The Ten Most Hated Teams in Sports

The birth of modern free agency occurred when former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood challenged the reserve clause restricting a players movement. The clause was upheld by the supreme court 5-3 in a lawsuit by flood against MLB and commissioner Bowie Kuhn.

What has gotten lost in “The Decision” and LeBron James' decision to leave Cleveland for Miami is that he was free to go wherever he wanted after fulfilling the terms of his contract.

His departure for Miami has caused a ripple effect on the Miami Heat and all of sports. Cleveland is burning his jerseys and erasing any mention of LeBron downtown while talk shows are saying he might be the most hated man in sports. In addition, Chicago sports talk show has talked about printing up T-Shirts with the Miami Hate.

Hating teams in Sports is nothing new. When the Yankees dominated baseball in the 1950’s, they were the most beloved and hated team in all of sports. In most cases, the teams that are the most hated are frequently the most loved.

Many of these teams share the same criticisms. Their fans are too arrogant, they get every call and/or every good player, the media favors them, or they are televised too often.

10) Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers history of success dates to the earliest days of the NBA when they played in Minneapolis. The Lakers history features some of the greatest players in NBA history. George Mikan, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant.

They have been successful in almost every decade. They are the only franchise that has appeared in the NBA Finals in every decade. They have won a title in six of the NBA’s eight decades.

The Lakers usually seem to get the players they want or need. When West was the GM, they made many shrewd transactions to help improve themselves.

During the prime of his career, the Lakers acquired Abdul-Jabbar from the Milwaukee Bucks for four good, but not great players. Abdul-Jabbar wanted out of Milwaukee after six seasons.

They let Goodrich sign as a free agent with the New Orleans Jazz at the end of his career. During that era, teams were awarded two first round draft picks as compensation for free agents that left. The Lakers used one of those picks to select Magic.

After winning the 1982 NBA Championship, the Lakers had the top pick in the draft. This was the result of a trade with Cleveland that involved switched first round draft picks.

Many of the players have been some of the most controversial and hated players of their eras. Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar, Magic, O’Neal and Bryant all had actions and/or ideals that did not endear themselves to the fans.

The Lakers last nine championships have come under two of the most successful, but most hated coaches ever.

Pat Riley has been successful everywhere he has gone in the NBA. He has been compared to Gordon Gecko from Wall Street. His slicked back hair and the coining of the three-peat have made Riley many enemies and haters among the NBA fans and media.

Phil Jackson has led the Lakers to their last five titles. His Zen master persona has rubbed some the wrong way. His detractors would say he has never won an NBA title without Bryant, Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen. Throw in the fact he is dating his boss’ daughter and there is some envy about Jackson. Others would claim he is overrated as a coach.

With the Lakers the two time defending champion, they will be among the most polarizing teams for the foreseeable future.

9) USC Football

Bill Belichick succeeding Pete Carroll as coach of the Patriots is the perfect convergence of the most hated professional and collegiate programs of the first decade of the 21st century.

USC football has been the most hated team in the Pac-10 and South Bend, Indiana for decades.

Fans of the Pac-10 schools and Notre Dame would give many reasons to hate USC. The victory sign that all Trojans during ”Fight on” implies that USC will always prevail. Tommy Trojans presence on the field, and USC’s incredible run of success and expected success over close to 90 years.

Add in that they have tied with Ohio State and Notre Dame with seven Heisman Trophy winners and you have the perfect recipe for hatred.

Carroll came off more as a coach that cared about his athletes and wasn’t as arrogant as coaches like Belichick or former USC coach John Robinson. The truth is, USC cheated mightily during his tenure. He left to become the Seattle Seahawks Head Coach, just as USC was put on probation.

Carroll skirted the rules amount the limits on the amount of coaches on a staff and it was obvious that Reggie Bush was paid during his team in Los Angeles. As a result, USC lost 20 scholarships and were smacked with a two year post season ban.

‘SC’s arrogance has reared itself in other forms. Athletic Director Mike Garrett claimed that the sanctions arose from Jealously about USC’s success. Throw in former players like Keyshawn Johnson, O.J. Simpson, Mike Williams, and Todd Marinovich and the USC detractors will give you plenty of reasons to hate USC.

8) Miami Heat

Outside of New York and Chicago, there was barely ever a reason to pay attention to the Heat, much less hate them. They were previously hated in New York because of a series of fights over a few post-season series.

They are hated in Chicago because of a series of flagrant fouls by the Heat’s James Posey. Posey was suspended one game for a flagrant on Kirk Heinrich.

The so called big three have now seemingly angered NBA fans like never before. Many teams were holding out hope to land a big free agent this summer. With only one team landing the biggest free agents, many fans are claiming that there was collusion involved and that NBA commissioner David Stern should have prevented something like this happening in some way.

The Heat are going to turn into a circus. When they come to an NBA Town near you, everyone will want tickets to stand up and boo. The media attention nationally will rival Brett Favre, the Packers, Patriots, Duke Basketball, the Yankees, and Red Sox. Most fans want to see the Heat fail. With its superstar lineup, outside of Miami, they won’t have many fans.

LeBron James has been universally panned as taking the easy way out. In modern sports, we want athletes to be more about winning and less about money. LeBron James did that by leaving Cleveland for Miami, but he did so my joining Dwayne Wade’s team.

We expect our superstars to want to be “the man”. LeBron said during “The Decision” that he is glad he won’t have to bear the pressure of having to score 30 each night. It seems as if he doesn’t have the same drive as the other giants of the NBA. Bird, Jordan and Kobe love the challenge of having to be the best every night.

LeBron will go from being considered one of the two best players in the world, to possibly just the second best player on his own team.

7) Notre Dame Football

Notre Dame football is one of the most polarizing franchises in all of sports. They are usually either loved or hated.

A national TV contract, the biggest subway alumni base in the country and a sense of entitlement to being one of the nations so called best programs. Some would point to arrogant coaches of the past. Lou Holtz and Charlie Weis were frequently surly with the press. Notre Dame's has a sense of entitlement that prevails with most hated teams.

These are just some of the reasons that fans bring up in their hatred of Notre Dame. They also usually play above their head in bowls games and that they receive a BCS bid for finishing in the top eight in the BCS or be considered if they finish in the top 12. ND receives $4.5 million for playing in a BCS game and $1 million if they don’t.

Notre Dame supporters bring up their tradition and history. Notre Dame has won 11 national championships. Their last national championship came in 1988. They are now in the mist of their longest streak without one since first winning a title in 1924.

Notre Dame hasn’t even earned their hatred since defeating West Virginia for the national championship in the Fiesta Bowl following the 1988 season.

For a program considered one of the most historical in college football, the Fighting Irish have only a 14-15 post season record. Their win in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl was their first since winning the 1994 Cotton Bowl. That ended a nine game bowl losing streak.

6) Duke Basketball

Ever since Mike Krzyzewski took over at Duke in 1980, they have become the most recognized “brand” in college basketball. The Blue Devils have become College Basketball pre-eminent team in during the Krzyzewski era.

In those 30 years, they have won four national championships, been to 11 Final Fours, made 26 NCAA Tournament appearances and appeared in 26 NCAA Tournaments. They also have had 14 consensus All-American and seven national players of the year.

Fans that hate Duke have alleged the NCAA has a conspiracy to see Duke succeed, that ESPN favors them and televises too many of their games. Some fans have even taken to calling legendary ESPN announcer Duke Vitale, Duke Vitale in reference to his love of all things Dukie.

Some had vilified Duke for arrogance. Kentucky fans still hate Duke for Christian Laettner’s stomp on Aminu Timberlake in the 1992 NCAA Tournament. 1992!!! Time to forgive, but then UK’s fans have the same sense of entitlement that many claim Duke has.

Duke has done basketball the right way. They play in one of the country’s best arenas, have one of the best student sections in the country and they do it at one of the best academic institutions in the country.

Their flaws are the the media tends to push them too much and they win more than any other program since the end of the UCLA dynasty.

They had a revival this season after not making a Final Four for the previous five seasons. That was the longest streak under Krzyzewski since his first trip in 1986. The Blue Devils won their first national championship since 2001 and advanced to their first Final Four since 2004.

5) Dallas Cowboys

The evolution of hatred towards the Cowboys began with their assertion that they are America’s Team.

The Cowboys’ 1978 highlight reel opened with the narrator saying “They appear on television so often that their faces are as familiar to the public as presidents and movie stars. They are the Dallas Cowboys, "America's Team." Fans of other teams perceived this as arrogance. Others have said that there was a hole in the old Texas stadium so that god could watch his team.

The Steelers were the more successful team during the 1970’s with four Superbowls to the Cowboys one. While the Steelers represented the blue collar image, the Cowboys were Hollywood and the All-American image.

They have always been a flashy team. From Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson to the triplets of the 1990’s and to Romo and Owens in the last decade. The Cowboys are a marque team with fans everywhere.

Maverick owner Jerry Jones has also contributed. His total control over all things Cowboys and attitude that he makes decisions in the best interests of the Cowboys the NFL be damned have alienated fellow owners and fans around the league.

4) New England Patriots

The Patriots current era began when Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994. The day he bought the team, they set a record by selling almost 6,000 season tickets.

They made the Super Bowl in Kraft’s third season as owner under Bill Parcells. The Krafts, former Head Coach Bill Parcells and current coach and former Parcells assistant Bill Belichick built the Pats from an average to below average NFL franchise to the most elite team over the last decade.

Their upset of the Rams in Superbowl XXXVII was the first of three titles in four years. The Patriots dominance began the hatred towards them.

The perception about the Patriots is their dominance has bred arrogance. The arrogance stems from Head Coach Bill Belichick. Belichick has had many questionable moments that stem to accepting and then resigning as Head Coach of the Jets.

He resigned at his introductory news conference. He was supposed to succeed Parcells as the Jets coach. During the presser, he issued a statement saying “I resign as HC of the NYJ." He met with the press for a half hour and then accepted the Patriots job not long after that. The Patriots had to give the Jets a first round pick for what amounted to tampering.

Belichick’s second run at arrogance, Spygate caused a stir in both the NFL and congress. The Patriots were caught taping the Jets signals during a 2007 game. For stealing signals, Belichick was fined $500k and the Pats $250K.

In a 2009 game against the Colts, Belichick’s arrogance manifested itself in a less grievous way than his hiring or Spygate. With the Patriots leading 34-28 with 2:08 to go in the fourth quarter, they failed on fourth and two giving Peyton Manning and Indy the ball back. They would wind up losing the game 35-34 on a Manning to Wayne TD pass with 0:13 seconds remaining.

Belichick has repeatedly proven that he projects himself above the rest of the NFL in just about everyday. Three Superbowl victories have earned him that right to some aspect, but not cheating or taking unnecessary gambles.

Former and current players have helped contribute to their current hate. Tom Brady is considered just as arrogant as Belichick and didn’t endear himself to fans when he left Bridget Moynihan for Giselle Bundchen while she was eight months pregnant with his child.

Rodney Harrison's play bordered on dirty to many fans and media and Junior Seau’s antics after a big play have rubbed some the wrong way. Finally, throw in Randy Moss and his off and on the field troubles and the Patriots are far from a likable team outside of Boston and New England.

3) Soviet Union Olympic Machine

The Soviet Union competed in 18 Olympic games between 1952 and 1988. They still rank second on the all-time list in overall medals and second in Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.

The Soviet run in the Olympics came during they heyday of the Olympics. The ratings have slipped in the last 20 years. The Soviets led the medal count in all but two of the summer Olympics they competed in and they led the medal count seven times in the winter Olympics.

When the Americans and the rest of the world were using amateurs, the Soviets used state sponsored athletes that were more or less professional. Their athletes were organized and sent to sports schools as early as nursery school. The Soviets were the definition of arch enemy and nemesis.

The pinnacle of this occurred on two occasions. At the 1972 Olympics, the United States appeared on its way to its eight straight basketball gold medal. Play was stopped three times, before the Soviets sank the winning basket. That ended a 63 game US Olympic winning streak, in addition to their seven Olympic Gold Medal streak.

The US turned the tables on the heavily favored Soviet Hockey team in 1980. The Soviet defeated several NHL teams and crushed the US 10-3 in a Pre-Olympic tune-up. They were the overwhelming favorites to capture gold. In one of the most famous games in the history of sports, the US shocked the Soviets 4-3 in the second game of the medal round. That game was the catalyst to the Gold medal. The U.S. defeated Finland in the next game to win the tournament.

2) Manchester United

Man-U is the most valuable professional sports team in the World at $1.8 billion. They are owned by the same Glazers who own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Since the founding of the Premiere League in 1992, The Red Devils have won 11 titles. Arsenal with three is the next closest team.

Some of the biggest names in soccer have played at Old Trafford. Historical names include George Best, Bobby Charlton, David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Christiano Ronaldo, and Roy Keane.

Some of the current world stars include dutch goalie Edwin VanDer Saar, English defender Rio Ferdinand, and English forward Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen.

Many of the teams are hated because of their home venue. Manchester United’s home, Old Trafford has been referred to as “The Theater of Dreams”.

1) New York Yankees

The Yankees are probably the team that has been hated for the longest of any in sports. They have 48 playoff appearances, won 40 pennants and 27 World Series.

From the Bronx Bombers in the 1920's and 30's to the Casey Stengel led teams of the 1940's and 50's, Mantle and Maris chasing the Home Run record in the 1961 and George Steinbrenner running the Yankees with an iron fist, hating the Yankees has become an American past time.

Under the Steinbrenner ownership, the Yankees have seemingly been able to do whatever they want. While most teams need scouts, the Yankees go shopping.

When the Yankees needed to upgrade their rotation and had a chance to upgrade first base, they went out and got A.J. Burnett and C.C. Sabathia and 1B Mark Teixeira. Some key players have come up through their farm system like Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Bernie Williams. The perception is that what the Yankees want, the Yankees get.