10 Athletes Who Were Able to Shed the Villain Label

Every story needs a good villain to stir the pot and keep things interesting, so it's only natural that sports has a few characters who do just that.

For fans, it's a player who can do no right, causing legitimate hate to build up from an opposing supporter and trying to trash that athlete for whatever reason—success, boastfulness or an incident he or she was involved in.

And while some athletes embrace the bad-guy role, some are actually able to shed the label. These are the ones who successfully did just that.

Michael Vick

The former No. 1 overall pick in 2001, Michael Vick helped revolutionize the quarterback position by being the most lethal dual-threat player on a football field.

That was great and all until, while with the Atlanta Falcons, Vick pleaded guilty to funding a dog-fighting ring, causing him to serve 18 months in a federal prison and putting his football career in jeopardy.

Returning to the NFL in 2010 with the Philadelphia Eagles, the lefty may have returned to mixed fan ovations, but he has helped repair his image and done all the right things to shed the villain label.

Metta World Peace/Ron Artest

At the epicenter of one of the NBA's most embarrassing incidents, Metta World Peace was cast as one of the biggest villains in sports thanks to his reaction to a fan throwing a drink on him during a game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons in 2004.

After serving his 72-game suspension—the longest non-drug-related suspension in league history—MWP still hadn't learned his lesson as the bad guy, throwing elbows and instigating things with opposing players.

At some point, though, he began showing a more sensitive side.

From his friendship with the fan he punched that fateful night in Detroit, to his donating portions of his salary to mental health awareness, the former All-Star has shown that he's not as terrible as many fans first believed.

Alex Rodriguez

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Is New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez still a villain? Possibly, but, for better or worse, people have seemed to stop caring about the three-time league MVP and everything he did or didn't do in the past.

The downward spiral for A-Rod all seemed to begin when he inked the biggest contract in sports history with the Texas Rangers in 2000, putting him in the spotlight and adding unfathomable pressure.

Perceived to be one of the most narcissistic athletes in recent memory, when Rodriguez began showing up in ridiculous photo shoots of himself, the hate from fans just seemed to pile on—and he did stupid things to add gasoline to the fire.

After serving a season-long suspension in 2014, though, A-Rod has become a bit of a less abrasive version of his former self, showing selflessness and, when healthy, putting up numbers that fans actually applaud.

Hell, there were even some who showed a little sympathy for him after he was snubbed from the 2015 All-Star Game, which only proves how far the 14-time All-Star has come to erase most of his checkered past.

Cam Newton

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Last year's NFL MVP, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton might still be on the cusp of playing villain. But he's also gone a long way toward shedding the image thanks to his breakout 2015 season.

In addition to his remarkable season—in which he put up staggering individual stats and led his team to a Super Bowl appearance—Cam showed a flair and passion for the game that was a nice change from other, buttoned-up superstars.

While some fans and opposing players disliked that, Newton's always got a smile on his face and is just trying to be himself. It should actually be applauded.

He still has room to improve to sway fan opinions—look no further than him walking out of a postgame interview after the Super Bowl—but most fans have either moved on or miscast Cam from the jump.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson might be, arguably, the biggest action-movie star on the planet right now. But things weren't always that way for the former WWE Superstar.

That's right. Believe it or not, The Rock was actually a villain.

Of course, a lot of that had to do with the role that WWE cast The Rock in when he first appeared during the fall of 1996, truly pitting him as the bad guy in a sport filled with similar characters as he stroked his own ego.

Fast-forward to today, though, and Johnson is one of the most affable, well-liked athletes on the planet, always appearing to do something to connect with fans and being appreciative of his success.

Barry Bonds

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

The all-time home run king in MLB history, former slugger Barry Bonds was destined to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer and be mentioned among the top five players to ever play the game.

And then the accusations of PEDs began—and spread like an uncontrollable wildfire.

Instead of celebrating him, everyone was trying to break Bonds down, writing him off as a cheater and discounting his success as a ballplayer. And it didn't help that he was so arrogant that he fought with fellow hot head Jeff Kent in the dugout.

While there are still plenty of doubters in regards to his playing stats, Bonds as a person has all but been forgiven, as he seems happy and at peace as the Miami Marlins hitting coach this season.

Chosen as the villain for the entire steroid era in baseball, Bonds has scooped up forgiveness in a way many never believed he could.

Tiger Woods

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Man, what an epic fall from grace for the former No. 1-ranked player in the world, Tiger Woods.

Once the most dominant and, arguably, most feared athlete on the planet, Woods was always a little bit better than his opposition, finding a gear that other golfers could never even imagine getting to as he won 14 major titles.

Unfortunately, after falling into a problem with sexual addiction that involved him cheating on his former wife, Tiger was written off by fans as he entered rehab to try and turn his life around, taking a hiatus from competition.

And while he doesn't play as often as he used to—mainly because of injuries—Tiger has done a lot to earn back fans, with most people either forgiving or forgetting about his infidelities these days.

In fact, it's still somewhat of a bummer when he's not playing in a tournament, as he's still the biggest draw on the PGA Tour—even though he hasn't won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open.

Kobe Bryant

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Brash as all hell, recently retired Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant gave fans just about every reason to hate him and make him out to be a villain.

He fought with former teammate and fellow All-Star Shaquille O'Neal over control of the franchise, marched to the beat of his own drum out on the court and trashed other teammates publicly for no real reason.

However, even for all the adoration he gave himself, Kobe impacted us all. He saw it firsthand as he made his retirement tour last season, receiving gifts from opposing players and ovations that nearly moved him to tears.

At one point in our lives, we probably all hated Kobe Bryant. At another point, though, he switched the script on us and made us appreciate who he really was.

Bryce Harper

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Last year's National League MVP, Washington Nationals All-Star outfielder Bryce Harper is a villain who many of us only heard the stories of but never really saw on our own.

Much of that has to do with the fact that Harper was a young, talented and immature kid while he taunted opposing players and loved himself more than he respected the game that gave him his fame.

Nowadays, though, the 23-year-old is a little less "out there" than he once was, playing with a youthful joy that fans appreciate—just as long as he doesn't disrespect those unwritten rules or try to show others up.

While the case for Harper to be a villain is a strange one, it's actually the same reason that he became a star in the first place—and it made him a superstar.

Still just a kid himself, he's done a lot for other youngsters while single-handedly trying to make the sport of baseball fun again.

LeBron James

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

It's hard to imagine now, thanks to his recent success in leading the underdog Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA title, but LeBron James was the most hated man in sports just a few years ago.

A villain who left the Cavs at the alter in an unprofessional manner in 2010 by announcing his intentions to "take his talents to South Beach" to form a super team with the Miami Heat, James tried his damnedest to embrace the villain role while with his Heat teammates.

It didn't work, though.

Openly saying that he was dropping the whole act by year two in Miami, James heard the boos and felt the pressure every single day. But after winning his first title in 2012, he seemed to enjoy the game a lot more.

Upon his return to Cleveland in 2014, James gained fans back and finally, after winning the aforementioned championship for the city this past season, has regained the love from sports fans who saw him elevate his game to insane levels to knock off the Golden State Warriors.