The Biggest Snubs in Sports History

No matter how deserving someone is of getting something, there is always the chance that they are going to be snubbed by the system.

You just can't beat the system, as they have their ways of deciding what they want and who will get what they have.

In sports, snubs happen all the time. Whether it is a spot on the team, an MVP award or even that ultimate honor of being in the Hall of Fame, plain and simple, people get snubbed.

These are 15 of the biggest snubs in sports history.

15. Matt Kemp Not Winning the NL MVP Award in 2011

While it isn't fair to discredit Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun on his MVP award-winning season this past year given the whole PED situation surrounding him, many will argue that he shouldn't have won it anyways.

The man who most people favored and assumed would win it was Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp.

This past season, Kemp played out of his mind. He batted .324 with career highs in 115 runs, 195 hits, 126 RBI, 40 steals and 39 home runs. 

His numbers jumped increasingly following the 2010 season, and he was most definitely the most dangerous hitter in the National League—perhaps the entire MLB.

With Braun's pending situation, many will speculate who really deserved the award. Or for that matter, if there even was an argument to begin with.

14. Jeremy Lin at All Levels

If I was writing this article about a week ago, I probably wouldn't even have Jeremy Lin on this list. But he is relevant now, and we are starting to learn his story.

As a standout player in California, Lin was not offered a scholarship by any of the big universities to play basketball. He took his talents to the East, where he joined the Harvard Crimson men's basketball team.

After being named to the All-Ivy League First team in both 2009 and 2010, Lin went undrafted in the 2010 NBA draft.

His home-state Golden State Warriors picked him up, where he only saw the floor 29 times over the 2010-11 season. Following that season, he was waived by the Warriors and made his next stop with the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets dropped him before the 2011-12 season got started, where he found his way to the New York Knicks.

With the team struggling, they finally gave Lin a shot to start, as both Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony have been going through injuries.

Since getting his first major minutes on Feb. 4, Lin has been on a tear, averaging 26.8 points per game through six thus far, as well as 8.5 assists.

If Lin can keep this up not just this season, but his entire career, he could go down as the biggest snub in sports history.

13. 2001 Oregon Ducks Football

During the 2001 college football season, the Oregon Ducks had a great year, going 10-1 during the regular season. While the Ducks were playing incredible football, one team that stood in their way of reaching the BCS title game was the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The Cornhuskers were 11-0 going into their final game against the Colorado Buffaloes. The Buffaloes were ranked No. 15 going into that game, while the Cornhuskers were No. 1 in the nation. They lost that game, 62-36, which dropped them to No. 4, one spot ahead of the Ducks in the BCS rankings.

They were behind the Ducks in the AP polls, but that didn't matter when it came to the computer rankings.

The Cornhuskers ended up in the title game going against the Miami Hurricanes, a game in which they were destroyed. The Ducks, on the other hand, were pitted against those very same Buffaloes that killed the Cornhuskers. 

The Ducks won that game, 36-16, and proved that they were snubbed by the BCS to take that spot in the title game.

12. Bobby Knight Cuts Charles Barkley from 1984 Olympic Team

Bobby Knight, who was the head coach of the 1984 men's U.S. Olympic team, decided to cut Charles Barkley from the squad in favor of Joe Kleine.

Scratching your head, right?

The team was made up of young stars like Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin, but Barkley was the big name missing.

Barkley was just a rookie in 1984, so it isn't much of a surprise that Knight passed him up. He was the fifth-overall pick in that draft, though.

In 1992, Barkley was apart of the famous Dream Team for that year's Summer Olympics.

While the 1984 team didn't have a hard time winning the gold medal that year, there is no doubt that Barkley's snub just wasn't fair to the fresh-faced NBA talent.

11. Michael Jordan Being Cut from Varsity in High School

While NBA legend Michael Jordan wasn't actually cut from his high school team as many had perceived, arguably the greatest player of all-time was cut from the varsity squad during his sophomore season.

In 1978, Jordan was named a member of Laney High's junior-varsity basketball team. While he didn't make the varsity squad, we all know where his career went from there.

Perhaps Jordan being snubbed from varsity made him become the hard worker he was known to be, so we can thank coach Clifton Herring for doing what he did.

Or maybe Jordan, just like many other high school athletes, just got mixed in the crowd and didn't make the big team his first time around.

To say the least, when he was given his time to shine, he did not disappoint.

10. Bill Parcells to the Hall of Fame

The fact that Bill Parcells is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is like committing a sin.

While Parcells was never a player in the NFL, he has been involved as either a coach or a front office position since 1979.

As a head coach, he won two Super Bowls—both with the New York Giants in 1986 and 1990. He also went to one other Super Bowl in 1996 with the New England Patriots.

During his years as a head coach, Parcells compiled an overall record of 172-130-1 as he coached teams like the Giants, Patriots, New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys.

Not only that, Parcells has an incredible coaching tree that falls under him. Coaches like Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Sean Payton, Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel all learned under Parcells rule.

Even if we didn't look at the numbers, Parcells should be in the HOF for just what he has done for the NFL alone.

9. Marshall Faulk Losing the Heisman in 1993

For San Diego State, the Aztecs had one of the most prolific running backs in Marshall Faulk.

After his first two seasons at SDSU, the talented back had already racked up 3,059 career rushing yards with 36 rushing touchdowns. He also had 329 receiving yards with two touchdowns between the two seasons. While he didn't win the Heisman Trophy during those first two seasons, he came awfully close in 1992.

It wasn't until 1993 that many were convinced it was Faulk's time to win. He had recorded a total of 2,174 yards and 24 touchdowns between rushing and receiving. He didn't even come close in the voting, though, as he lost to quarterbacks Charlie Ward (winner) and Heath Shuler, as well as wide receiver David Palmer.

8. Cris Carter to the Hall of Fame

Another guy that has strangely been omitted from the Pro Football Hall of Fame is Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter.

During his 16-year career, Carter had a total of 1,101 receptions for 13,899 yards and 130 touchdowns. 

He currently stands No. 3 on the all-time list for career receptions and No. 4 touchdowns by a receiver, which puts him in the same company as players like Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison and Jerry Rice.

While Carter should be inducted sooner than later, his absence is still troubling for anyone who remembers just how great he was over the course of his career.

7. Shaquille O'Neal Not Winning NBA MVP in 2000-01

While the man can't shoot his free throws, there is no doubt that center Shaquille O'Neal was a force for many years as the Los Angeles Lakers center.

No season stood out more for No. 34 than 2000-01, where he averaged 28.7 points per game while grabbing 12. 7 rebounds. He also averaged 2.8 blocks a game, making himself one of the most dominant players on the floor.

While the team would go on to win a NBA title, that doesn't really matter when it comes to MVP voting.

The issue is that Allen Iverson—who was still an elusive guard for the Philadelphia 76ers—won the award. Iverson did average 31.1 points per game, but besides that, he wasn't too impressive, as he averaged just 4.6 assists with four turnovers a night.

What can I say; it isn't a big man's world.

6. Ted Williams Not Winning the MLB MVP Award in 1942

After losing out to New York Yankees star Joe DiMaggio in what was a close MVP race in 1941, many people were shocked to once again see Boston Red Sox great Ted Williams snubbed during the 1942 season.

During the 1942 season, Williams lost to Yankees stud Joe Gordon. So why was Williams snubbed?

Well, Gordon hit .322 with just 18 home runs and 173 hits. He also struck out 95 times that season.

In comparison, Williams hit .356 with 36 home runs, 186 hits and 51 strike outs. He also had a much higher OBP, as his was .499 compared to Gordon's .409.

Sure, Williams did win two other AL MVP awards later on in his career, but many will continue to argue that 1942 was his year to take his first.

5. LaDainian Tomlinson Losing the Heisman in 2000

During the 2000 college football season, TCU Horned Frogs running back stud LaDainian Tomlinson won a boatload of awards. One he didn't claim though was the Heisman Trophy, which many thought he was a shoo-in for.

That season, he ran for 2,158 yards while scoring 22 touchdowns. Somehow, he finished fourth behind both quarterbacks Drew Brees and eventual winner Chris Weinke.

Tomlinson certainly went on to a promising career in the NFL, as he currently holds the record for most touchdowns in a regular season with 31.

4. Michael Jordan Not Winning MVP During the 1988-89 Season

While he will likely go down as the greatest player of all-time, Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan actually had one of his best seasons during the early goings of his career.

In the 1988-89 season, Jordan averaged 32.5 points per game with eight rebounds and eight assists. Those numbers are insane, and they were not even his best. Perhaps Jordan was disregarded due to his drop in scoring, which went from 37.1 a game in 1986-87 to 35.0 a game in 1987-88.

Jordan lost out on the award to Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson, who averaged just 22.5 points per game with 12.8 assists and 7.8 rebounds. Sure, those stats are not shabby, but by no means were they equivalent to the near 10 more points a game Jordan scored.

3. 1998 Kansas State Wildcats

The Kansas State Wildcats go down as one of the biggest snubs simply due to the fact that they have a rule named after them for this exact reason.

During the 1998 college football season, the Wildcats finished third in the BCS rankings. Although they were in the top three, they were passed up for a BCS bid by No. 4 Ohio State and No. 8 Florida to get the at-large bids.

The Wildcats ended up going to the Alamo Bowl while missing out on the BCS after a great season.

As a result, the BCS created a rule called "The Kansas State Rule," which makes sure the third, or fourth if the third has already been accepted, ranked team gets an automatic bid to a BCS bowl game.

2. Kobe Bryant Not Winning MVP in 2005-06

While we always expect huge results from Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, sometimes he just doesn't get the recognition for what he accomplishes during a season.

Especially in 2005-06, when he lost out on the MVP race to Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash.

Not to discredit Nash, as he has been one of the best point guards in recent memory, he just didn't have the numbers that Bryant had that season.

Nash only averaged 18.8 points and 10.5 assists per game. While that double-double is a nice season average, it doesn't compare to Bryant's 35.4 points per game with 5.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists. 

The assists stand out the most, as it proves that Bryant was just a ball-hogging scorer, but that he actually contributed to his team's success in other ways.

We have high expectations for star players, but when they exceed them like Bryant did, you have to wonder how they actually decide MVP races.

1. Pete Rose from Baseball Hall of Fame

While controversial, there is no bigger snub in sports than keeping the all-time MLB hit leader in Pete Rose out of the Hall of Fame.

Rose, of course, has been suspended indefinitely from the league and the Hall for his involvement in gambling on the game of baseball, more importantly his own team, while he was with the Cincinnati Reds.

While one can understand the league's choice in not including him, it is still incredible that a player who accomplished so much, and meant so much to so many, can be kept from being given the most prestigious reward any pro athlete can ask form.

Will Rose ever get his shot at entering the Hall? That will remain to be seen. It will remain to be seen how the league handles other cheaters, such as all of those who used steroids to get accomplish what they did.

If those cheaters get in, there is no reason Rose should be kept out as well.