15 Sports Stars Who Don't Let Hate Affect Them
There is nothing strange or unfamiliar about hate in sports—loyalties, rivalries and all of the other things that put the "bad" in "bad blood" make certain athletes and fans invest some amount of time and energy into being a hater.
What exactly motivates the hate can be as obvious as a player simply being the star of a team you hate, or as subtle as an athlete's perceived lack of emotion.
And while being loathed by a significant percentage of the world is in the job description for sports stars, not every athlete is capable of brushing off the hate. For them, Twitter can become a battleground, and a postgame press conference can turn into a good ol'-fashioned meltdown.
Fortunately for those stars who struggle with the reality of being hated, most of the time, hate in sports is compartmentalized to a finite amount of time and space—from game-time until the clock reads "00:00."
However, for some particular sports stars, the hate is ever-flowing: on game day, on social media and sometimes even in the press.
Of these "Most Hated" are a group of men and women who shrug and go about their business or even feed off of it—not unlike the pink slime in Ghostbusters II. And this ability doesn't always translate into wins, but it does show that they have an uncanny talent for being unflappable.
These are 15 sports stars who don't let hate affect them.
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
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Since earning the starting job in 2001, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has won three Super Bowls with New England and appeared in two others. Which means, excluding the 2008 season he missed all but one game of with a knee injury, Brady has been one of the two starting quarterbacks in 42 percent of all Super Bowls held during his NFL career.
That level of success alone is more than enough to elicit boatloads of hate from the football faithful, particularly with Bill Belichick’s utter lack of likability and Spygate factored into the equation, but it doesn’t stop there with this guy. Brady-hate extends well beyond the game because he doesn’t always win just on the football field—he always wins at life.
First of all, Brady is uncomfortably handsome—all-American good looks and a winning smile that look ripped from a Ralph Lauren ad. He’s also irritatingly nice, annoyingly funny, unshakably optimistic and married to one of the most beautiful (and richest) women in the world. It’s like he’s Arnold Schwarzenegger from Twins and we’re all Danny DeVito, just trying to do the best we can with the scraps we were given.
And all of the reasons why people hate Brady are exactly why he doesn’t give a flip.
Phil Kessel, Toronto Maple Leafs
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are a team so beloved by their fans and the city they call home that one might kill the other in a fit of passionate rage. The Leafs are also a franchise frantically trying to resurrect the kind of success that it hasn't experienced since Lester B. Pearson was the Canadian Prime Minister.
Not sure when exactly that was? Let's just say Pearson was born in 1897 and has been dead for more than four decades.
All of this adds up to an environment that would seem incompatible for a star winger like Phil Kessel—who shuns the media, is prickly when he has to talk and generally doesn't care what you, I or anyone else thinks. But maybe he's exactly what Toronto needs: a bona fide star who doesn't give in to the space opera that is the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Despite an intensifying maelstrom over his relationship with the team and the sports media, Kessel has only gotten better since he was traded to Toronto from Boston in 2009. And he's only gotten more unpleasant too.
Jameis Winston, Florida State
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Heisman-winning Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston isn't exactly a surprise success—his preternatural talent made the signal-caller a prized recruiting prospect long before he was old enough to sign a letter of intent.
And with a BCS championship already under his belt and an almost certain opportunity to defend the title in the first College Football Playoff, Winston could very well add to his accomplishments before entering the NFL draft.
While such early success and unquestioned potential are enough to make anyone feel confident, Winston's troubles off the field are so persistent and worrisome that the allegations have managed to overshadow the achievements.
In college football, hate doesn't need any help—it's intrinsic and intense. And when the sport's biggest name is beating your team amid accusations of sexual assault, NCAA infractions and plenty of generalized bad behavior (all potentially downplayed by local police), he instantly becomes one of the most hated, if not the most hated.
Yet Winston seems unfazed—his stats aren't as gaudy, but the results are the same; and if his conduct were judged by his demeanor, then apparently he's golden.
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Alex Rodriguez, MLB
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The fact that more than a few MLB players have been given blockbuster contracts and failed to justify the investment doesn't make the sport unique. That's pretty much company policy for most teams these days.
But the fact that Yankees shortstop Alex Rodriguez, who was suspended for the entire 2014 season over PED use, brought so much bad while offering so little good after inking the now-second-biggest contract in MLB history in 2007 is so very baseball—and so very Yankees.
With a 10-year, $275 million contract through 2017 that essentially boils down to being a less fun way to set a giant pile of money on fire, the idea that A-Rod is one of the most reviled figures in baseball is not surprising. Seriously, has a superstar ever been kept at arm's length by his team's own fans the way Rodriguez has been in New York?
What has been intriguing is how his failures on and off the field haven't prompted even a superficial show of contriteness, but instead inspired him to apologetically fight the league and prevailing narrative.
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
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There have been moments in his career when Cleveland Cavaliers hero-villain-hero again LeBron James could have buckled under the pressure of his stardom and the controversy over how he handled free agency, especially after failing to live up to impossible to reach, let alone exceed, expectations.
Instead, James has forged his own path—essentially doing what he felt was necessary to become a champion, regardless of how much it would alienate him from fans and press. And it's safe to say it's definitely alienated him...a lot.
As the tarnished hometown hero who turned the Cavs' misery into a national spectacle (via "The Decision") when he bolted from the cold climate of Cleveland for the sunny skies and warm weather the Miami Heat enjoy in 2010, James made it easy to root against him.
But, after winning two NBA championships and establishing himself as the best overall player while in Miami—perhaps the best since Michael Jordan—he returned to his old team in 2014, and in the process, he showed that his plan is the only plan...and it works.
Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
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Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler can be described as many things: uniquely talented, inconsistent and aloof, among others. But what you wont hear him described as is "passionate" or "good."
In grade school, we're taught to ignore bullying and insults, because responding in kind will just escalate the situation. In pro football, this philosophy makes Jay Cutler an easy scapegoat in a position that already begs fans, teammates and coaches to point the finger (even if it isn't in front of your face.)
In short, he's been an obvious and frequent target for frustrated fans and critical journalists.
Amazingly, Cutler hasn't bottomed out or freaked out—he's just been Jay Cutler Football. As in, flashes of brilliance followed by bad mistakes and an inability to rise to the occasion, all the while looking, sounding and carrying himself like a dude who responds to a question about Bears fans burning his jersey with, "It's not the first time."
Indeed.
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
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When a prodigal talent begins their career after a lengthy lockout with sky-high expectations and a franchise that desperately needed him—and by virtue of a lottery, got him—he's instantly made enemies of every fan who vicariously became the loser of that lottery.
Take that same person, make him charismatic and handsome—the obvious choice as the NHL's new flag-bearer—and every hockey player who doesn't call him a teammate just became his enemy.
Pittsburgh Penguins superstar center Sidney Crosby has no shortage of haters, and instead of wilting under such enormous pressure, he has been the NHL's best all-around forward when healthy. Among the hardware he's earned: one Stanley Cup, two Art Ross Awards, two Hart Memorial Trophies and an Olympic gold medal.
A.J. Pierzynski, MLB Free Agent
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You know what kind of person is unfettered by vocal and almost universally held hate? The guy who wears it like a badge of honor, who seems like he might be disappointed if he found out the hatred wasn't nearly as pervasive and real as he always suspected.
That person is MLB free-agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski.
Despite the perception he doused every clubhouse he departed in gasoline before tossing a match, Pierzynski never had trouble landing on a new team.
At age 37, the market for his services may be limited, but his 14-year career has been solid...even if his forgettable performance with the St. Louis Cardinals during the postseason ends up being the last significant action he sees.
Phil Mickelson, PGA Golfer
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Hate and golf are natural partners, but all of the hate is typically resonating between the golfer and the game itself, rather than between the people who play and those who watch.
Certain PGA golfers may inspire animosity for who they are and how they play, but golf is a game played at clubs, televised live on a broadcast that includes whispering analysts, and, ultimately, not the same kind of bloodthirsty environment found in other sports. So, hate seems awkward.
There is one exception, however—Phil Mickelson.
By virtue of being who he is, which is mostly like every other top golfer on the PGA Tour, Mickelson just seems to be source of hatred for some. Past reports about his phony facade and willingness to say things that—gasp—are taboo on tour feel outdated and irrelevant at this point.
And if you want to talk about what he does do that's different? He spends an absurd amount of time signing autographs after an event, despite where he finished on the leaderboard and despite the haters.
Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
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Joe Flacco might be the most successful quarterback by far in the history of the Ravens franchise, but that hasn’t really translated in terms of fan adoration. Not only does he not command much respect nationally—despite an epic Super Bowl run in 2013—but he also has struggled at times to win over fans in Baltimore, and even his own teammates.
The thing about Flacco is that he really doesn’t care—it takes an awful lot to furrow a brow as substantial as his. Per Kevin Patra of NFL.com, in September 2013, Flacco said, “Being hated is not a bad thing. I don’t know if I’ll be too popular for this, but I don’t know how I really feel about Johnny Manziel. But I feel like now everybody hates him. He’s quickly becoming my favorite player in college football.”
When Flacco got some attention for telling his teammates to tackle Ted Ginn Jr. during Super Bowl XLVII, he didn’t apologize. When someone ratted him out for riding a skateboard in his driveway, he didn’t apologize. And when everyone was hailing Ray Lewis as the greatest motivator in sports, Flacco came out and told Robert Klemko of USA Today that he never knew what the heck Lewis was talking about, classifying the whole spectacle as “funny.”
Flacco is impervious to any and all drama, including “haters hatin.”
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
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The way people talk about fiery Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin, you'd think he was an aging, grizzled forward who simply can't match the output of his early career.
The outspoken Russian winger has certainly been deserving of criticism about his commitment to be a total hockey player—especially during a period of regression and upheaval for the once-hot Caps. But this is still a guy coming off of a 51-goal season, winning a second consecutive "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal-scorer.
For every fan who admires his wrecking ball-style of play and "whatevs" attitude toward criticism, there's a media personality questioning his work ethic, or opposing fan reveling in the fact that amazing clips of Ovechkin doing things like getting weird at a club or rapping are making Capitals fans insane.
The one person who seems least worried about the entire rigmarole is Ovi himself.
Mario Balotelli, Liverpool FC
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Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli is only 24 years old, but he’s already made more headlines around the world than most athletes do in a career. No small feat, considering he’s accomplished relatively little on the pitch in his career to date (unless playing for four different teams in the past five years counts).
Most of the international attention Balotelli has attracted stems from his combative and confrontational nature and legendarily unpredictable antics—which are far too numerous to detail here, but absolutely worth reading up on for those unfamiliar with his colorful past—a colorful past that is the perfect complement to the colorful mohawk that often rests atop his head.
An unapologetic rabble-rouser who isn’t shy about showing off his money, Balotelli is exactly the type of athlete people love to hate. He’s also the exact kind of athlete who doesn’t care in the slightest. With his latest run-in with the police less than a month old, it’s clear Balotelli isn’t too concerned with changing public perception.
Ronda Rousey, UFC
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UFC fighter Ronda Rousey is one of the biggest names in male-dominated MMA and, without question, the most physically dominant woman the sport has ever seen. She has made a devoted fanboy out of UFC boss Dana White, who told John Morgan of MMA Junkie that Rousey is a "game-changer” and said “she’s the most unique athlete that I’ve ever worked with in my whole life in every sense of the word.”
Like many athletes at the top of their respective fields, Rousey’s resounding success has earned her an army of “haters.” Though it’s not so much her success, but rather her willingness to play the villain that has inspired the irrational rage of countless fans. Rousey’s ongoing feud with an undermatched Miesha Tate, whom she has brutally beaten twice, is a perfect example of her unapologetic nature—she wouldn’t even shake Tate’s hand after defeating her in UFC 168.
In the end, none of it matters to Rousey, who is now the sport’s most bankable star. Love her or hate her, as long as you’re paying attention, the outcome is still the same. And she knows it.
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
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Lakers great Kobe Bryant doesn’t care about being liked, which is good because he gets plenty of dislike. Playing for the Lakers alone is enough to make an athlete hated, but Bryant’s penchant for speaking his mind, not playing nice with others and unapologetically taking all of the shots is why he’s been one of the biggest villains in sports for almost two decades.
He also has a history of forcing both fans and the organization to choose. Years ago Bryant’s inability to get along with Shaquille O’Neal resulted in an ultimatum, and the same thing happened more recently with Dwight Howard. If Bryant doesn’t like something (or someone), he doesn’t even bother trying to sugarcoat the situation—just ask his former coach, Mike D’Antoni.
That’s just how this guy rolls. The Lakers might not win 20 games this season, but do you think Bryant is the least bit concerned that he’ll make more than double the salary over the next two years as 10 of his teammates combined? No. No, he is not. In fact, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, Bryant thinks he's playing at a discounted rate.
Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns
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Browns backup rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel is one of the most polarizing athletes in American sports history, which is a stunning achievement for a guy who has yet to start a game professionally. The level of hate he was able to generate in just two seasons at Texas A&M is legitimately impressive.
Emboldened by his college success, Manziel’s ego seemed to grow as fast as his resume (maybe even faster). The better he did, the bigger he acted. The bigger he acted, the more hate he generated. The more hate he generated, the more attention he drew. And the more attention he drew, the more defiant he became.
Basically Johnny Football is a giant, unstoppable monster who doesn’t just feed on hate, he was also created by hate. The more negative attention Manziel receives, the more he seems to pop up in questionable circumstances. Bottom line, the negative cloud that follows Manziel doesn't seem to be affecting his life outside the NFL's sidelines.
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