Sports Villains - The Athletes We Love To Hate and Why

Have you ever wondered why you watch sports? A moment where you took a step back and thought "Why am I spending my time and mental anguish on this?" Seems vague and we all probably have different answers to this question but I am of the belief that storylines and characters play a major role for why we tune in. It’s the reason we watch and enjoy movies right?

Athletes you love are too easy to discuss. There are sports figures who come along that you just want to root for; a tough upbringing grounded in a classy persona and demeanor, or just a straight up baller who is exciting to watch no matter what team they are on. 

As often as we hear stories of the missteps and wrongdoings, there are hundreds of other players who simply tow the line in society and are upstanding citizens.

Ok, so what about the players we hate? Yes, ‘hate’ is a bit of a strong word but just by playing the numbers game there’s bound to be people out there who legitimately and sincerely HATE certain athletes…like my colleague JackKnife’s relationship with Tom Brady for instance. 

I think there’s a formula to how we define a ‘villain’ in sports...some of which may not be villains at all. So here are the categories of villains that exist in the sports world.

The ‘A-Hole’ Villain

Every athlete (and villain) has a fanbase, but this is the category of person you think of when you hear the word ‘villain’. This is the athlete that has qualities both in their profession and in the locker room or at the podium that rub the general public the wrong way.

No matter how few or how many athletic accomplishments they achieved, it all gets lost in translation when their name is brought up because their crap persona envelopes the spotlight.

Notable A-Hole Villains:

• Pete Rose - one of the greatest MLB players of all time, he is also one of the scummiest people in existence today that the league has distanced themselves from almost entirely for various reasons.

• Marty McSorley - Wayne Gretzky’s bodyguard is in the top 5 all time in penalty minutes and he damn near killed Donald Brashear with an extremely dirty move on the ice that even led to legal proceedings off the ice.

• Connor McGregor - Entertaining nonetheless, this UFC fighter has the Irish temper that gets him into boatloads of legal hot water. His behavior may be on brand for a cage fighter but it doesn’t take away his troubled character in society.

• Rae Carruth - Maybe you never heard this name, and that’s ok. He accomplished very little in the NFL and then hired someone to successfully kill his 8 month pregnant girlfriend.

The Infuriating Villain

All villains are infuriating, we know this. But what makes an “infuriating” villain? You like the athlete. You respect the skills. Unlike the ‘A-Holes’ before, you can for the most part accept any achievements these athletes accumulated because simply put…they’re that damn good.

Championships or not, these are the players that had qualities that made it easy to hate them but in some capacity, boy were they fun to watch.

Notable ‘Infuriating’ Villains:

• Terrell Owens: You could argue T.O. was one of, if not the, most talented wide receivers in NFL history. But an ego and mouth the size of a small planet certainly made him a maddening personality on and off the field.

• Barry Bonds: He was a bad teammate, alleged juicer, and overall jerk but the heavily scrutinized home run king Barry Bonds’ stats are mind boggling to this day, even before his noticeable body morphing.

• Sean Avery: Probably not a Hall of Famer, but a solid 12 year NHL veteran who excelled at one thing in particular; being an absolute nuisance on the ice. You have to be some level of infuriating to have a rule instilled because of your antics.

• Dennis Rodman: Rodman has a long list of NBA accolades, including rings with ironically “The Bad Boys” in Detroit and a couple in the MJ dynasty of the 90’s. But his overly bad attitude and flamboyant and odd behavior, on and off the court make him a controversial figure, even today.

Rivalry Villains

This category of villain is somewhat abstract. The names you are about to read are not all necessarily ‘villains’ to the general fan of each respective sport. In fact, some of these names are universally loved and/or respected! However when you play against the same face on the same team consistently, contempt for that opponent tends to swell.

These are athletes that had long careers or long tenures that faced off frequently. They might even be adored by the majority of fans, but specific groups and regions in the country or world may consider them lifelong enemies.

Notable Rivalry Villains:

• Derek Jeter & David Ortiz: You can find the lifelong Yankee and Boston’s long ball aficionado ‘Big Papi’ Ortiz yucking it up on TV as co hosts nowadays, but you’ll be hard pressed to find fans of these teams sharing friendly words describing their hated rival’s Hall Of Fame Championship winning superstars.

• Magic Johnson & Larry Bird: Take the two most prestigious NBA franchises in the Lakers and Celtics and have their stacked teams go tit-for-tat all throughout the 80’s with two players at each other’s throats? Couldn’t write it any better to be honest.

• Richard Petty & David Pearson: Two of NASCAR’s most heralded names to grace the dirt and asphalt. ‘The King’ and ‘The Silver Fox’ had no ill-will toward each other, they were actually good friends. They were seen running and finishing 1-2 extremely often throughout their careers. So you have to imagine fans of each driver had to get sick of sweating out the other constantly breathing down their guy’s neck.

• Serena Williams & Venus Williams: The sisters who revolutionized women’s tennis in the 90’s and 2000’s. Serena, considered the GOAT of the sport, didn’t receive such praise without the help of her equally formidable sister battling her all along the way. Both Venus and Serena ruled, both finding themselves at the #1 world ranking in 2002 at separate times, and have 122 titles between them along absurd records in both singles and doubles competition. Sibling rivalry at its finest.

The Champion Villains

Our last category of villain honestly has little to do with the athletes themselves or even the opinion of their peers. This is purely a fan-based belief. These athletes even tend to enter the pop culture realm of notoriety. Why? Because they win…and they win a lot.

You watch an entire season of a league, and what does the penultimate game come down to: That same damn athlete eyeing up another piece of hardware. They could be the greatest role models and extremely successful individuals, but outside their fanbase they are villified solely because the general population is sick of them winning so damn often.

Notable Champion Villains:

• Tom Brady: I didn’t put Tom Brady & Peyton Manning in the Rivalry Villains for this one specific reason: Tom Brady is legitimately hated by the majority of the world. His 20+ year reign of terror over the NFL has resulted in him being considered the GOAT quarterback of the sport. But his personality is abrasive and he was also known for being a sore loser in the rare times he did lose, making him easy to loathe.

• Lebron James: When you are labeled “The Golden Child” as a high schooler, you are bound to have people praying for your downfall. No matter, Lebron proved the label was not an exaggeration throughout his lengthy NBA career, but “King James” had quite literally taken over the league at one point, essentially choosing who he plays with and even who coaches the teams he is on. No doubt one of the greatest basketball players of all time (and he’ll gladly tell you that) is also one of the most polarizing.

• Patrick Mahomes & Travis Kelce: This duo is currently the NFL’s top of the food chain. Patrick Mahomes, still relatively early in his playing career, has accomplished a staggering amount of accolades, and Travis Kelce has plenty to do with it. Opposite Mahomes’, Kelce is in the twilight of his career, but is still performing at a high level and considered the best at his position, especially in postseason history. After winning their 3rd Super Bowl title together in 5 years and Travis’ high-profile relationship with current biggest pop star on Earth Taylor Swift, the fans want nothing more than to see them be knocked down a peg.

• Dale Earnhardt: While we all fondly remember the legend of ‘The Man in Black’, we must not forget there is a reason his other nickname was ‘The Intimidator’. Dale Sr. was an absolute bully on the track who took no prisoners and would not hesitate to send you to the shadow realm if it meant he would take the checkered flag. His aggressive driving style along with his frequent winning made you either hate him or love him, tragically and quite literally until the day he died.