blame for "The Decision," but LeBron hasn't really done anything to make himself any more likeable in the year and a half since.
4. Tom Brady-Raise your hand if you've also had enough of the New England Patriots. Pretty boy Brady is obviously their poster child, and I'm sick of seeing him everywhere (as well as hearing all the constant talk about how wonderful he is). As an unapologetic Peyton fan, when it came time to pick a side, I obviously took the Colts. That makes rooting against the Patriots a rule (although I'd probably do that anyway, seeing as they play in Boston). Liking Peyton better is strike one, playing for the Patriots is strike two, the media not being able to shut up about him is strike three.
3. Tim Tebow-I don't get the obsession with this guy. He isn't good! And I'm tired of hearing about what a great guy he is. He's religious. I get it! You don't need to tell me that every time you do a story about him. P.S., they didn't suddenly start winning because of divine intervention. ESPN deserves much of the blame for this one, too, but I'm not going to be jumping on the Tebow bandwagon anytime soon.
2. Dustin Pedroia-Pedroia gets the nod as the Red Suk I despise the most. He reminds me of that scrawny, obnoxious smart ass in high school who doesn't know when to shut up and doesn't get the message after repeatedly getting his ass kicked. Every time I see him on TV I just want to punch him. Plus I'm still pissed about him winning the MVP over Derek Jeter in 2008. And Ian Kinsler getting screwed out of starting the All-Star Game (Pedroia went from third to first in the online-only voting over the last couple of days) a few years ago.
1. Rafael Nadal-There's no athlete I despise more than Rafael Nadal. There are some people who claim to like both Nadal and Roger Federer. They're full of crap. Whether they want to admit it or not, everybody likes one more than the other. I chose my side years ago and have never wavered. I'm a Roger guy. Simple as that. I don't like Nadal. Never have. He always beats Roger, so I don't like him for that reason. It's really annoying to watch him play, too. His matches never end! I also don't respect the way Nadal got to the top. John McEnroe's man-crush on him that's bordering on obsession doesn't help, either.
So, there you have it. I understand that my dislike for the 10 athletes on this list isn't shared by all. Sure my personal biases came into play, but that's part of the fun of it. That's part of the fun of sports.
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