Alex Rodriguez and 5 Athletes Who Will Never Get the Monkey Off Their Backs

It doesn't make sense that people still consider Alex Rodriguez a choker. No matter what A-Rod does in the regular season or during the playoffs he will go down as a "choker."

If he goes 5-for-5 in a Yankees 2-1 loss, it's A-Rod not doing more to generate his hits into runs. If A-Rod goes 0-for-4 in a Yankees blow out, it's the Yankees bailing out A-Rod that day. 

Alex isn't the only athlete who has championships and individual awards and is still labeled as someone who doesn't come up with clutch hits in big moments. 

Take a look at the others who get the term "choker."

Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

Tony Romo is called a lot of things when people are describing him. One, is "Mud." What does that exactly mean?

It means that no matter what he does, people will look back at the times that he has failed in big spots and consider his play as that, mud. 

If Romo goes out and throws a 300-yard game and three touchdowns, BUT has one interception in the fourth quarter as he's leading his team on a game-saving drive, he's mud. 

If Romo has a game where he throws one touchdown and 150 yards, but zero interceptions and his Cowboys win 10-0, it's his team bailing out Romo after more mud play. 

Even if he wins a Super Bowl, he will not be able to escape this stigma as a choker in big spots. 

Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson, even after all of the PGA Tour and Major victories, is still labeled as a choker. It's an unfair criticism to one of the best golfers in the '00 era. He was the only golfer who was able to challenge Tiger Woods when the golfer was in his prime. 

But, if Phil is in a tournament leading in the final round, the commentators and public will be waiting for the Mickelson meltdown. 

LeBron James, Miami Heat

How many titles does LeBron James need to win before people get off his back as someone who cannot win a big game? Is it four...or five...or six...or seven?

Will he have to take his talents somewhere other than South Beach to get the public off his back?

He is the best player in the NBA, yet no matter how many individual awards James wins he will always be looked upon as a choke artist in the playoffs. 

When, or if, the NBA has a season this year, LeBron and this Miami Heat team will be the best team in the Eastern Conference and a big threat to make it back to the NBA Finals. If LeBron is the Finals MVP, will we finally stop calling him a choker? 

Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees

A-Rod is a multiple-time MVP award winner, he's won a World Series, he will be the Home Run King when he retires from the sport, and he will be the first known steroid user to make the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Yet, people still refer to Rodriguez as a choke artist. 

When the Yankees lost to the Tigers in the first round of the the playoffs, the blame didn't go to anyone else but Rodriguez. 

It's not right to put the failure of the Yankees season squarely on his shoulders. But, when you're the most talented player on your team, it makes it easy for everyone to point the finger at you. 

Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks

We close off this slideshow with Canada's biggest choker.

You can take everyone listed before Luongo, with all of the criticism thrown at them, and lob it all towards Luongo. That's how Canadians treat Luongo every hockey year. 

He's the person who is looked upon to return the Stanley Cup to Canada—even though he did win them a Gold Medal in the last Winter Olympics, not Sidney Crosby. 

But, if you ask Canucks fans who is responsible for the Canucks losing in the Stanley Cup Finals last year, they'll answer with Luongo. They'll forget that Luongo carried the team the entire year, as he has done every year he's played in Vancouver. 

If the Canucks win the Stanley Cup this year, the mentality from hockey fans will be, "What took you so long?"

Twitter: @tjmcaloon