Sports Schadenfreude: Teams We All Like to See Lose
Pretty much everyone wants to see the New England Patriots lose nowadays—except their own fans, of course.
Not counting the homers, no one is really mad about it when the following 10 teams lose. Some franchises are longtime staples on lists like these (looking at you, Los Angeles Lakers). A few others, however, are particularly worthy of disdain in the here and now.
For example, does anyone else feel like owner Dan Snyder is getting a little karma thrown his way for all that business with the football team in Washington?
Maybe these teams just win too much and people are jealous, maybe they have some less-than-likable players or coaches or maybe they're just boring.
Whatever the reason, unless you're a fan of these teams, you don't mind seeing them lose. Sometimes, you might even derive some pleasure out of it.
Note: The Dallas Cowboys get a pass this time because, you know what, the Tony Romo and Dez Bryant injuries are just brutal. The Cowboys have suffered enough for now.
New York Knicks
1 of 10
The New York Knicks have been the laughingstock of the NBA for the past two seasons, and no one outside New York seems too upset about it.
To the contrary, people seem to like it. After a particularly embarrassing defeat in January, Twitter reactions indicated the Knicks shouldn't expect sympathy anytime soon.
Sure, the team was good in the 1990s, but the Knicks haven't actually won a title since 1973. That means continued success as a motivator for hate, a la the New York Yankees, isn't really in play.
No, this contemporary Knicks team inspires a different type of loathing, more like a kick-them-when-they're-down type of disdain.
It's like Robert Silverman of the Guardian wrote:
"Granted, New York teams in all sports are often a priori loathed because of their big market status, and self-important attitude. But the Knicks are a far cry from the Yankees or Giants; this isn't a brief chance to take a few well-deserved pot shots at a rich schoolyard bully.
"
St. Louis Cardinals
2 of 10
Never mind that hacking business, the St. Louis Cardinals are just boring.
St. Louis is a great baseball town—most people should at least be able to agree on that. Still, the Cards have played in the National League Championship Series for the last four years in a row. Baseball fans probably root for them to lose just to shake things up for crying out loud.
True, a similar argument could be made against the San Francisco Giants, but that's where we can circle back to the hacking. More specifically, the obnoxious tweets from Cardinals fans about the alleged hacking were pretty annoying.
Go ahead and lose, STL. That would be fine.
Washington Redskins
3 of 10
The Washington Redskins are like the car wreck you can't look away from. You want to, but you can't.
That team is a magnet for controversy. From Dan Snyder's refusal to change the team's name to the failed Robert Griffin III experiment and alienation of a fanbase, the Redskins aren't exactly lovable.
Even as RG3 rides the bench this season, NFL fans are still forced to hear his name on a weekly basis. For instance, the quarterback recently responded to rumors that he doesn't get along with his teammates, per USA Today's Chris Chase.
Enough already. Losing seems like an adequate result for a franchise that puts so much negativity out there so often.
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Los Angeles Lakers
4 of 10
Reddit user kmhokies35 conducted a poll in 2014 that received over 42,000 votes. The aim was to find the most hated NBA team in each U.S. state.
Not surprisingly, the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat got more than their fair share of votes. For now, though, with LeBron James back in Cleveland, it's probably not a leap to think the Heat hate has gone down a little.
For the Lakers, on the other hand—that team has been good for so long (16 NBA titles)—it's easy to root against them. It's also easy not to feel too bad when they have two abhorrent seasons in a row (48 wins combined in 2013-14 and 2014-15).
As Tom Ziller of SB Nation wrote, "They deserve this, and you know it."
Boston Bruins
5 of 10
The same Reddit user who brought you the NBA hate map also brought you one for the NHL. Not only did the Boston Bruins appear in various states across the U.S., but the team dominated Canada.
From a heated rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens to the antics of left winger Brad Marchand, it's not a surprise that folks outside Boston (and especially those in Canada) don't love the team. Besides, big-market teams like those in Boston, New York and Los Angeles are generally put under more scrutiny as it is.
Boston lost the 2013 Stanley Cup to the Chicago Blackhawks in heart-wrenching fashion by giving up two goals in the final two minutes of Game 6. That must've been a great day for the haters.
Duke Basketball
6 of 10
Duke basketball has long enjoyed a winning tradition, and with that, a tradition of other fans hatin'.
In the Mike Krzyzewski era (1980-present), the Blue Devils have made it to 12 Final Fours and won five national titles.
Sure, some people think they get all the calls, or that the Cameron Crazies are the worst and some people hate Christian Laettner, but if the Blue Devils weren't so good, it wouldn't be nearly as fun to watch them lose.
Kentucky Basketball
7 of 10
Speaking of Duke, Kentucky is another successful basketball program people don't seem to universally love (sarcasm).
A lot of that might have to do with the Wildcats' success, but it also might have to do with head coach John Calipari.
Calipari is the one-and-done poster coach, a title he's proud of despite the fact not everyone agrees with the practice in general. And recently, Calipari's old school, Memphis, cancelled a ceremony scheduled in his honor after significant backlash showed Tiger fans have no love for Coach Cal.
Calipari and his players have also gained a reputation for not handling losing, or winning, all that well. For instance, folks criticized the coach (the word "classless" was used) for the way he handled a close win against Notre Dame in the 2015 NCAA tournament.
And when Kentucky's undefeated season went down the tubes at the hands of Wisconsin in the Final Four, forward Karl-Anthony Towns used derogatory language to describe Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky at the postgame presser.
Not cool.
New York Yankees
8 of 10
When you've won about one in four of all the World Series ever played, there will be haters.
The New York Yankees, 27-time MLB champions, are unlikely to ever get off the "most hated" lists. Even if people were inclined to buy into this season's Yankee underdog story, Alex Rodriguez still plays on the team, so there's that.
There's something about teams like the Yankees that make people go, "You've won enough. It's someone else's turn now."
Alabama Football
9 of 10
Quote from Alabama head football coach Nick Saban on ESPN's Outside the Lines (via Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports): "People talk about you've won four national championships. Well I feel like we've had good enough teams to to win eight. So I feel like we’ve failed four times."
It's all fine and good to aim high, but surely no one (other than Tide fans) feels bad that Saban has "failed four times" at Alabama.
The Iron Bowl runback in 2013? Loved it.
The loss to Ohio State in the first College Football Playoff? Dug it.
The loss to Ole Miss, coupled with a 'Bama wide receiver's ill-advised tweet? Perfect.
New England Patriots
10 of 10
Fans outside the great Northeast aren't generally too fond of the New England Patriots, and the hate might just be at an all-time high. From Spygate to Deflategate, the team doesn't exactly have a squeaky-clean reputation.
Beyond that, though, it's as if karma doesn't exist within the walls of Gillette Stadium. Despite the cheating allegations, the Patriots continue to dominate the NFL on the back of their embattled quarterback, Tom Brady, and head coach Bill Belichick.
Unfortunately, for those yearning to see a Brady-Belichick loss, it might be a while.
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