It's that time of year again folks. Forbes has released its annual list of the "Most Disliked Athletes In America," and I wasn't at all surprised to see the names that came in on their top 10. But that doesn't mean that I agree with whose on the list or their standing. So, I've to decided to go through each name, in order, and give my take on why this person does or does not belong here. I'll also re-rank names as I see fit. This is a two-part list and tomorrow's will feature Mr.
Alex Rodriguez.
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| Erich Schlegel/Corbis |
1. Michael Vick - I know that we live in a society where the abuse of animals is simply not tolerated, and for that reason, Vick absolutely belongs on this list. But at number one? Seriously? This is a guy who did his time for his treatment of dogs, and came back humble and fully aware of the scope of his crime. He came back as the undeniable leader of the Philadelphia Eagles and continues to carry himself as a young man whose trying to do better. If he were cocky and arrogant like many athletes are, I would be okay with this. But forgiveness is a virtue, and it's time to bestow some on Vick.
Bomber Boulevard Ranking: 10
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| AP |
2. Tiger Woods - My question here is, what are people really mad at? Are they mad because he cheated on his wife? Are they mad because he lived every man's fantasy and cheated with droves of women? Or are they mad because he shattered their image of the perfect guy and perfect athlete? Let's be real here folks. Our idols fall under the ridiculous standards that we create for them. No man, or woman for that matter, is perfect. Because Tiger was so great for so long, many of us held him to the standard of a God. The problem with that is, he's human, and when he makes a mistake--a very big mistake--the disappointment stings something horrible. But should Tiger have to suffer for our failing to recognize him as just a man? No. I think his biggest mistake was getting married in the first place. We tend not to care so much about our idols being "playboys" when they remain single. Derek Jeter, anyone?
Bomber Boulevard Ranking: 6 (because what he did just wasn't cool)
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| Getty Images |
3. Plaxico Burress - I'm really at odds with this one. I'm a Giants fan, hence, I'm a Plaxico fan. I can't stress enough how big he was for the Giants when they made that fantastic run in 2007. So when news of his "shooting" came, I wasn't thrilled. To see a young man with his talent and at the height of what looked to be a fantastic career, do something stupid like carrying an illegal weapon in a NYC night club? Sheesh. Didn't he get the memo:
Mike Bloomberg ain't tolerating that here! So yes, I can understand the disappointment, but to end up 3rd on this list over that? Come on. We know that there are worst things an athlete can do.
Bomber Boulevard Ranking: Somewhere between 10 and 20
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4. Ndamukong Suh - The superstar defensive tackle of the Detroit Lions may have tarnished his "nice, humble guy" image after stomping a Green Bay offensive lineman in the chest on Thanksgiving Day. What makes this even worse is that Suh has yet to acknowledge that he actually did what the rest of us saw, and continues to say that he was just trying to get out of the way. Really? I don't like this guy, for this reason and because of other incidents Suh was guilty of during the season. The Lions suddenly became an actual football team in 2011, mainly due to their great defense, and I just think it all went to Suh's head. And to step into the chest of another man with cleats on...you just don't do that.
Bomber Boulevard Ranking: 1
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| Getty Images |
5. Kris Humphries -
Kris is exactly where he belongs on this list. Why? Because he should have realized that he would be no match for Kim Kardashian's alter ego. The seemingly polite and humble Kim, is actually very spoiled, very selfish and somewhat narcissistic. Watching this past season of
Kourtney and Kim Take New York was likely watching a train wreck between these two in slow motion. Kim wanted everything her way and Kris did everything possible to not give in and retain his "man card." This was a marriage made for good reality TV, but at the end of the day, it's a marriage not suitable for real life. Humphries let himself get sucked into the Kardashian whirlwind because he simply wasn't paying attention. Kim is a serial athlete stalker, and like a serial killer, she gets her kicks and then moves on to the next victim. And besides, no one really knew Humphries before he became "Mr. Kardashian" anyway, so disliking him here is pretty easy.
Stay tuned tomorrow for "Most Disliked Athletes in America" numbers 6 thru 10.
Follow Rasheeda Cooper on
twitter: @ra_cooper
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