The Most Disliked People in Sports

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
May 29, 2014

The Most Disliked People in Sports

Donald Sterling

<italics>Dwight D. Eisenhower once famously offered "never waste a minute thinking about people you don't like," but this is impossible in the sports world. Dislike is subjective, of course (maybe not with Donald Sterling), but here we offer our list (not ranked) of the most disliked people in sports. Feel free to dislike.</italics> Disgraced Clippers owner Donald Sterling has a new title: Most hated man in America, edging out Bernie Madoff in a recent poll. Sterling has dominated headlines in recent weeks after making racist comments that were caught on tape and ignited a media firestorm. The increased attention also led to a sudden jump in visibility, which has led to more infamous, racially-driven comments that have been on the verge of being removed as the Clippers' owner by the NBA. Sterling has attacked Magic Johnson and more recently, openly disavowed a previous agreement with his wife to sell the Clippers. Those actions, in addition to his previous track record, have reportedly led to his new title.

Alex Rodriguez

Currently serving a 162-game suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal, Rodriguez has been one of baseball's most disliked players for years.

Ryan Braun

After winning the National League MVP in 2011 and establishing himself as one of baseball's best, Braun was tied to the Biogenesis scandal and faced a suspension. He appealed and won -- and lied. After further investigation, Braun was hit with a 65-game suspension, mitigated by earlier public criticism of MLB's drug testing program.

Richie Incognito

Incognito, left, had a reputation for playing dirty even before word got out that he'd bullied Miami Dolphins teammate Jonathan Martin and other members of the organization. He was suspended for the rest of the 2013-14 season after an investigation, and is currently without an NFL contract.

Michael Vick

Vick's involvement with a dog fighting ring in 2007 permanently stained his reputation with a large swath of NFL fans after he had emerged as one of the NFL's most exciting players.

Julie Hermann

Dating back to accusations of verbal abuse while serving as a Tennessee women's volleyball coach, Hermann continues to make misstep after misstep. Her latest: saying that it would be "great" if New Jersey's <italics>Star-Ledger</italics> newspaper (which had just laid of 167 employees) folded.

Richard Sherman

Sherman, one of the NFL's most outspoken players, has been a lightning rod for discussion ever since a brash postgame interview with Fox Sports' Erin Andrews in which he called out 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree. He's talented, unapologetic and someone fans seem to either hate or love.

Lane Kiffin

Kiffin's penchant for running his mouth has always gotten him in trouble. Amid controversy surrounding NCAA violations made in public remarks while head coach at Tennessee in 2009, Kiffin bolted after one season for the USC job and alienated the Vols fan base. After two straight mediocre seasons in Southern California, Kiffin was fired in 2013 and took a job with Alabama shortly afterward.

Dan Snyder

Snyder has long been regarded as one of the most-disliked owners in sports, and his refusal to change his team's nickname after repeated requests has put him back in the spotlight.

Gary Bettman

Bettman has been at the center of three labor stoppages in his tenure as commissioner, which has made him unpopular with fans to this day -- particularly after a lockout lost the entire 2004-05 season. He's also been criticized for expanding the NHL into non-traditional hockey markets. The boos come every year at the Stanley Cup presentation.

Lance Armstrong

George Burns/Oprah Winfrey Network via Getty Images

Armstrong went from one of sports' most beloved figures to one of its most reviled after it was revealed he had used performance-enhancing drugs -- something he'd vehemently denied throughout his decorated career. He admitted everything in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, detailing his usage dating to the mid-90s, when he had remarkably returned to the sport after beating cancer. He received a lifetime ban from cycling and was stripped of his wins.

Mark Emmert

Emmert's comments and defense of the NCAA's position regarding college athletes getting paid, particularly in the wake of the Northwestern union ruling, have often come across to the public as uninformed. Until he presents a stronger argument, the boos will continue.

Ndamukong Suh

One of the league's physically dominant lineman, Suh's aggressive play and penchant for stomping on opponents has earned him a bad reputation. It's also lost him a lot of money in fines from the NFL.

Roger Goodell

Many of Goodell's rulings as commissioner have been controversial. He took some blame for the 2011 lockout, has cracked down on suspensions and fines for illegal hits, levied the "Bountygate" punishment on the Saints and allowed the use of replacement referees for part of the 2012 season.

Jerry Jones

The outspoken Jones was named Least Favorite Sports Personality in a 2003 SI poll. Over a decade later, Jones hasn't missed a beat -- continuing to promote "America's Team" to the media and making many splashy personnel decisions without much success to show for it.

Tiger Woods

Woods was once the undisputed best golfer on the planet. A 2009 infidelity scandal brought his high-profile marital issues with then-wife Elin Nordegren to the news forefront. That combined with his struggling play have sunk Woods' reputation in recent years.

John Calipari

Calipari wins and recruits wherever he goes. He's also left a trail of NCAA violations in his wake at UMass and Memphis. His position at the forefront of college basketball's "One-and-Done" era of recruiting have made him reviled among hoops traditionalists.

James Dolan

Dolan's management missteps have been well-documented, from ill-advised contracts to confusing coaching hires to accusations of firing an employee out of spite for sexual harassment complaints regarding then-coach Isiah Thomas.

Luis Suarez

The controversial antics of Liverpool's Suarez have gotten him in trouble on many occasions, from racial abuse of opposing players to obscene gestures at fans to biting people on the field. His notorious intentional handball at the 2010 World Cup, which helped Uruguay advance, didn't do him any favors.

Ray Lewis

Although Lewis' late-career redemption culminated in the Baltimore Ravens winning the 2012 Super Bowl, his 2000 trial connecting him to the stabbing deaths of two men stained his reputation. He was never found guilty, but misled police and received probation and a hefty fine.

Marshall Henderson

Henderson's recent homophobic comments regarding ESPN's coverage of Michael Sam during the NFL draft put the hotheaded guard back in the news. His personality rubbed many the wrong way while starring at Ole Miss, and he also went through several off-court issues involving illegal drugs.

Nick Saban

Saban wins football games -- and doesn't seem to care what anyone else thinks. His failures in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins and criticism for oversigning players have drawn plenty of dislike around opposing SEC fan bases.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

One of the most successful boxers ever, the brash Mayweather has been charged for battery and domestic violence on multiple occasions. These troubles, and a posse of celebrity supporters that includes Justin Bieber and Lil Wayne, have made Mayweather a polarizing figure atop his sport.

John Tortorella

The outspoken Tortorella has a reputation for criticizing players, management and the NHL, as well as being standoffish to media. He is currently unemployed.

Matt Cooke

Cooke's playing style has aggravated opponents for a long time. He has pestered players and delivered notable illegal hits that have gotten him suspended on multiple occasions.

Bill Belichick

The orchestrator of the Patriots' success is known for his stoic personality. He's also known for the 2007 "Spygate" scandal, which involved Patriots staff illegally taping the New York Jets' signals during a game.

Kevin Garnett

Garnett, one of the NBA's most dominant players during his career, is also noted for his trash talk and dirty play, with a penchant for throwing elbows into opposing players.

Tim Finchem

Finchem is disliked by media for the degree of secrecy he uses regarding drug testing and player discipline-. Results and rulings are never publicized.

John Terry

The longtime England captain is also known for his extramarital affair with the wife of then-teammate Wayne Bridge in 2010. He's been suspended for racial abuse of opposing players.

Skip Bayless

An unappealing and unctuous on-air figure whether attacking LeBron James or praising Tim Tebow as a quarterback.

Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel is one of the top F1 drivers on one of the top teams. He's been successful from a young age. And he's a golden boy people love to hate, noted for his victorious finger-wagging gestures.

Kurt Busch

A history of hot-tempered outbursts and off-track incidents have not endeared Busch to NASCAR fans.

Jose Mourinho

Mourinho has long been one of Europe's top managers, and loves to talk about it -- in 2004 calling himself "special" and earning the nickname "The Special One" from media. He's outspoken and his behavior often overshadows the performance of his teams.

Jeffrey Loria

Loria built a ballpark at taxpayer expense that eventually exceed $2 billion, and he removed the Expos from Montreal.

Sepp Blatter

The bane of world soccer fans for his historically wrong-headed moves, Blatter admitted this week it was a mistake to choose Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup.