10 Sports Villains We're Actually Going to Miss One Day
Admit it: You're going to miss Alex Rodriguez when he's finally gone from the sports news cycle.
Sure, what looks like attention-seeking behavior has made him rather unlikable over the years (as has that whole performance-enhancing drug business), but he has, for better or worse, become a fixture in sports news. It'll be odd without him for a while. (OK, OK—it'll also be a relief.)
Such is the case for each the following established and current sports villains. The jury is still out on young guys like Draymond Green, and LeBron James managed to shed his villain label when he brought a title to Cleveland, so those folks won’t fall into the “established and current” category.
Why will we miss them? Pure entertainment value to start. These villains give us something to talk about on a slow news day—something to debate. In some cases, they can actually be funny or clever despite their generally hated statuses.
There are plenty of villains who probably won't be missed—Roger Goodell, Hope Solo, Jonathan Papelbon. That said, each of the following 10 sports figures have at least one redeeming quality, even if it's only an ability to entertain with antics or bitmoji skills.
Who will be missed the most? That probably depends on your sport du jour, but the following is a best guess.
Lane Kiffin
1 of 10
Lane Kiffin has been one of college football's signature villains ever since he bailed on Tennessee for USC in 2010.
His string of failed coaching forays (a messy divorce with the Oakland Raiders in 2008, fired by USC in 2013) hasn't helped, nor has his demeanor.
In 2012, Robert Mays of Grantland wrote, "I don't know what it is about Lane Kiffin, but I can admit that it's something. Maybe it's the evasiveness that comes off as smugness. Maybe it's the smugness that comes off as smugness. Either way, there's an element to the way Kiffin handles himself that irks..."
Kiffin is a guy fans love to hate, but lately, he has (just maybe) started to endear himself with his use of Twitter. He has trolled Auburn and Tennessee and discovered bitmojis, much to the delight of the Internet.
Kiffin's winning ways as the offensive coordinator at Alabama probably won't earn him any supporters outside Tuscaloosa, but folks will eventually miss the ease with which they can mock him (right, Daniel Tosh? NSFW)—and probably that social media game, too.
Dwight Howard
2 of 10
Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard has worn the villain label since his rather ungraceful exit from the Orlando Magic in 2012.
Four years later, he still can't fight it. Howard bolted from the Los Angeles Lakers after one season and later struggled to jell with teammate James Harden on the Houston Rockets.
Still, Howard remains an intriguing figure. Once considered a top NBA player, time will tell if he can revive his career in Atlanta. Though his behavior has often appeared selfish, he can also be a jovial, funny guy. He was almost—dare I say—sympathetic in his response to Charles Barkley's question about why people hate him.
Howard, appearing on Inside the NBA in May, said, "I think I was very likable in Orlando, and the way the situation ended, I think people felt as though, I'm just this bad guy. I'm all about myself, I'm a diva, I'm stuck on being this famous basketball player," per Gavin Evans of Complex. That is some impressive self-awareness.
In a league full of strong personalities, Howard continues to provide intrigue, and for that, he'll be missed one day.
Justin Gatlin
3 of 10
American sprinter Justin Gatlin has been a lightning rod for controversy, particularly in the midst of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Gatlin has served two suspensions for doping—one in 2001 and a four-year ban that began in 2006. He was booed ahead of the 100-meter final in Rio, a race in which he finished second to Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.
Despite criticism from American swimmer Lilly King, Gatlin said, "I have come back and I've done what I need to do. I've worked hard, just like everybody else, and I get tested, just like everybody else," per Sean Deveney of Sporting News.
Gatlin has gained the villain status due to his history of drug-related discipline. Yet, despite the fact that Bolt usually edges him in head-to-head competition, Gatlin has also served as one of Bolt's biggest and only serious rivals over the years.
And what is a hero without a villain? Bolt has said Rio will be his last Olympics. Fans will miss him, the hero. But they'll also miss the yin to his yang in the controversial Gatlin. They'll miss the rivalry, even though it so often seemed one-sided.
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Milan Lucic
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Edmonton Oilers left winger Milan Lucic has a reputation for toughness, dirty plays, even.
He famously laid out then-Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller with a brutal hit in 2011. He disrespected the handshake line by talking trash to Dale Weise after a 2014 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. In January, he was suspended for sucker-punching opposing defenseman Kevin Connauton. So yeah, not exactly a squeaky clean record.
Dan Bradley of On the Forecheck wrote, "Milan Lucic is a villain, pure and simple. And in his role, which is the large guy who crashes the net and plays like a prison-league ringer at times, that works. He also has enough goals and points to command the respect of defenders across the league."
Walter McLaughlin of the Hockey Writers described him as a "hard-nosed, chirping, battering ram-styled player, the kind you love to hate..."
Lucic gives hockey fans something to debate and get riled up about—is his brazen style dirty, or is he simply tough? Either way, folks who appreciate aggressive hockey might just miss him when he's gone.
Cristiano Ronaldo
5 of 10
Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is fairly easy not to like. In 2014, Reed Johnson of the Wall Street Journal called him "soccer's perfect villain" and wrote:
"A longtime bête noire of the international soccer media, Ronaldo routinely gets chastised in the press for what is perceived to be his arrogance and preening self-regard. Although Ronaldo contends that his confidence is misconstrued as chest puffing, he seldom misses a chance to toot his own vuvuzela.
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During Euro 2016 alone, Ronaldo belittled a beloved Iceland team and threw a reporter's microphone into a lake.
And yet, there is something fascinating about the undeniably great player with immovable hair.
At minimum, folks will miss the never-ending Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi debate when retirement separates the two. They will likely miss Ronaldo's gorgeous goals and the chance to laugh at instances such as a moth landing on his face. They might even miss the incessant media coverage of his every move, if they're into that Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous sort of stuff.
Conor McGregor
6 of 10
Speaking of Cristiano Ronaldo, notorious UFC villain Conor McGregor recently said, "I'd slap the head off him," (and also called him a "nice guy," for what it's worth).
McGregor, though just 28 years old, has fast-tracked his way to sports heel status with rampant trash talking and outrageous statements.
In 2015, McGregor said at a Go Big press conference, "People are always saying about 'the talk and I talk and I talk and I talk'. But, guess f--kin' what? I back it up! I back it up!" per Adrian MacNair of MMA Mania.
From his back-and-forth with Floyd Mayweather to calling John Cena "fat" and prematurely tweeting about retirement, McGregor is never, ever boring.
Jason Diamond of Rolling Stone wrote, "Conor McGregor won't stop talking smack about the entire roster of WWE superstars, and it's perfect. It's really the kind of thing that's been missing from wrestling from far too long."
McGregor is a bully, but his is the type of personality that brings excitement, and folks will miss that one day.
Skip Bayless
7 of 10
In 2013, the Washington Post called Skip Bayless (now with Fox Sports) "the 'villain' of ESPN."
When he left for Fox in June, Bayless' former colleague Ryen Russillo said on his ESPN radio show, "The problem is when you disagree with Skip, you're not allowed to, and then he gets mad at you about it," per Sports Business Daily (via Mike Florio of NBC Sports). Sounds delightful.
The Twittersphere rejoiced upon the announcement of Bayless' imminent departure, which partly proves folks will not miss him when he's gone, but it also proves they care enough to tweet about it. It's like @DrSmooth_3 tweeted: "Last Skip Bayless first take ever. Happy because I'll never see him again, sad because I'm losing someone I love to hate."
And yet, his show with Stephen A. Smith (also a sort of villain we'll probably miss one day), ESPN's First Take, has generally boasted top ratings for the network.
No matter what anyone thinks of Bayless' "hot takes," they are still more interesting than boring takes, right? The phrase "love to hate" is telling, after all.
John Calipari
8 of 10
Whenever John Calipari retires, who is going to replace him as college basketball's poster boy for (perceived) apathy about graduation rates? Who will trumpet the one-and-done cause then?
The Kentucky coach certainly seems to do and say what he wants when he wants. He unabashedly trumpets the "one-and-done" philosophy, and in 2016, every one of his NBA draft-eligible players declared. He took a shot at Duke's recruiting tactics with an online essay in May and seemed to subtly call out Louisville's Rick Pitino over recent NCAA violation allegations in June.
And yet, he remains successful. Calipari led the Wildcats to a national title in 2012 and regularly pulls in impressive recruiting classes.
Christopher L. Gasper of the Boston Globe wrote, "Calipari is a winner, but he's probably never going to win everybody over."
Fans will miss Calipari because he embodies a different perspective and therefore spawns debate. (His willingness to say whatever is on his mind does that too.)
Bill Belichick
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If the New England Patriots are a notoriously hated team, then Bill Belichick is their fearless, villainous leader.
There are plenty of reasons to dislike Belichick—from the multiple cheating scandals to the less-than-congenial demeanor and, of course, all that winning. (It's a little easier to dislike a four-time Super Bowl champion head coach, for some reason.) Oh, and there was that time he reneged on his commitment to take over for his mentor, Bill Parcells, as coach of the New York Jets.
And yet, one has to admit, Belichick's sarcastic, Popovich-esque press conferences are pretty hilarious, right? Just recently, some poor reporter asked him if he would consider starting backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo upon Tom Brady's return from suspension in Week 5. Belichick's response, per ESPN's Adam Schefter: "Jesus Christ."
Also, the cutoff sweatshirt Halloween costumes just won't be quite as funny after Belichick retires.
Alex Rodriguez
10 of 10
Former New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez saw his career come to a screeching halt in mid-August, as his .200 batting average and a crop of talented youngsters motivated his team to oust him midseason.
Some might feel relief that the man who served the longest performance-enhancing drug suspension in MLB history is done with baseball. Others are probably skeptical that he actually is done. (Rumors of a trip to Miami are already rampant.)
And yet, whether it is 2016, 2017 or (gasp!) beyond, some folks will miss A-Rod when he's gone. He has been a staple sports villain for years—near the top of the list. Whatever anyone says about the man, they can't say his career was boring.
Rodriguez did manage to calm the hatred in his final months with the Yankees simply by staying out of the spotlight a little. Then again, Boston Red Sox fans reminded everyone of his status as they chanted his name at Fenway Park only to boo him mercilessly when he finally got into the game.
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