List of Some of the Most Notorious Pariahs in All of Sports

     In sports, there's always that one athlete in a sport that entertains the fans with their athleticism. Then there's that particular athlete that entertains the fans with their sense of humor rather than their athleticism. Then there's that one athlete that everybody hates. The one athlete that every fan just doesn't want to see take part in their sport ever again. The one athlete that fans cheer for when they mess up. Here's a list of some of the most infamous jerks in all of sports.

1. Sean Avery, NHL: The enforcer is a key person in the NHL. They're the guys that always agitate the opposing team's best player, even taking them out of the game. Sean Avery made it more than an art. He made a circus out of being an enforcer. The former L.A. King and New York Ranger only scored 90 goals in 580 NHL games, but amassed 1,533 penalty minutes throughout his ten-year NHL career. If you want to know how perversely humorous Avery was, watch him talk about his former flames Rachel Hunter and Elisha Cuthbert: http://youtu.be/lR8aQCCf60o. As a matter of fact, the NHL created the Sean Avery Rule after his infamous screening of Martin Brodeur in a playoff series against New Jersey: http://youtu.be/Bb4WaZMVtyE.
2. Terrell Owens, NFL: Although T.O. wasn't really an athlete that fans could necessarily hate, he was a poisonous figure amongst his teammates and anyone else in the NFL. From mocking Ray Lewis's pregame dance while with the Eagles in 2004 to his raunchy Monday Night Football skit with Desperate Housewives actress Nicollette Sheridan, Owens has always been known to stir up trouble in the NFL. His other antics include calling Jeff Garcia a 'homosexual', doing crunches in front of a bunch of reporters at his home, and having his agent Drew Rosenhaus field questions from the media (Next question!). But every NFL fan will remember the time when T.O. tried to disrespect the "Star" at the 50-yard line of old Texas Stadium and got laid out for it in 2000: http://youtu.be/0gPJPmPsKLg.
3. Mario Balotelli, English Premier League: Perhaps well known in Europe as, "Soccer's version of Terrell Owens". The Manchester City striker has done some questionable things in his young career from posing with two noted Mafia mobsters for a photograph to firing air pistols in the open at Milan's Piazza della Repubblica. His on-field antics appear to be no different, as demonstrated by his failed backheel in a friendly against the L.A. Galaxy: http://youtu.be/YsN6svBWYg0.
4. Dennis Rodman, NBA: One of the most outlandish characters in the NBA. Carmen Electra's ex-husband had many tattoos and piercings and was known for clashing with opponents and referees during NBA games. The five-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls was also infamous for dying his hair green and wearing a wedding dress in 1996 to promote his autobiography Bad As I Wanna Be. Rodman also wrestled in WCW when he was suspended from the NBA for the rest of the 1996-1997 season, feuding with Macho Man Randy Savage.
5. Kurt Busch, NASCAR: The 2004 Nextel Cup Series Champion and brother of Kyle Busch has a notorious history of verbally abusing other drivers, his team, and the media. He's also been suspended for drunk and reckless driving in 2005 in Arizona. Some other controversies that Busch caused during his NASCAR career include going on a profanity-laced rant during the Crown Royal 400 in 2011 and causing a wreck with six laps remaining in the Bojangles' Southern 500 in 2012. After the wreck, Busch got into an argument with his gas man, Andrew Rueger, and knocked him over in the process. Busch was fined $50,000 and placed on probation until July 25, 2012 as a result of the two altercations.
6. John Rocker, MLB: When John Rocker pitched for the Atlanta Braves from 1998 to 2003, he would often spout out very provocative comments. Rocker called his black teammate Randall Simon "A fat monkey", spat on a Georgia 400 toll machine, and mocked Asian women during an interview with Sports Illustrated in 1999. But those aren't the nastiest things that he said in that interview. When asked about whether he'd like to play for either the New York Yankees or the New York Mets, he stated the following:

     "I'd retire first. It's the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the 7 Train to the ballpark looking like you're riding through Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year old mom with four kids. It's depressing... The biggest thing I don't like about New York are the foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Sqaure and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?" (Illustrated 1999)

     Rocker also made national headlines for his views in 2002 when he directed slurs towards patrons of an uptown Dallas restaurant. The neighborhood was Oak Lawn, a neighborhood with a heavy LGBT population. He's also a former steroid user.