The RSS Top 10 is back with our 10 Most Hated Teams in Sports. Duke's win last night got us thinking - where do they rank among the most despised of the disliked teams? The answer: pretty high. These teams are the most hated for a number of reasons, but a common theme is dominance at the top of their respective sports. Of course, since we're all about peace and love here, we don't endorse or promote real hate... only the good, healthy, fun kind of sports hate. It's good for the soul don't you know.
10. Chelsea and Manchester United - Soccer
-We start our list by looking worldwide across the pond to the top two teams in the EPL - Chelsea and Manchester United. Both teams are hated because of their recent dominance on the field, but mostly their billionaire owners off of it. Chelsea's Roman Abramovich has gone Steinbrenner on the soccer world trying to buy a Champions League title, but hasn't done it yet. Man U's owners, the Glazers of the Tampa Bay Bucs, have ridden the club with so much debt that the fans are showing up to games in green and gold scarves (above) instead of the traditional red to protest. Love United Hate Glazer signs can be seen all around Old Trafford. But, the hate doesn't have to stop there. Man U's manager Sir Alex Ferguson makes Coach K seem humble with the whining he does to the officials. For Chelsea, John Terry is the most hateable player in world soccer after his affair with the WAG of ex-teammate Wayne Bridge.
9. USC - College Football
-Maybe USC's sins are about to catch up with them, but since they're such an established powerhouse and cash cow, don't count on it. And that's why S.C. makes our list, they get to play by their own set of rules. From the nefarious recruiting scandals that have hovered over the program, to their hiring of the sleaziest Snake Oil Salesman of them all, Lane Kiffin, the Trojans are the antithesis of a program centered around student athletes. The favorite sons of Colin Cowherd and the West Coast elites don't get a pass from the majority of America just because they think they're cooler than everyone else, Snoop Dogg and Will Ferrell not withstanding. At least we were one of few that noted Pete Carroll being a hypocrite last season. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, USC did have the 2nd best team in college football in the last 50 years in 2005 according to ESPN's "experts"...too bad nobody told Texas. Yeah, maybe having USC shoved down our throats for an entire month added to their hatred around the country just a little bit.
8. SEC - College Football
-Many fans hate the SEC because of the perceived preferential treatment and fawning towards the conference from the media. Granted, the SEC has won 6 of 12 BCS Championships, but that only adds to the conference's hateability factor. Start with the sweetheart deal ESPN hatched with the SEC to help them start their own network...objectivity anyone? Add to that a healthy dose of some of the most dislikable and polarizing figures in sports: Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Steve Spurrier, and on and on, case in point:
Not just that, it's the fact that the SEC still acts like it has a chip on its shoulder, even though it's already so accomplished. Maybe someone should tell the almighty Southeastern Conference that its champion doesn't have a rite of passage to the BCS title game forever.
7. Los Angeles Lakers - NBA
-Pardon the pun, but the Lakers have been the gold standard for NBA hatred for much of their existence. Sure, they started out humbly as the Minneapolis Lakers behind gentle giant George Mikan. And from the championship standard of greatness set by the Showtime 80s to the current Kobe incarnation, it seems the Lakers always strive to be the best. Which is commendable, if they weren't so arrogant about it. From Jack Nicholson complaining about calls while wearing his trademark sunglasses indoors (real cool, Jack), to the surliness of Kobe and Phil, everything about the Lakers reeks of arrogance. The fact that most of their Hollywood fans go to their games to be seen rather than see a game is a big put off too. I don't think the old Forum was filled to capacity by Dustin Hoffman and his stupid camera or Dyan Cannon and her newest Botox injections between those championship eras, was it? That's why it's easy to hate the Lakers, they're the ultimate front-runners.
6. New England Patriots - NFL
-The Patriots are relative newbies to the most hated teams list, but they've entrenched themselves with the evil mastermind Bill Belichick running the show. Pre-hoodie, Belichick was a below average head coach with Cleveland, but for some reason he founded a dynasty in New England. He also became a surly, unlikeable figurehead for the Pats. There's also his QB Tom Brady, who gets the trophies and the supermodels. Men everywhere can be envious of that. But how did the Patriots become winners? We heard about the "Patriot way" for so many years and that this team did things the right way. Then... well, then the Spygate scandal tarnished the Patriot dynasty and made everyone skeptical of the Belichick Era. What followed was a bitter team running up the score for an entire season on their way to 16-0. Fortunately for Mercury Morris, there weren't many unhappy fans outside New England when the Giants ended their unbeaten hopes in SB XLII.
5. Boston Red Sox - MLB
-Red Sox Nation. Let me stab my eyes with a burning pitchfork. As Boston drew closer and closer to a World Series, the "Nation" came into the spotlight with such a "lovable" team and fanbase. There were parties, sappy stories, books, and even the predictable Jimmy Fallon/Drew Barrymore movie. Puh-lease. The Red Sox won their World Series and then a funny thing happened. The world figured out that the Red Sox were just as evil as the Yankees! The Sawx spend just about as much money and are just as privileged as their Northeastern neighbors. I know the comeback - at least the Sawx have Papi and Pedroia and Youk and Theo! Gag. With the Sawx 2nd World Title in 2007, they officially crossed into hateville as the Nation became insufferable. What makes your fanbase a "Nation" anyways? What does that even mean?? Do you walk into Fargo, ND or Mobile, AL and expect to see Sawx jerseys? Does Nashville Predator Nation exist yet? The Red Sox earn their spot because they think they're the little guy and everybody should love the Nation when really, they are as hateable as the dreaded Yankees (more on them in a bit).
4. Dallas Cowboys - NFL
-It was over 30 years ago when the Cowboys were christened America's Team. Sure, they maybe were the most popular team in the NFL back then, but that was before the Jerry Jones Era. Well, maybe Jerry's new billion dollar Palace in Dallas, with its Gladiator-esque doors and 8,000 foot videoscreen scream America more than anything. Seriously, how many starving children could that videoboard feed? The Cowboys make our list because they still think they're America's Team, even though no team is bigger than the NFL these days. Heck, the most watched TV program in history was just played between the Colts and the Saints!! From Michael Irvin and Primetime to Tony & Jessica and TO, the players haven't been easy to love either. Even their best player, Emmitt Smith, referred to his last year in Big D as being a "diamond surrounded by trash." Stay classy.
3. Notre Dame - College Football
-Perhaps more of an old school choice, Notre Dame still makes our list because their hatred is so deep-seeded around the country. Especially here in the Midwest, you either love or hate the Irish, there's no middle ground. The sad thing about Notre Dame is that they don't realize time has passed them by. They still think they're the best in the sport because of Knute Rockne and the Four Horsemen and Lou Holtz...but their last national title was 1988! They've won one bowl game, one, since 1994! It doesn't matter any more that the Irish have their own TV network to prop them up (NBC) or that they see themselves as above joining a conference. If they didn't have these false pillars of strength, they'd be forgotten. But because they're the Irish, and only because they're the Irish, they are the still a part of the national conversation, which is why they're still hated with a passion by people who just wish they'd go away!
2. New York Yankees - MLB
-The Evil Empire, doesn't that say it all? They spend more than everyone else, think they're better than everyone else, and expect the world to revolve around them from March to November. Their owner isn't just George Steinbrenner...he's the Boss! His son and apparent heir Hank seems as if he hasn't fallen too far from the tree either. Check out this gem:
"Red Sox Nation?" What a bunch of [expletive] that is," he said in an interview with The New York Times' Play magazine. "That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans. "Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."
I guess I forgot to wake up this morning and pledge my allegiance to the Yankees. I also forgot that MLB only had two teams you could root for, the Yanks or the Sawx. That's the worst part about the Yankees and their fans...it's like there's something wrong with you if you're not a fan of the mighty Yankees or consumed by their war with the Red Sox. Little do they know, there's a big wide world outside little old New York City, which also includes other professional baseball teams! It's so easy for anyone (say, LeBron James) to thrown on a Yankees cap, claim to be a lifelong fan, and show themselves as a phony bandwaggoner. Perhaps no other team on this list has such a rich history of hatred from other fans. Although I guess 27 World Championships will do that, as sickening as it is. I mean, how many teams have a play written about the hatred for them...it's surprising Damn Yankees isn't the longest running show in history, it could sell out across the country 12 months a year!
1. Duke Blue Devils - College Basketball
-Maybe a surpise choice, but with their soul-crushing defeat of Butler last night, it's only fitting that the Dukies claim the top spot in our countdown. Come on, anyone can hate the Yankees. We detailed 5 reasons why it was ok to hate Duke here last week, and those reasons apply here. It could be stories of how arrogant Coach K really is (he said he was most excited about 2 private schools playing for the title, huh?), the arrogant players that have come through the pipeline like JJ Redick, Dick Vitale, or the fact that they never get any calls... except the ones they always get. Hey, who else but Duke could win a title and then directly have F&#k ____ as a Twitter trending topic.
But, what places Duke above the rest is that you and I, average sports fans, are told by everyone else that we shouldn't hate Duke. That sentiment in the media is exclusive to Duke on this list. We're told we should love Duke because they play the right way and go to school amongst other courageous activities. How could anyone hate such a fine program? If anything makes you want to hate a team even more, it is people telling you that you can't hate them. So hate away Duke haters... there's always next year.
Honorable Mention: Ohio State (football), Michigan (football), Boston Celtics (NBA), Canada (Olympic Hockey), Mexico (Soccer), North Carolina (basketball), Kansas (basketball), UConn (women's basketball), Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR), Jeff Gordon (NASCAR)
