# Forbes "Most Hated" Athletes **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 23, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258 "2010-06-23T18:15:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/1 "2010-06-23T18:15:05Z")
[NY Daily News article](http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/2010/06/22/2010-06-22_arod_tiger_woods_ben_roethlisberger_and_michael_vick_among_forbes_most_hated_ath.html). Mostly predictable names given events of the last few years. Michael Vick Kobe Bryant Ben Roethlisberger Alex Rodriguez Terrell Owens Tiger Woods? They have Jerry Jones listed, but I don’t consider him an athlete. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/2 "2010-06-23T18:21:27Z")
Does it have to be an active athlete? Because I, and almost everyone I know, hate Diego Maradona. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/3 "2010-06-23T18:28:48Z")
I’d add: Chris Pronger Sean Avery Chad Ochocinco ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/4 "2010-06-23T18:33:27Z")
No Albert Haynesworth? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/5 "2010-06-23T18:36:12Z")
> [@MD12](#): > > Does it have to be an active athlete? if it didn’t have McGwire on the list, I think it is a list of active athletes (or people involved in sports in the case of Jerry Jones and Al Davis) But then again, isn’t McGwire now a assistant coach? I would think that Barry Bonds would be on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/6 "2010-06-23T18:42:33Z")
Ochocinco? Really? I know some people think he’s a showboater and a shit-talker, but he never gets into legal trouble, is generally hilarious, and is well-liked by other players, who take his trash-talking in the playful manner in which it’s intended. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/7 "2010-06-23T18:47:42Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I’d add: > Chris Pronger > Sean Avery > Chad Ochocinco I don’t know, Avery seems like all kinds of awesome. Has he ever done anything illegal? He just seems like an IRL troll. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/8 "2010-06-23T19:45:37Z")
> [@MD12](#): > > Does it have to be an active athlete? > > Because I, and almost everyone I know, hate Diego Maradona. It’s most hated of 2010. So they don’t necessarily have to be active, but I imagine they have to have done something hate-worthy in the past year. Which is presumably how Roger Clemens just missed the cut. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/9 "2010-06-23T19:50:16Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I’d add: > Chris Pronger > Sean Avery > **Chad Ochocinco** A friend of mine went to a Japanese steakhouse in downtown Cincinnati about a year and a half ago. Chad came in alone, and was seated at a table with my friend and some other random people. He chatted with everyone and signed autographs. Then, he paid for lunch for the whole table of strangers! Not a bad guy. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/10 "2010-06-23T19:51:33Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > No Albert Haynesworth? [Cowboy fan] That would be a _Yes._ [/Cowboy fan] ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/11 "2010-06-23T21:02:46Z")
No Cristiano Ronaldo? Well, it is a U.S. newspaper… Seriously, I don’t hate him, nor any other sports personality, but damn if his persona isn’t one of the douche-iest. Double damn since he’s one of the most incredibly talented players of his generation, and doesn’t need to milk every call, flail from every collision, pop every collar, etc… He struck me as the living embodiment of the “[French Guy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suTrxVpKiaY)” from **Cheers**. (Start at the 4:10 mark) Surprised they had Gil Arenas on their list. While I think Arenas acted like a child, doing incredibly childish things (and potentially dangerous), not sure why that leads to him being hated. 'Course my local NBA team isn’t on the hook to pay him $60 million over the remainder of his contract either. Don’t get the hate for Ochocinco either; his schtick is at least clever, most of the time, and I don’t remember reading anything bad about him as a locker room guy (Unlike, say, Terrell Owens) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/12 "2010-06-23T21:51:46Z")
I’m surprised that Vick and Woods were voted higher than Ben Roethlisberger. Especially Tiger Woods. I’ll agree with Sean Avery. (My personal addition would be Alex Ovechkin.) (Read the comments – some loser actually wanted Obama to be on the list. Jesus.) ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/13 "2010-06-23T22:17:14Z")
> [@MD12](#): > > Does it have to be an active athlete? > > Because I, and almost everyone I know, hate Diego Maradona. I don’t know anyone who hates Maradonna - most view him as a bona fide legend IME, the greatest player of the modern era. He’s viewed in his current role as an erratic comedy figure who adds colour to the game. Again IME, it might be different in Argentina, say. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/14 "2010-06-23T23:22:49Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > I don’t know anyone who hates Maradonna - most view him as a bona fide legend IME, the greatest player of the modern era. He’s viewed in his current role as an erratic comedy figure who adds colour to the game. Again IME, it might be different in Argentina, say. Might have something to do with the [Hand of God](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina_v_England_(1986_FIFA_World_Cup_quarter-final)#.22Hand_of_God.22_goal) goal against England in the 86 World Cup. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/15 "2010-06-23T23:48:35Z")
I’m a HUGE Bengals fan and while I don’t necessarily love Chad Ochocinco and his antics, he isn’t a bad guy. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/16 "2010-06-24T03:40:44Z")
it just occurred to me that I should have made this a poll. Oh well maybe tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/17 "2010-06-24T04:53:11Z")
Neil O’Donnell. Even if he was dead, he’d be hated. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/18 "2010-06-24T08:22:04Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > No Cristiano Ronaldo? Well, it is a U.S. newspaper… Seriously, I don’t hate him, nor any other sports personality, but damn if his persona isn’t one of the douche-iest. Double damn since he’s one of the most incredibly talented players of his generation, and doesn’t need to milk every call, flail from every collision, pop every collar, etc… He struck me as the living embodiment of the “[French Guy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suTrxVpKiaY)” from **Cheers**. (Start at the 4:10 mark) [Fixed your link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suTrxVpKiaY#t=4m10s). Handy bit of code, that. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/19 "2010-06-24T10:54:33Z")
No [del]Scummi[/del] Schumacher? No hate for the Cheetah? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258/20 "2010-06-24T14:54:19Z")
I just watched the two famous/infamous goals against England by Maradonna in 1986. Damn, England, that’s gotta sting! Biggest weasel goal ever followed by greatest goal ever. He made you his bitch. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forbes-most-hated-athletes/544258.md?page=2)