35 Most Intense Struggle Faces in Sports

In few other areas of life are human emotions more transparent than in sports. With the ups and downs comes a great palette of countenances: the beaming smiles of victory, the contorted grimaces of pain, the wide eyes of hope, the slack jaws of disbelief...

But schadenfreude dictates that it is the faces of struggle we love best.

A victory for the home team just isn't 100 percent satisfying until the cameras switch over from the jubilant winners to the forlorn losers. Their misery, our pleasure.

Click on to see 35 of the most penetrating struggle faces that sports have churned out in recent times.

35. Matthew Stafford

December 2, 2012 - Lions vs. Colts

Lions QB Stafford watches his near-certain win lose all certainty as the Colts score with no time left on the clock.

34. Alexander Ovechkin

May 12, 2012 - Capitals vs. Rangers - Game 7

Here is Ovie frozen in carbonite, soon to be hung as a trophy on the walls of MSG.

33. Alabama Fan

November 10, 2012 - Texas A&M vs. Alabama

As Crimson Tide fans realize an upset is in the making; their spirited face paint wears more like nasty sunburns.

32. M.J.

A widely tweeted pic of His Airness watching his beloved Bobcats choke.

31. Bryce Harper

The Washington Nationals slugger was having a hard time of it in the 2012 postseason. 

The heavy application of eye black... was it reflective of his dark and tormented soul?

30. Matt Schaub

December 10, 2012 - Patriots vs. Texans

The world of NFL fandom wanted to know how the mighty Texans would match up against the Patriots.

If you tuned in late, no worries; when the score wasn't displayed on screen, it was there on Schaub's mug.

29. Jordyn Wieber

Sunday, July 29, 2012 - London Olympic Games

Champion gymnast Wieber was a huge favorite in the 2012 games. Things didn't go her way.

In a dignified manner, she described the outcome as "disappointing."

A NBC commentator went the more histrionic route, declaring, “Quite honestly, it’s horrific.”

28. Jack Nicholson

The Lakers' greatest fan is fiendin' for a title. All fizzle and no ring makes Jack a very dull boy.

27. Cam Newton

September 20, 2012 - Panthers vs. Giants

This struggle face reaches beyond the walloping that was in progress. It was at this moment that Cam must have realized it'd be a long, painful season.

26. Tiger Woods

August 12, 2011 - PGA Championship - Round 2 - Atlanta Athletic Club, John's Creek, Georgia

Here's Tiger wiping away sweat but not sorrow in 2011 amidst  "his worst ever major performance."

25. Andre Berto

November 24, 2012 - Guerrero vs. Berto, Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California

Robert Guerrero (picture left) may be on the receiving end of a wicked blow in this pic, but the real struggler here is that zombie-like creature on the right. 

Minutes before, the aforementioned creature had been two-time former world champ Andre Berto. But two rounds of punishment from Guerrero transformed him into this manifestation of the living dead.

24. Jets Fan on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day, 2012 - Jets vs. Patriots

When the Patriots carved up the Jets on Thanksgiving Day, the mood was oh-so glum in MetLife Stadium.

23. Another Jets Fan on Thanksgiving

Poor Fireman Ed. So much fervor, so little to be fervent about. After the Thanksgiving Day rout, he decided to step down as the team's No. 1 cheerleader.

22. Robert Ayers

October 12, 2012 - Broncos vs. Patriots

Hey, if you are going to wear your struggle face, might as well accessorize, right?

Neon mouth guard by TapouT®

21. Wales Rugby Fan

October 15, 2011 - Wales vs. France - Rugby World Cup Semifinal - Auckland, New Zealand

This pretty Welsh lass is caught in that twilight between struggle and despair.

20. Lions Fan

November 22, 2012 - Lions vs. Texans

Some struggle faces are just too hideous for the world to see.

19. Roger Federer

June 30, 2010 - With the press after Wimbledon Quarterfinals

As mentioned, some struggle faces are just too hideous for the world to see.

But hey, take a peek if you dare (scroll down):

18. Spike Lee

April 24, 2011 - Knicks vs. Celtics - Game 4 - First Round Eastern Conference Playoffs

The struggle face of an epic fan; poor Spike watches his beloved Knicks get swept out of the playoffs after a seven-year-drought.

17. Danica Patrick

June 26, 2010 - New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Here rookie NASCAR racer Danica uses her Jedi training to peel her wrecked Chevy off the wall. 

16. Mike Brown

Mike Brown, perhaps the only man with more struggle faces than Eli Manning. 

After leading the Lakers to a 1-4 start this season, his next struggle is likely to be finding gainful employment.

15. BJ Penn

January 31, 2009 - UFC 94 - St-Pierre vs. Penn 2

Penn spent a lot of time studying the ceiling of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in the final three of the four rounds he lasted against GSP.

Here he is getting ready for another little lie down.

14. The Phoenix Suns

Capturing four struggle faces in one frame is like winning a superfecta. Like netting a quartet of yellow fin tunas with one cast of the net. Like witnessing four planets perfectly aligned.

Marvel and enjoy.

13. Eli Manning

Eli is a true maestro of the struggle face. One might even go so far as to call him a genius of that look.

12. A-Rod

The 2012 postseason wasn't kind to Rodriguez.

Here he is warming up to become the most expensive bench warmer in baseball history.

11. Daniel Sturridge

August 4, 2012 - Britain vs. South Korea - Olympic Soccer

Sturridge tries to keep his brains from erupting out the top of his head after his game-deciding penalty kick is saved by the South Korean goaltender Lee Bum-young.

10. Michael Phelps

July 27, 2012 - Day 1 of the London Olympic Games - 400m Individual Medley

Phelps tries to hack up a mouthful of Ryan Lochte's wake.

9. Venus Williams

August 30, 2012 - US Open - Day 4 - Williams vs. Kerber

Poor Venus. This is the type of frustration that quickly decays into insane maniacal laughter.

8. Eric Staal

Here, Staal puts the ug! in struggle amidst an ugly slump in 2011 in which his plus/minus rating tanked.

7. Bryce Brown

December 2, 2012 - Cowboys vs. Eagles

Eagles rookie Bryce Brown had a lot to celebrate at the time this struggle face was captured on camera. With 169 rushing yards and two TDs, it had been quite a game for him. What's more, a week earlier, he had set a team rookie record with 178 yards. 

So why the sour puss?

Despite Bryce's stellar performance on this day, the Eagles added an eighth notch to a closing streak (snapped the following week).

6. Marshall Newhouse

Struggles faces should be avoided. Though they seem harmless, they are, in fact, gateway faces that can lead to seriously hardcore faces.

Like the face of utter terror.

5. Maradona

Diego's coaching days have been far, far less stellar than his playing days.

In July 2012, he was axed as the manager of United Arab Emirates' Al  Wasl after just 14 months at the helm.

4. Mike D'Antoni

December 11, 2012 - Lakers vs. Cavaliers

Here, D'Antoni visits his happy place (the bunny slopes of Aspen) while his Lakers lose to the lowly Cavaliers.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo

Has Ronaldo just been shot in the back of the neck? Isn't that the bullet about to exit at his throat? 

So dramatic is this struggle face, those were my thoughts on first glimpse.

2. Lance Armstrong

July 9, 2012 - Federal District Court, Austin, Texas

Here is Armstrong learning that his motion, which sought a court order to halt the U.S. Anti Doping Agency's doping case against him, would be dismissed.

It's a downhill course from here, Lance.

1. King James

June 12, 2011 - Mavericks vs. Heat - Game 6 of the NBA Championship

After James ingested his upper lip, he went for his cheeks. Luckily, teammates intervened.