14 Athletes Who Hate Their Nicknames

Doug Martin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has made it pretty clear he doesn't like his Muscle Hamster nickname.

And while Martin might be the athlete who has recently shown the most disdain for his moniker, he's not the only one who dislikes a fan-given nickname.

Hate is a strong word, but these 14 athletes definitely had negative feelings about their nicknames at one point or another. Here they are, ranked from "eh, don't love it" to "outright hate it."

Unfortunately for Martin, and everyone else, it's like Mark Schlereth said on ESPN's His and Hers. "You don't get to nickname yourself."

Sorry, Dougernaut.

Wladimir Klitschko: Dr. Steelhammer

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Ukrainian boxer and reigning heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko is known as Dr. Steelhammer, partly because of his PhD in sports science, according to Gary Morley and Matt Vigil of CNN.com.

In 2012, Klitschko said in an interview posted by On Demand News that he's not a huge fan of the nickname, but "whatever, it's alright."

Shaun White: The Flying Tomato

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It doesn't appear snowboarding legend Shaun White has always disliked his nickname. According to Rachel Axon of USA Today, he took no issue with The Flying Tomato in his younger years, but grew to dislike it as time went on.

In 2012, White cut off the signature red locks that earned him the nickname in the first place, donating double-digit inches to Locks of Love.

Glen Davis: Big Baby

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NBA forward Glen Davis has long been known as Big Baby. Much like Shaun White, Davis has never really seemed to despise the nickname. However, he did try to change it in 2010 after a verbal altercation with a fan caused questions about his maturity to persist. 

According to Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com, Davis said:

"

I've been called 'Big Baby' all through my life. But I'm going through changes. I'm in a cocoon and I'm coming out a different player, a different person. Basically, the new person is growth. I'm shedding that 'Big Baby' and you can see something else, not the past.

"

LeSean McCoy: Shady

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Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy has donned the nickname Shady since he was a baby. According to Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune, McCoy's mother gave him the moniker because of his moodiness.

It stuck for a long time, but in October 2014, Kent Somers of AZCentral Sports reported that McCoy said, "I'm getting older and I see older women and older guys and they're still calling me Shady. I've got a son now, I don't want people to look at me like that."

Kevin Durant: Slim Reaper

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Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant has inspired several nicknames over the years—most notably KD, but also Flight 35 and the legally questionable Durantula.

Still, in 2014, Slim Reaper came onto the scene, and Durant wasn't exactly in love with it. Royce Young of CBS Sports reported Durant said of the nickname, "I'm here to shine a bright light. I'm not here to be a guy of, I guess, death. We'll see what happens with that, but I just like KD better."

Andre Iguodala: Iggy

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People call him Iggy, but NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala isn't exactly thrilled about it.

Per CSN Bay Area, Iguodala told reporters in 2013 that he doesn't love the nickname he's carried since childhood. He said, "Yeah, I never liked that. Since I was a kid I've been called that. My teammates can call me that...They kind of know me, they can get away with it. But other than that, I'm not a big fan."

Joakim Soria: The Mexicutioner

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Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Joakim Soria was once referred to as The Mexicutioner. According to United Press International, Soria expressed a dislike for the nickname to his Twitter followers in 2011, citing its negative implications in relation to violence in his native Mexico.

Per UPI, Soria said, "I didn't really care about the nickname until I see all of that (violence) in Mexico. Calling me the Mexicutioner, that's a bad thing. In a baseball way, it's not that bad. Really, it's a great thing. But I want to support my people."

Nathan Jawai: Aussie Shaq

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Nathan Jawai was a second-round NBA draft pick in 2008. The 6'9", 280-pound Australian played two seasons in the NBA before moving on to play internationally in Europe and Australia.

In 2008, Mike Ulmer of Raptors.com asked Jawai what he thought of his nicknames, "Aussie Shaq" and "Baby Shaq." Jawai responded, "I really don't like that nickname at all. He's one of the best players in the league. I am not as big as him; I'm only 6'9". I don't weigh as much as him. We have a different style of game."

Jonathan Toews: Captain Serious

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According to Brian Hedger of NHL.com, Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews first earned the nickname Captain Serious as captain of his Canadian junior team. Hedger also wrote Toews "detests the moniker."

In 2014,  Sportsnet asked Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews and Henrik Lundqvist on NHL Round Table which player hates his nickname.

Toews' hand shot straight up.

Graeme Smith: Biff

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Graeme Smith is the former captain of the South African cricket team—he retired from international competition in 2014.  

According to Steve James of the Telegraph, Smith's nickname, Biff, originated from "buffel," an Afrikaans word meaning "buffalo." James also noted that Smith never liked the moniker.

In 2013, Smith became the first player to captain 100 Tests for his country, spawning the creation of a #Biff100 hashtag. According to ESPNCricInfo.com, Smith said, "I spent half my life trying to get away from it and now it's a hashtag."

Jordan Spieth: Golden Child

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Given his rise to golf glory at such a young age, Golden Child isn't the worst nickname for Jordan Spieth. Still, the 2015 Masters and U.S. Open champion isn't a fan.

According to the Associated Press (via USA Today), Spieth earned the nickname from other PGA Tour players in 2014.

After his Masters win, Spieth said, "It was either Colt Knost or Robert Garrigus...I'm not sure who started with the nickname. But it's not nice what I say to them when they say it to me. I've been working on trying to keep it quiet. And this week isn't going to help."

Fernando Torres: El Nino

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Fernando Torres is a Spanish footballer currently playing for Atletico Madrid. According to Luke Benedict of Mail Online, Torres earned the nickname El Nino when he first went pro as a teenager.

Per Benedict, Torres said in 2012, "They called me El Nino because nobody knew my name. I didn't like it and it shouldn't be like that, but dressing rooms are very complicated with players coming from different parts of the world and with different roles."

Alber Pujols: El Hombre

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Albert Pujols first got the nickname El Hombre with the St. Louis Cardinals, but according to Aaron Gleeman of NBC Sports, he's never actually liked it.

Still, in 2012, the Los Angeles Angels rolled out a marketing campaign around their new slugger and put up El Hombre billboards all over Southern California.

Pujols told ESPN's Colleen Dominguez on SportsCenter (via ESPNLosAngeles.com):

"

No, I'm not comfortable with that, because I believe there's one Man and, believe it or not, it's God. God is the Man and there's another Man, Stan 'The Man' Musial in St. Louis. I know six years ago, when people first started making jerseys, I wasn't comfortable with that because of the respect I have for Stan Musial.

"

Doug Martin: Muscle Hamster

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For years, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin has been telling anyone who will listen how much he dislikes his nickname, Muscle Hamster.

In 2012, Martin said on NFL AM (via Will Brinson of CBS Sports): "It has to be the worst nickname ever. I can't shake it. It started in college, started back in Boise, with our linemen. I have a lot of bigger friends, and they'd call me the Muscle Hamster because of how much I could lift in the weight room."

In August, Martin tweeted at the NFL to please stop referring to him by the nickname. And just recently, Andrew Astleford of ESPN.com reported Martin would prefer people call him Dougernaut instead.