Lance Armstrong and Manti Te’o, the two men whose bizarre tales of lies and betrayals crossed paths last month, were named the most disliked athletes in America[1]. The distinctions comes via a Forbes survey conducted by Nielsen/E-Poll that found Armstrong and Te’o appealed to only 15% of the public.
There are two issues with the findings:
1. Armstrong is no longer an athlete. Forbes explained it like this: “Armstrong is now barred from officially sanctioned events, but still competes as an athlete, hence formna all practical purposes he is active.” So can we get Willie Mays on the list because he threw out a first pitch last year? Or, more appropriately for the most disliked list, what about OJ? Surely he’s played some bocce in the prison yard.
ARMSTRONG’S ATTORNEY: Lance won’t pay back bonus money[2]
2. Do people dislike Te’o or do they just not like him? There’s a distinction in those words. There are foods I don’t like (cauliflower or tomatoes, for me) but can eat if necessary. Then there are foods I won’t touch (clams and mussels). I don’t like the former. I dislike the latter. Te’o, I think, is not liked. I don’t think too many people are actively hating on him. Armstrong, on the other hand, is disliked.
MANTI TE’O: Complete coverage of the girlfriend hoax[3]
Tiger Woods was third (19% appeal rating) in the poll, ahead of Jay Cutler (21%) and Metta World Peace (21%). Michael Vick (23%), last year’s most disliked athlete, was No. 7, right behind Alex Rodriguez (22%). Tony Romo and Kobe Bryant also made the ignominious list.
NIGHTENGALE: The ‘ugly’ story A-Rod, others must confront[4]
Cutler likely suffers from the same poll bias as Te’o. He doesn’t seem to be disliked as much as he seems to be unliked. How could Michael Vick be less disliked than a guy whose biggest crimes are pouting on the sideline and shouting at his offensive linemen.
Athletes who fell off the list include LeBron James (Nike finally wore you down, America), Plaxico Burress (what did he even do again?) Ndamukong Suh (hard to be disliked when no one cares any more) and Terrell Owens (same).
PHOTOS: THE FULL LIST OF MOST DISLIKED ATHLETES IN AMERICA
References
- ^ http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomvanriper/2013/02/05/americas-10-most-disliked-athletes/ (www.forbes.com)
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/cycling/2013/02/04/lance-armstrong-wont-pay-back-bonus-money/1890933/ (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/topic/d460b578-e191-4e1f-bb7c-957e01c4e031/manti-teo-girlfriend-hoax/ (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2013/02/05/alex-rodriguez-mlb-performance-enhancing-drugs-spring-training/1893317/ (www.usatoday.com)
