Top 10 Most Unsporting Sportspeople
A pity then, that some sportspeople never learned that lesson. If things don’t go their worse, there’s still shoving and pushing, some name calling and quite possibly some tears. Find out who the worst losers are in our Top 10 Most Unsporting Sportspeople.
10. Eric Cantona
The Frenchman may nowadays be calm and sophisticated, dallying in acting, but during his soccer career he was legendary for his temper, as well as his ball skills. Even when playing with his first professional side – Auxerre – he memorably performed an assassin tackle on an opposing team member, and punched his own goalkeeper in the face.
However, his defining moment came in 1995, when he was playing for British side Manchester United. After kicking a defender from Crystal Palace, the other team, he launched an extraordinary attack on a Crystal Palace fan in the crowd, with first a kung-fu style kick, followed by a volley of punches. It earned him an 8-month ban and a 2-week prison sentence (later overturned). He justified it at a press conference by saying “”When the seagulls follow the trawler, it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you very much”. Something must have been lost in translation there…
9. David J. “Dave” Hanson
A legend within his own sport (ice hockey), Dave Hanson was so popular that he even appeared in hit ice hockey film “Slap Shot“, described on the box as “One of the top ten sports movies ever!”. In it, a failing ice hockey team resort to violence to win their matches rather than skill. And, for Hanson, that would soon translate to the arena.
Ice hockey is notorious for its violence anyway, but this particular incident lives on in history. Hanson was playing for the Birmingham Bulls and got into a fight with one of the Winnipeg Jets, the “Golden Jet” Bobby Hull. As they fought, Hanson’s fist got entangled with Hull’s wig, pulling it off. The perceived insult to their hero led to Jets fans trying to assault Hanson on the way out of the arena. Luckily, Hanson lived to tell the tale – in his case, a book called “Slap Shot Original”.
8. Toni Merkens
The 1936 Olympics left a bad taste in the mouth for many reasons. It was held in Berlin, three years after Hitler’s rise to power, at a time when it was already becoming apparent just how malevolent a dictator he might be. After all, he had already annexed the Rhineland earlier that year, and had called on the Olympic organizers to exclude Black and Jewish athletes. It was probably one of the most uncomfortable sporting events ever held.
So, it was almost a bit of light relief when there was a scuffle on the cycling track between German Toni Merkens and Dutchman Arie van Vlie. And by scuffle, I mean that Merkens rode directly into van Vlie, pushing him up the banks. Van Vlie signalled to officials that there’d been a foul, but officials didn’t do much, allowing Merkens to go on to win gold. He was later fined a token sum of 100 Reichmarks, but allowed to keep the medal.
7. Wayne Rooney
British soccer player Wayne Rooney has held a few records in his career – England’s youngest goalscorer for one – but he’s probably not too proud of his record as England’s most red-carded player. He has been sent off twice in international games – once for stamping on Portugal’s defender Ricardo Carvalho right in front of the referee, and the other for a rough tackle on Miodrag Džudović of Montenegro in a qualifier for the Euro 2012 tournament. Rooney was given a 3-match ban, which would see him missing the group stages of Euro 2012 but it was reduced to two matches after appeals from Rooney, the FA and even Džudović. The Montenegro player obviously knows something about sportmanship!
6. Zinedine Zidane
Another international championship, another disgraceful performance. This time it was a French soccer player who had been called out of retirement to captain his side in the 2006 World Cup. France made it all the way to the final against Italy, and the match was in nail-biting extra time when Zidane suddenly headbutted Marco Materazzi in the chest. He was sent off, just a few minutes shy of finishing his career, possibly with a World Cup win.
There was general bemusement at his actions, until it was revealed that Materazzi had insulted Zidane’s mother and sister, enraging Zidane into the headbutt. It’s not known exactly what was said but it certainly wasn’t “son of a terrorist whore” – Materazzi sued British tabloids, including The Sun, when they alleged he had said that. Unsporting behavior all round!
5. Serena Williams
Just to prove that it’s not only men who have tempers, here’s the volatile tennis star. Serena, who was trained as a tennis player almost from birth, has been known to lose her cool on several occasions, including the 2004 US Open, where a poor decision from the umpire led to opponent Jennifer Capriati winning the match.
5 years later, Williams was back at the US Open, this time playing Kim Clijsters. She lost a set and slammed her racquet down on the court, for which she was given a warning. After a foot fault, 2 points were awarded to Clijsters at which point Williams started yelling profanities at the lineswoman, at one point saying “”I didn’t say I would kill you. Are you serious?”. Following the incident, she refused to apologize for two days and was fined a massive amount, as well as being put on probation for 2 years. She narrowly escaped breaking her probation after another torrent of abuse towards an umpire during the 2011 US Open. With great talent comes great temper…
4. Diego Maradona
Considered by many to be the best player ever, Argentinian Maradona is possibly also the most controversial player ever. Known for his “hand of God” handball that led to a goal in the 1986 World Cup match against England, he was also known for his firey manners off the pitch. Even as a coach, he still got into trouble for his outbursts – he was banned from soccer for two months in 2008 after a tirade filled with expletives followed a loss to Uruguay. You can even buy t-shirts with his chosen phrase on it (“They can suck it and carry on sucking it”). Brilliant on the pitch, outrageous off it but the one thing Maradona has never been is boring.
3. Fred Lorz
Now, here’s a piece of bad sportmanship that’s worthy of Dick Dastardly himself. One of the first ever Olympics (1904) saw a spectacular cheat by marathon runner Fred Lorz. At the 9-mile mark, he hopped into his manager’s car and cruised all the way to 20 miles before getting back out and claiming the victory. Some accounts say he only left the car after it broke down, but one thing is clear – no-one believed that he had run the whole thing, when he looked much fresher than the half-dead, strychnine-laced Thomas Hicks who was the first legitimate runner to cross the line. It was, at least, sporting to admit defeat.
2. Luis Suarez
Yet another soccer player who hit the headlines recently for incredibly bad conduct. The Uruguayan was representing Liverpool in a home match against Chelsea, when he got into an altercation with defender Branislav Ivanovic…and bit him. He was banned for 10 games and fined, but the bite has shocked the sporting world.
Suarez also got into trouble in 2011 when he racially abused Patrice Evra, of Manchester United. He argued with him, calling him “negro” in an exchange which “damaged the image of English football around the world”. He’s one to watch out for, and not just because of his ball skills…
1. John McEnroe
Nicknamed “SuperBrat” by one newspaper, McEnroe is possibly the worst-tempered sportsman ever. He frequently clashed with officials and umpires. His most notable explosion came during Wimbledon 1981, when he first used the phrase “you cannot be serious” after an umpire’s decision. He also called Ted James “the pits of the world”. He was fined, and also denied membership of the All England Club, which traditionally grants honorary membership to all champions.
The controversy didn’t end there. Four years later, he launched another attack on an umpire, saying “Answer my question! The question, jerk!” then slamming his racquet into a juice cart. After that he was suspended for 21 days, having already been fined so much over his behavior he couldn’t be fined any more. He retired in 1992, although he still plays occasionally and seems to have mellowed a bit – sometimes he even makes fun of himself. But don’t get on the wrong side of him….
5. Serena Williams
Just to prove that it’s not only men who have tempers, here’s the volatile tennis star. Serena, who was trained as a tennis player almost from birth, has been known to lose her cool on several occasions, including the 2004 US Open, where a poor decision from the umpire led to opponent Jennifer Capriati winning the match.
5 years later, Williams was back at the US Open, this time playing Kim Clijsters. She lost a set and slammed her racquet down on the court, for which she was given a warning. After a foot fault, 2 points were awarded to Clijsters at which point Williams started yelling profanities at the lineswoman, at one point saying “”I didn’t say I would kill you. Are you serious?”. Following the incident, she refused to apologize for two days and was fined a massive amount, as well as being put on probation for 2 years. She narrowly escaped breaking her probation after another torrent of abuse towards an umpire during the 2011 US Open. With great talent comes great temper…
4. Diego Maradona
Considered by many to be the best player ever, Argentinian Maradona is possibly also the most controversial player ever. Known for his “hand of God” handball that led to a goal in the 1986 World Cup match against England, he was also known for his firey manners off the pitch. Even as a coach, he still got into trouble for his outbursts – he was banned from soccer for two months in 2008 after a tirade filled with expletives followed a loss to Uruguay. You can even buy t-shirts with his chosen phrase on it (“They can suck it and carry on sucking it”). Brilliant on the pitch, outrageous off it but the one thing Maradona has never been is boring.
3. Fred Lorz
Now, here’s a piece of bad sportmanship that’s worthy of Dick Dastardly himself. One of the first ever Olympics (1904) saw a spectacular cheat by marathon runner Fred Lorz. At the 9-mile mark, he hopped into his manager’s car and cruised all the way to 20 miles before getting back out and claiming the victory. Some accounts say he only left the car after it broke down, but one thing is clear – no-one believed that he had run the whole thing, when he looked much fresher than the half-dead, strychnine-laced Thomas Hicks who was the first legitimate runner to cross the line. It was, at least, sporting to admit defeat.
2. Luis Suarez
Yet another soccer player who hit the headlines recently for incredibly bad conduct. The Uruguayan was representing Liverpool in a home match against Chelsea, when he got into an altercation with defender Branislav Ivanovic…and bit him. He was banned for 10 games and fined, but the bite has shocked the sporting world.
Suarez also got into trouble in 2011 when he racially abused Patrice Evra, of Manchester United. He argued with him, calling him “negro” in an exchange which “damaged the image of English football around the world”. He’s one to watch out for, and not just because of his ball skills…
1. John McEnroe
Nicknamed “SuperBrat” by one newspaper, McEnroe is possibly the worst-tempered sportsman ever. He frequently clashed with officials and umpires. His most notable explosion came during Wimbledon 1981, when he first used the phrase “you cannot be serious” after an umpire’s decision. He also called Ted James “the pits of the world”. He was fined, and also denied membership of the All England Club, which traditionally grants honorary membership to all champions.
The controversy didn’t end there. Four years later, he launched another attack on an umpire, saying “Answer my question! The question, jerk!” then slamming his racquet into a juice cart. After that he was suspended for 21 days, having already been fined so much over his behavior he couldn’t be fined any more. He retired in 1992, although he still plays occasionally and seems to have mellowed a bit – sometimes he even makes fun of himself. But don’t get on the wrong side of him….
Top 10 Most Unsporting Sportspeople
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Reviewed by Unknown
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