5. Los Angeles Lakers
While the Spurs have, in recent years, become a popular team to dislike
in the NBA, the Lakers have tread that ground for decades now and show
little signs of relinquishing their status as a team fans love to hate.
Since the days of Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, the
team that originated in Minneapolis has enjoyed a great deal of on the
court success, but it is the flash and dazzle of the “Showtime” era
Lakers where haters emerged. With Coach Pat Riley at the helm and stars
like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy leading the
way, L.A. claimed five titles in the 1980s. But it wasn’t their
victories that drove basketball fans nuts. It was Pat Riley and his
slicked back hair, Kareem and his skyhook, Kurt Rambis and his crazy
dives across the court, and the coining of that dreaded term
“Three-Peat” that continues to resound like nails on a chalkboard to
old-school hoopheads. Yet newer fans have found plenty of reasons to
dislike the Lakers as well, in particular Kobe Bryant, his allegedly
selfish on-court play, his soap-opera like feuds with Shaquille O’Neal
and the ensuing tell-all book by former/current Lakers coach Phil
Jackson, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. And don’t even get us started on
Jack Nicholson and all the celebs who are constantly found at courtside,
as if the Staples Center and the Great Western Forum before it were the
center of their own personal press tours…
The Patriots are undoubtedly the fastest rising team among those that
sports fans love to hate. Under head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots
have won six AFC East titles and three Super Bowl championships since
2001. It was the 2008 season, however, with the Spygate incident and the
team’s quest for a perfect season that truly started to polarize fans
and draw Patriots haters out of the woodwork. On top of being cocky
cheaters in the eyes of many, they also have a sour, secretive coach in
Belichick that gives arguably the most boring press conference in the
history of professional sports, an arrogant pretty-boy quarterback in
Tom Brady and one of the dirtiest players in the game in Rodney
Harrison. No doubt then that there are a lot of people who cheer every
time they see New England losing on the scoreboard.
3. Dallas Cowboys
They have one of the most outspoken and obnoxious owners in the league
in Jerry Jones. They have Terrell Owens, a headline-grabbing wide
receiver who may well be the most talented player at his position in the
game, and isn’t shy about letting anyone who will listen know his
opinion of his ability. They have an upstart young quarterback who,
despite having a penchant for choking during the big games, somehow is
managing to date a beautiful pop diva, who in her own right seems to
make a lot of news on the sports page and tends to annoy people to no
end. They’ve have a history of players such as Michael Irvin and Erik
Williams, who have had a series of off the field problems. Worse than
all that, however, they have the audacity to call themselves “America’s
Team” as though people all over the country pull for them to win on
Sunday when, quite often, nothing could be further from the truth. Odds
are, if a person doesn’t absolutely love the Dallas Cowboys (and for
whatever reason, there are many who do), they number themselves among
those who love to hate this team.
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Topping the list is one of the most successful college football programs
of all time, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame has won more
consensus national championships and produced more All-Americans than
any other program in NCAA history, but it is not for their past
successes that they tend to draw the ire of a large number of fans. It
is because of their independent status and the benefits it has lead the
program to reap over the years. Notre Dame has a lucrative television
deal, currently with NBC, and because they have no conference
affiliation in football, they do not need to share the profits. In
addition, they choose their own schedule from top to bottom. They are
more likely to be invited to quality bowl games, even with a poor
record, because their fans travel well. The Irish have even managed to
be granted special treatment when it comes to the BCS, receiving an
automatic berth to a BCS bowl in they finish in the Top 8 of the
rankings. Furthermore, as the predominant Catholic institution (and one
of only two who play in the Football Bowl Subdivision), their conduct is
constantly under scrutiny, and when current head coach Charlie Weis was
recently quoted as saying “(Bleep) Michigan”, well, it certainly does
smack of hypocrisy.
1. New York Yankees
Of course, the Patriots are new to this whole “love to hate” thing. The
New York Yankees, on the other hand, are old pros. If it is indeed true
that success breeds contempt, than that certainly helps to explain, at
least in part, why people love seeing the Yankees struggle. New York has
won 26 World Series titles and 39 American League Pennants over the
course of the franchise’s life, and many of the game’s greatest players,
including Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig, have
helped to strengthen the club’s legacy. However, Yankee bashers are
quick to point out that it’s not simple envy that makes them hate the
Yankees. There are a lot of factors, obviously, but if you had to ask
most bashers what first made them dislike this team, odds are that their
answer would be George Steinbrenner. Steinbrenner changed managers 20
times in his first 23 years as the Yankees owner. He clashed with the
likes of Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson during the Bronx Zoo era. He
was even accused of making illegal campaign contributions to Richard
Nixon, and was once banned from baseball for hiring a gamble to dig up
dirt on Dave Winfield. George himself is not the sole reason why so many
people have a strong dislike for the Yankees, but his tactics sure
didn’t win over any skeptics.
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