Bring the Bad Boy Back To Sports

Forget LeBron James. The most important player in the NBA right now is Joakim Noah.

Why? Because you hate him.

Unless you are a Bulls fan, chances are you think Noah is a floppy-haired, screaming, annoying fool.  And he is.

But we need him. 

Tony Montana had it right all along. We need someone to point at and say, “That’s the bad guy.” 

Guys like that make sports matter. They divide people in their opinion, but unite them in the fact that they care so much about that opinion.

John McEnroe was a grown man who pissed and moaned about calls like a five-year-old who didn’t get the candy bar that he wanted. And we loved him for it, or hated him.  Either way, he had our attention.

We use the phrase “love to hate” when describing these individuals. We love to hate them because they are so eclectic that we can’t turn away, even if we can’t stand them. 

Today, these athletes are a dying breed. Our politically correct culture, coupled with around-the-clock coverage, has scared everyone off.

What happens if you act out? Dozens of analysts, writers, and commentators will rip you to shreds in roundtable discussions all over TV for the next 24 hours, shouting, "Classless, showboat, clown, diva, disrespectful, thug!"

Even when we see athletes have a rare moment of emotion, someone will undoubtedly get offended and they will end up apologizing. 

Glenn “Big Baby” Davis hit the biggest shot of his life and barely brushed up against some kid on his way back to the bench. The dad called Davis a “raging animal” and demanded an apology. 

Davis should have told the guy to shove it. Instead, he lived up to his infantile nickname and actually apologized for the event.

We need someone who will tell it like it is, somebody who would have told the guy to shut up and enjoy his thousand dollars seats. 

We need more bad boys.

I want to see Tiger Woods sink a putt, look over at Mickelson, and do the Sam Cassell cojones dance.

I want to see Tom Brady throw a touchdown pass and run over to the other sideline and yell, “You can’t stop me! Why do you even try?”

I want real legitimate superstars with a little attitude—not like Ron-Artest-out-of-your-mind crazy, just with some swagger.

It’s there. It’s boiling under the surface. I see it.

Just look at the Caps-Penguins series, which played out like a battle for our sports souls.

On one shoulder we had the angel, Sidney Crosby, undoubtedly one of the most talented players in hockey, but boring. We don’t really know anything about him other than he has a really hard time growing a playoff beard. 

On the other shoulder, there was Alexander Ovechkin playing the part of the devil. Not only is Ovechkin one of the most dynamic and exciting players in hockey, he dates supermodels, allegedly punches out other player’s agents, and celebrates goals in exuberant fashion. 

Ovechkin has the chance to be that kind of bad boy that we need in sports: a star athlete who doesn’t care what people think about him. 

In the end, that’s really what it boils down to. Those bad boys of old didn’t care.  McEnroe screamed. Deon Sanders danced. Muhammad Ali talked. Dennis Rodman kicked cameramen in the balls.

It’s not all on the athlete, either. Let’s band together as fans and stop being so overly sensitive about things. 

Let T.O. sign a football without grabbing our pitchforks and torches. 

Let a player speak his mind and appreciate them for being real, instead of picking apart what they said.

We can help bring back the bad boys to sports. And, when they come back, we’ll boo the hell out of them and love it.