10 Sports Stars Fans Had Beef with in 2016
Fans always have beef.
There's warranted beef, like disliking a player on a rival team. For instance, a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers disliking Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill—who tried to rip up the Terrible Towel over the weekend—makes plenty of sense.
Then there is the unwarranted beef, the fans who turn against their own players. Oh, and don't forget fantasy sports enthusiasts who go wild on real people because of grievances in the fantasy realm.
The following list has a little bit of everything, as these athletes stumbled and caused angst from observers of their own team and beyond.
Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals
1 of 10
What happened?
The above best describes Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, the guy who looked like an MVP candidate with the Bengals before calling it quits and eventually reviving himself with the Cardinals.
It's not hard to figure out why Cardinals fans have beef with the veteran. He threw for 4,671 yards and 35 scores against 11 picks last year. In three fewer games this year, Palmer has 3,694 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
In the fantasy realm at ESPN.com standard leagues, Palmer has only scored 179 points compared to a whopping 300 in 2015.
It looks like time has caught up with Palmer, 36, which has many justifiably irritated.
Jose Bautista, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
2 of 10
It had to happen sooner or later.
Since joining the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009, Jose Bautista has been a power hitter of much renown, slamming homers and loading the RBI stat sheet, totaling 100 or more of the former in four of his eight years with the team.
Bautista fell off the map from a statistical standpoint last season. In 2015, he hit .250/.377/.536 with 40 homers and 114 RBI.
Flash forward to 2016, where Bautista landed at .234/.366/.452 with only 22 home runs and 69 RBI.
Some of this probably got lost in Toronto's deep run in the playoffs, but those who follow the Blue Jays closely or count on Bautista for fantasy production couldn't do anything but throw their hands up in the air.
Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3 of 10
If somebody told you the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in the playoff hunt, the mind would go right to wondering what a monster season Doug Martin is having.
Whoops.
Martin was one of the best comeback stories in sports in 2015, rushing for 1,402 yards and six scores on a 4.9 yards-per-carry average after years of mediocre production thanks to injuries.
Fans—and especially fantasy owners—know the rest. Everyone got their hopes up, only for Martin to appear in eight games as of this writing, boasting 421 yards and three scores on a 2.9 per-carry average. To stress how miserable this is, he has five games on the year with 15 or more carries in which he's gained less than three yards per carry.
Fans have to wonder how great the team could look if Martin was his usual self. Fantasy owners have to be pulling their hair out after likely spending a high pick on him.
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Derrick Rose, PG New York Knicks
4 of 10
Where to start with New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose?
Chicago Bulls fans had beef with the veteran last year because he actually managed to suit up for 66 games. One problem—he only averaged 16.4 points and 4.7 assists on 42.7 percent shooting from the floor.
Knicks fans now have beef with Rose because through 23 games with his new team he's only averaging the same 16.4 points with 4.4 assists. The idea Rose's numbers would skyrocket once on the floor with Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis while running a Phil Jackson offense went the way of the dinosaur in a hurry.
Then there are fantasy owners, folks still angry Rose isn't the MVP player he used to be. So in a nutshell, Rose has caused beef with the three basketball-related groups who have ever loved him in the span of a year, which is rather impressive.
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans
5 of 10
For two years, Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins lit the world on fire.
Hopkins looked like a breakout stud during those campaigns, going for 1,210 yards and six scores in 2014, then 1,521 and 11 the year after.
Then 2016 happened. Folks will blame $72 million supposed franchise quarterback Brock Osweiler, who just got benched for Tom Savage. But it's no excuse for Nuk's 68 catches on a whopping 133 targets, good for only 788 yards and four touchdowns. In fantasy terms, he scored 211 points in ESPN.com standard fantasy leagues in 2015, with just 88 so far in 2016.
Countless examples of top-tier wideouts overcoming bad quarterbacks to produce strong numbers exist over the last few years alone. Nuk simply hasn't been a No. 1 wideout for Texans fans or fantasy owners.
Pau Gasol, C, San Antonio Spurs
6 of 10
Tim Duncan ain't walking back through that door, folks.
Pau Gasol is a little like Rose—he's angered three different groups in the span of a year.
Gasol, NBA champion and one of the best of his generation, fizzled out over two years with the Bulls. His presence down low didn't help much and fantasy owners got burnt both years.
The San Antonio Spurs had hoped bringing on Gasol would solve some issues down low. But over 26.3 minutes per game, he's averaging 11.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks, down from 16.5, 11.0 and 2.0 the year prior.
Granted, San Antonio spreads the ball around more, but don't tell that to fantasy owners and Spurs fans who hoped for a stat-producing center.
Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers
7 of 10
See, there's zero quarterback excuse for Randall Cobb.
Cobb plays with Aaron Rodgers in the Green Bay Packers' prolific attack yet continues to come up short of what fans and fantasy strategists expect.
At the least, Cobb totaled 79 catches for 829 yards and six scores in 2015. He's seen smaller usage rates in 2016 through 13 games, where he has just 60 grabs for 610 yards and four scores.
Cobb drives many mad because they know what he's capable of after his 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014. Until he realizes his immense potential again, certain folks are bound to have beef with him.
Mark Teixeira, 1B, New York Yankees
8 of 10
New York Yankees fans and fantasy owners expecting a huge retirement goodbye gift from Mark Teixeira didn't get it.
Not even close, either.
Teixeira, the owner of a rather amazing career, halved his home run production and took a dip in most statistical categories in 2016 despite appearing in more games than the year prior.
In 2015, the former Georgia Tech star hit .255/.357/.548 with 31 homers and 79 RBI. Over five more games in 2016, Teixeira went for .204/.292/.362 with 15 homers and 44 RBI.
It's difficult to have too much beef with a guy who decided to call it a career, but Yankees fans and fantasy owners will consider it a form of tough love.
Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers
9 of 10
Fans can even find a way to have beef with a future Hall of Famer.
A trailblazer at his position, San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates has found himself replaced by a rookie in 2016.
Over 12 games, Gates only has 40 catches for 399 yards and five touchdowns. Even without injured names such as Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has decided to go to rookie tight end Hunter Henry instead, who has 49 catches for 435 yards and seven scores.
Maybe this speaks more to the fact the Chargers have already found the next Gates, but it's hard to find too much blame with those who take up a bit of beef with the modern legend.
Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams
10 of 10
Mired behind a struggling offensive line and in an organization that already canned its head coach before the season ended, Todd Gurley doesn't have much room to operate.
The Los Angeles Rams' lead back has 778 yards and five touchdowns on a 3.2 yards-per-carry average this year. Given the circumstances, this wouldn't be as big of a deal, except Gurley pounded out 1,106 yards and 10 scores as a rookie on fewer carries.
This sophomore slump even had a Twitter user publicly challenging Gurley to a fight over his fantasy production, to which Gurley simply said "Pull up then."
Short, sweet and to the point. Fans have beef with Gurley and it's justified, though the boundaries of said beef must remain clear.
Alas, Gurley sounds like a guy ready to get after it next year and make sure it doesn't happen again.
Stats and information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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