Kyle Busch and the 10 Most Hated Athletes in Sports Today
For all the success he's had in NASCAR, Kyle Busch is a hated man.
Fans hate him because of his aggressive driving, his new reality show, and because, well, he just seems like a bit of a prick.
But is Busch the most hated man in America? Does he even crack the top 10? Here's a list of the athletes we love to hate.
10. Terrell Owens
1 of 10
Why Do People Hate Him? Believe it or not, it's not because of his on-field antics, like the sharpie, the popcorn, or kneeling on the star; we've put up with that kind of stuff from Chad Ochocinco for years now.
No, With Owens, the issue is that he's managed to piss off fan bases in three different cities, by verbally decapitating coaches and quarterbacks.
It's how quickly he throws teammates under the bus and his "me-first" attitude.
It's the fact that he goes so quickly from fun T.O. to surly T.O. when he doesn't get the ball thrown his way enough, and his seeming inability to hang on to the ball when he's not in the end zone.
That's why America hates Terrell Owens.
How He Can Fix it: Stick to the popcorn and sharpies like Ochocinco does, and don't throw teammates under the bus anymore.
9. Sidney Crosby
2 of 10
Why Do We Hate Him? To be honest, this one confuses me—I love The Kid.
But there's a significant chunk of the American population who cannot stand Sidney Crosby.
They think he's a petulant, whiny little kid, who flops and doesn't try when he's supposed to and gets pouty when he doesn't get the puck enough.
They hate that he's from Canada and scored the game-winning goal to give the Maple Leafers a gold medal over, guess who? That would be the Americans.
But mostly, they hate that his team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, seems to beat their team more often than not.
And if he played for their team, they'd love him.
How He Can Fix it: Stop flopping for calls, even though most of the time the penalty's deserved.
Play your hardest, even in a meaningless game against Florida in January.
Mostly, just keep scoring goals.
The love will come eventually, Sidney. I promise.
8. Kyle Busch
3 of 10
Why Do We Hate Him? This isn't the first time that a racer has drawn the ire of NASCAR's fan base. It started with Jeff Gordon, who was replaced by Jimmie Johnson, who has been replaced by Busch. But Busch differs from those two in that he's not hated because of his success.
Fans don't like Kyle Busch because they see him as one of the most hotheaded, immature racers in NASCAR. He routinely spins guys out with his risky tactics, seems to only care about winning, and just pushes people's buttons.
If that sounds like Dale Earnhardt to you, it's because the two are very similar.
But NASCAR faithful worship Dale, and loathe Busch. Go figure.
How He Can Fix it: Grow up a bit on the track. Don't spin people out as much, and when you do, keep your mouth shut to the media about it. Don't whine and complain when someone puts you in the wall.
And winning a championship would probably help a bit.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
7. Alex Rodriguez
4 of 10
Why Do We Hate Him? Everywhere he's played, people have hated Alex Rodriguez.
Some of it stems from his ridiculous nickname (A-Rod? Seriously?), some of it stems from his incredible talent, which he never seemed to fully tap. Most of it comes from the obscene contract he signed in Texas and the fact that he admitted to taking steroids while with the Rangers.
My theory? I think people hate A-Rod because he's not cool, and we want him to be. Derek Jeter's cool. Albert Pujols is cool. Ken Griffey Jr. seemed to be cool.
A-Rod? Kind of a tool. Tries way too hard to be liked and loved. So, we hate him instead.
How He Can Fix it: Stop trying so darned hard to get us to love you and just play some good, hard baseball. And don't pull anymore bush league crap like cutting across the mound or slapping someone's glove out of the way to prevent a tag.
Maybe then, we won't hate you so much.
6. Tiger Woods
5 of 10
Why Do We Hate Him? Because he seemed like a robot for so many years, incapable of emotion off the course, but doing nothing but win on it.
Because he cheated on his incredibly beautiful Swedish model wife who loved kids with trashy women who looked faker than Joan Rivers, or worked at Denny's.
Needless to say, it's the second part of that paragraph that bugs people more than the first. Seriously, dude! SWEDISH MODEL WIFE. What the hell?!
How He Can Fix it: Win again. Win a lot. Laugh and smile and have fun with life. If people see that you're enjoying yourself, they might take a liking to you. And they'd be willing to forgive some of your transgressions. Maybe.
5. LeBron James
6 of 10
Why Do We Hate Him? Two words: The. Decision.
Anytime you think it's a good idea to rip out an entire city's heart on national TV because you want to play basketball with your friends and live the high life on South Beach, it's going to piss people off. Plus, it showed that he doesn't want to be "The Man," and whenever a supremely talented athlete shuns that role, we tend not to like him.
Have fun getting booed mercilessly everywhere you go this season, LeBron.
How He Can Fix it: Win titles. Lots of titles. Make everyone outside of Ohio forget about what you did. Otherwise, no one will love LeBron anymore.
4. Michael Vick
7 of 10
Why Do We Hate Him? For all the talent Vick has, both throwing and running the football, he's never been able to fully harness it. He's a player who has failed to live up to the incredible expectations we placed on him, and we don't tend to like guys who don't meet the hype, even if the hype is a little excessive.
Oh, and the whole "dogfighting" thing might have played a small role. We tend not to like people who mess with dogs, especially in a practice as brutal and cruel as dogfighting.
How He Can Fix it: Lots of pictures hugging and playing with dogs, followed by him leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl victory Donovan McNabb never could.
Then, on national TV, he announces that he's donating his Super Bowl bonus to the ASPCA, and that he's starting a charity for the rehabilitation of dogs involved in fighting rings.
3. Kobe Bryant
8 of 10
Why Do We Hate Him? Kobe is an interesting case of hatred—he wanted to be "The Man" so badly, he chased one of the top 20 players ever out of L.A. so he could be the leader. But we hate him for that.
We also hate him for being a sulky, petulant superstar, who pouted on occasion when he didn't get the ball.
We hate him because this whole "Look, I love my teammate" routine seems like just an act.
And, the big one, we hate him for the incident that happened in Colorado in 2003.
How He Can Fix it: Let LeBron keep doing his thing, while Kobe keeps his head down. At the rate King James is going, Kobe won't be the most hated superstar in the NBA much longer.
Although, giving money to a charity and actually appreciating his teammates would help too.
2. Barry Bonds
9 of 10
Why Do We Hate Him? Do you know what's impressive? Bonds hasn't played a game since 2007, but we still hate him enough to put him second on this list. Bonds holds the record for most home runs in a season and most career home runs, but it is widely believed that those records were obtained through the use of HGH and steroids.
So, we have a special kind of hatred for Barry. Add to that his surly demeanor towards the media and his disdain for his teammates, and you've got a special kind of hatred from the general public.
How He Can Fix it: Unlike everyone else on this list, I don't think Bonds can right these wrongs. Even if he owns up and gives the records back, it won't change what he did. People will just always hate Barry Bonds.
1. Ben Roethlisberger
10 of 10
Why Do We Hate Him? Well, mostly because his lifestyle pre-suspension seemed to embody everything we hate about superstar athletes. He demanded free food from restaurants, expected special treatment, partied hard, and made some terrible decisions.
The biggest reason? Happened in Georgia earlier this year. If you want to piss off the general public, sexual assault and rape are a good way to do it. Even if nothing happened, the allegations were enough to make Big Ben the most hated athlete in America.
How He Can Fix it: Keep his nose clean. If Ben stays out of trouble the rest of his career, this will all be forgotten, to an extent. But, all it takes is one more incident, one more black mark, and the public could turn against him for good.
So, there's still hope for you, Ben. But watch your step.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
