What's Beef? Sports' Biggest Feuds: 2016 Edition

Who wants a fresh cut of beef? I'm talking high-stakes, 2016 beef. The kind you see and can't look away.

Sports always produces wonderful editions of beef. These feuds play out in the public eye, and social media has made them even better.

Our list below takes a look at the biggest sports showdowns in 2016. We sprinkled a few serious ones here and there with a handful of amazing Twitter exchanges. The result has been cooked up and molded for your enjoyment.

Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather

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Conor McGregor is the face that runs the place in terms of the UFC. He's dominated multiple divisions, laying claim to championships and putting down opponents. Floyd Mayweather is a retired, undefeated boxer and perhaps the best fighter of his generation.

What do these two guys have in common? Explosively loud personalities and tremendous skill. When you fuse those elements together, what you have is a blockbuster fight in the making.

McGregor and Mayweather have exchanged pleasantries over time, resulting in McGregor challenging Mayweather to a boxing match. The only catch is it will cost $100 million to get the Irish brawler in the squared circle, per TMZ Sports.

Who knows if it will ever happen. But one thing is for certain: If Mayweather wants to bring a serious draw to the table and earn a ton of cash, there is no bigger fight than one with McGregor.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Ray Lewis

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Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis isn't shy when it comes to speaking his mind. The all-encompassing talent led the Ravens defense for 17 seasons, never backing down from a challenge in the process.

In his post-NFL career, Lewis has continued to express his thoughts, whether that was during his time as an ESPN commentator or more recently as a contributor to Fox Sports 1. A mini-feud between himself and the current Ravens exploded onto the scene when Lewis questioned Joe Flacco's passion on Fox Sports 1's Speak for Yourself program.

The remarks sparked a strong rebuttal from the current flock of Ravens, as Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com reported. Guys like Eric Weddle and Steve Smith Sr. came to Flacco's defense.

Lewis eventually apologized on Twitter for his comments, hopefully bringing an end to this feud. No one likes to see legends take on their former teams. Let's hope the Lewis vs. Baltimore showdown can now be considered over.

Cris Collinsworth vs. Bill Simmons

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Beef isn't only reserved for professional athletes. Ask NBC's Cris Collinsworth and HBO's Bill Simmons.

The two media personalities went to task when Simmons used Twitter as a vehicle to discredit the NBC commentator during a Sunday Night Football clash between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.

Rather than brush it off, Collinsworth went all in, delivering a devastating Twitter-induced response—which has since been deleted—according to Sports Illustrated's Extra Mustard. "Thanks Bill, we'll look for you 'gently' breaking it down on that hit show of yours."

What a burn. Not only did Collinsworth destroy Simmons, but he took his cancelled HBO show Any Given Wednesday for a ride too.

The two have since ended their feud, with Collinsworth coming on Simmons' podcast and apologizing for the digital lashing he unleashed, per Matt Bonesteel of the Washington Post.

The lesson here is very simple: Don't ever mess with Grand Master Collinsworth. His Twitter game is way too strong for mere mortals to handle.

Russell Westbrook vs. Kevin Durant

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Kevin Durant's decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 4 was enough to drive a wedge between himself and Russell Westbrook.

It's a feud that's been brewing over the course of the 2016-17 season, resulting in creative Jordan Brand ads, subliminal wardrobe shots and Durant raving about playing with the Golden State Warriors, as Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post reported.

Whether this feud is real or something we've imagined is up for discussion. But in reality, it's a narrative the sports world has become accustomed to watching.

We can only imagine what's next for these two NBA superstars. Will they meet in the playoffs, furthering this conflict? Let's sit back and let Father Time weave the rest of this tale.

Dez Bryant vs. EA Sports

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This beef might have been in good fun, but it still was fantastic. When Madden '17 dropped in August 2016, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant found out he was ranked a 90 overall. The ranking by the folks over at EA Sports made him the seventh-best wide receiver, by Nick Brown of 12up's count.

Bryant had a few choice words for the developers—as posted in Brown's article above—before jumping on Twitter to say it was all a joke. EA Sports answered on the bell on their own Twitter account using Bryant's lack of kicking skills as the reason for his rating.

In any event, the feud simmered down, and Bryant got back to attending to more pressing business. However, for a brief moment in time, it was worth the price of admission.

Jim Harbaugh vs. Jim Rome

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Don't pick a fight with Jim Harbaugh. The Michigan Wolverines head coach plays for keeps, and no one can hold him down. 

Jim Rome, the infamous CBS commentator, took Harbaugh to sports media court in August 2016 after the Michigan head coach walked out on a press conference, per Alex Watt of 12up. Harbaugh responded the only he way he knows how: by shredding Rome using the classic Jim Everett video as fuel.

Rome answered back, using the Ohio State beatdown of Michigan in 2015 as his last word. It was a futile attempt to bounce one off Harbaugh and provided nothing but an extra spark to this already juicy collegiate football feud.

Steve Smith Sr. vs. Jalen Ramsey

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Steve Smith Sr. represents the living, breathing version of toughness. The veteran wide receiver is currently in his 16th NFL season and third with the Baltimore Ravens.

Production has been his calling card. No matter what age he is, Smith Sr. is able to perform at a high level. Don't tell that to the Jacksonville Jaguars' rookie cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

Ramsey sounded off on Smith Sr. after the Ravens and Jaguars collided in September 2016. "Ain't nobody worried about him. He came up to me, you know what I'm saying, on some disrespectful stuff. The game's over with. You still mad 'cause I was locking you up?," the first-year defensive back said in his postgame presser, per ESPN's Mike DiRocco.

Smith Sr. didn't stay in his lane. He fired back on Twitter, fending off all of that disrespect with his own commentary on Ramsey, highlighting his youth.

It's a case of the classic wide receiver vs. cornerback feud. Ramsey and Smith Sr. brought it back to life in September and gave us all something to write about.

Oakland Athletics vs. Smash Mouth

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Before you get into questioning this slide, the answer is a resounding yes. The Smash Mouth you see in the title is in fact the band that provided the world with the hit record All Star in 1999.

Apparently life post-1990s pop is filled with attacking the Oakland Athletics on Twitter. The Athletics didn't take the Smash Mouth insult—pointing to their lack of postseason moves—sitting down. They responded without mercy—Mark Townsend of Yahoo Sports constructed a timeline of the A's dishing it out to Smash Mouth.

For all of us marks who spent their childhoods in the '90s, this wasn't pretty to watch. Can't we all go back to a world where Smash Mouth was still making hit records and the A's were competing for World Series titles? Is that too much to ask?

Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz

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WWE might manufacture their own feuds, but that doesn't take away from the brilliant back-and-forth we've seen go down between Dolph Ziggler and The Miz.

Since the initial WWE brand split, each program—WWE SmackDown and WWE Raw—has been forced to tell richer, more complex stories. Of all the beefs thus far, Ziggler vs. The Miz has stolen the show.

It's a story that has enriched each man's career, turning Ziggler back into a must-watch commodity and The Miz into the company's top heel—another name for a bad guy. To add prestige to the conflict, WWE has used the Intercontinental title as the grand prize.

The end result has been an ongoing war, one that has elevated the SmackDown product. It's worthy of a spot on this list, and no one can deny that.

Ayesha Curry vs. the World

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We need to know, who has Ayesha Curry not feuded with this year?

She threw shade at LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2015-16 NBA Finals on Twitter. She claimed the NBA Finals were "rigged," per Sean Gentille of the Sporting News, before apologizing. She even got into an exchange with ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith after for some reason he compared her to LeBron James' wife—she was totally in the right here.

Beef is a seasoned art, and Curry is aware of this. This isn't to say she's wrong. She just speaks her mind and lets the chips fall where they may.

When the 2016-17 NBA season begins to heat up, maybe we'll hear more hot takes from Curry. As fans of all things beef, we're certainly looking forward to that.