The Most Disrespectful or Humiliating Things You Can Do in Sports

While sports are supposed to be fun and bring out the creativity in guys after big plays or scores, there's a certain line that all athletes need to stick to in order to avoid the unsportsmanlike, dirty or straight-up disrespectful label.

Few players actually think that far ahead in the heat of the moment though, which—let's face it—a lot of us wouldn't do during competition. So we're also left seeing athletes straight-up embarrass themselves or others during games.

Whether it's something that's disrespectful or an example of leaving the opposition embarrassed, here are the most disrespectful or humiliating things someone can do in sports.

When Everyone Gets Faked out

It's one thing to completely juke the hell out of just one player, but when everyone participating in a sport gets faked out—which includes the opposing team, teammates, fans and commentators—that's a whole new level.

While we always think that we've seen it before, there are times when we get shocked by a player doing something ridiculous—like scooping up a hockey puck and dropping it into the top of the net like former Michigan Hockey right wing Mike Legg did.

Seeing as how this has lived in infamy for nearly 20 years, you can bet the goalie still feels disrespected.

A Player Mocking His Old Team

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Does LeSean McCoy bending down to kiss the Philadelphia Eagles' midfield logo on Dec. 13 constitute as disrespectful? Who knows? One thing I know is that it definitely came across that way to me, given all that was being talked about in the media prior to the game.

Traded last offseason to the Buffalo Bills, Shady was named the only team captain for his team by head coach Rex Ryan. Then he saw the stage as a chance to voice his displeasure Eagles head coach Chip Kelly—who he really seems to dislike.

Go ahead and say the smooch wasn't disrespectful, but mocking Philly and Kelly with his comments after getting shipped out of town sure counts as a slap at the team.

When a Player Calls out a Coach

It's one thing to call out another player or opposing team's coach, but it's way different when a guy does it to his own coach, immediately causing a huge reaction from everyone.

That was the case this past Saturday when Chicago Bulls All-Star Jimmy Butler hinted that his head coach, Fred Hoiberg, needed to start being tougher on players during practice and in games, believing that he and his teammates should be held more accountable.

Of course, Butler did preface it all by saying he knew Hoiberg wasn't a mean guy, but that doesn't erase the fact that he publicly called out a first-year coach on a team destined to the playoffs.

This might be disrespectful, but you've got to applaud Butler for having the guts to do it.

Getting Lost in the Moment

While we've seen this plenty of times before, we actually got reminded of it again this past Sunday in the NFL, when New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. completely lost his cool against the Carolina Panthers' Josh Norman by going full savage on the cornerback.

A lot of these other examples involve disrespecting opponents by doing something that humiliates them, but OBJ did something that could have resulted in a big-time injury for Norman.

Thanks to social media, trash talk between players and teams has expanded to the Internet, giving athletes a way to make mental notes from the privacy of their own home. But that doesn't mean that there should be a vendetta for an opposing player in the heat of battle.

Whether it's swinging a vicious elbow, doing what Beckham Jr. did or something else, when a player loses his cool, it's not only disrespectful, but also dangerous.

Mocking an Opposing Player with a Celebration

Look, I'm not some old geezer who hates to see athletes have fun and celebrate when they do something good—unless it's something simple like a first down in football. So count me as someone who sees no problem with a player mocking an opposing dude's routine like an end-zone celebration or pregame ritual.

That doesn't mean it's not a slap in the face, though.

While most of them are all in good fun and harmless, there have been some that are tasteless too—like the time wideout Stevie Johnson mocked Plaxico Burress with the whole shooting-himself-in-the-leg thing.

Watching guys reenact the classic Ray Lewis dance and other stuff like that is cool—while still disrespectful—but nothing anyone should get overly annoyed over.

Padding Stats

I'm sure there have been a number of examples of guys trying to up their personal stats for the good of themselves, but when Ricky Davis did it years ago against the Utah Jazz, he showed up the Jazz and his own Cleveland Cavaliers, while coming across as selfish as hell.

In Davis' case, beating a team by 20-plus points should be enough punishment, so seeing him go for a triple-double by shooting on the wrong basket to get a tenth rebound was straight-up showboating.

Along with a guy padding his stats should be running up the score, because that's an absolute jerk move that a guy deserves to be confronted about too.

When a Player Disrespects an Entire Franchise

Talking bad about another franchise happens all the time, with players and coaches using the media or social channels to call out teams.

One instance of a player taking things to a level never seen before, though, was when former San Francisco 49ers wideout Terrell Owens made sure he showed the Dallas Cowboys what he thought of them and that famous star logo of theirs.

For Owens' efforts, he not only got booed, chased down and hit, but he also got disciplined by his head coach, proving that this disrespectful act isn't one worth trying.

Cross Someone Up so Badly That Their Ankles Break

There are a few things that defenders on a basketball court are afraid of—and being crossed up by a ball-handler so bad that it makes him or her look silly is absolutely one of them.

The thing is, when it comes to breaking a defender's ankles, no one is immune to it. All-stars and future Hall of Famers get shook all the time, with little to nothing they can do about it.

When a player has handles faster than a Ferrari and it causes defenders to fall over, all defenders can do is dust themselves off, accept the "oohs" and "aahs" from fans and tip their hat to their opposition, because, at some point, it happens to everyone.

Jump Kick to the Face of an Opponent off the Cage Wall in UFC

Of all of these disrespectful moves, this is definitely the most painful—and it's not because of an athlete's pride.

I'll go ahead and say this, anyone who has the guts to even walk into the Octagon to challenge another person in a fight is commended by me, as it's something that I could never do. Still, when there's a knockout, it usually doesn't look great—and a jumping roundhouse kick off of the cage wall is one of the worst ways to go down.

It's almost as if an opposing fighter is saying, "I can get you down, but I'm going to do it in such a way that you'll be embarrassed, your family will be embarrassed and you'll think twice before stepping into a ring again."

Yeah, devastatingly disrespectful.

Toss an Opponent Aside with a Nasty Stiff Arm

It's one of the coolest things to see on a football field, so when a player has the strength to just toss an opposing defender aside with a simple stiff arm, it gets everyone fired up—teammates, coaches and fans included.

To think that anyone can have that sort of power is sort of mind-blowing to me, as a guy is quick enough to pull it off and still pick up yardage on a play.

While there have been a number of good stiff arms over the years, there still hasn't been one more brutal than Marshawn Lynch's during the NFC Wild Card Game against the New Orleans Saints on January 8, 2011. It fired everyone up so loud that it registered an earthquake-like reading on the Richter scale.

The Bat Flip

There are some unwritten rules in baseball that players need to abide by, but celebrating after a big play shouldn't be one of them—unless, of course, it involves a bat flip so epic and disrespectful that it causes a couple of bench-clearing altercations.

That's why Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista's flip against the Texas Rangers in last season's playoffs got so much attention, because it was something that was pure joy and a backhanded slap to the Rangers' faces.

Baseball purists probably hate Joey Bats' move, but, c'mon, has there ever been a piece of wood that has been as talked about as this? Nope, so let's celebrate it—and Bautista for wearing his emotions on his sleeve on a big stage.

Throw a Pass off an Opponents Back to Yourself

When Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook decided that the easiest way to inbound a ball was by throwing it off of the back of defender Rodney Hood, there was nothing anyone could do but smile at the bold move.

But considering Russ' play also resulted in a buzzer-beater, it was something that had to humiliate Hood just a little bit—even if he would never admit to publicly.

Man, all the Utah Jazz player was trying to do was play solid defense and then, boom, Westbrook hits him with a little trickery that ends up on highlight reels. Poor guy.

Walk over an Opposing Player After a Big Play

Talk about kicking an opposing player while he's down, huh? As if getting beaten on a play wasn't bad enough, having to watch a guy disrespect you by walking over you while lying on the ground has to be a helpless feeling.

While I mentioned Odell Beckham Jr. earlier for losing his mind against Josh Norman, hitting him with a blindsided and illegal hit, when he caught the game-tying touchdown on the Carolina Panthers cornerback, he had no hesitation in showing him what was really up.

Allen Iverson still holds the single-most popular and disrespectful stepover—coming in the 2001 NBA Finals against Tyronn Lue—but OBJ's over Norman was pretty damn good too.

Posterize Another Player

Remember earlier how I said there are a few things that defenders on a basketball court fear being a part of? Well, as bad as being taken to school with a killer crossover is, getting posterized on a rim-rocking dunk is even worse.

By far the lowest of lows, when a guy soars above a defender and stuffs the hoop like a Thanksgiving turkey, it's something that he'll never live down. Hell, Shawn Bradley even became synonymous for being on a poster.

There's disrespect, and then there's posterization—which is every defender's worst nightmare. So, to the little guys on a basketball court, stay out of the lane to avoid the insult.