America's Most Disliked Athletes
Tom Van Riper, Forbes Staff
I cover the business of sports for Forbes.
Lance Armstrong had two decades of professional racing and seven Tour de France championships to his credit
before he became America’s most disliked athlete. That happened, of course, when he acknowledged that he cheated
through much of the ride. For Manti Te’o, it took little more than a day, following the revelation of a fake girlfriend, to join
Armstrong at the top of the list.
The latest public surveys from Nielsen/E-Poll show Te’o and Armstrong in a virtual dead heat for the dubious title of
America’s most disliked athlete (though we give the nod to Armstrong based on higher name recognition, which gives his
score a bit more heft). Each appeals to just 15% of the public, according to Nielsen’s polling, which it conducts on a rolling
basis with the help of E-Poll, an Encino, Calif.-based market research firm. Candidates were limited to active athletes with
a minimum of 10% awareness (Armstrong is now barred from officially sanctioned events, but still competes as an athlete,
hence for all practical purposes he is active).
Despite years of doping whispers and suspicions, Armstrong managed to maintain a surprisingly positive public image
through vehement denials, his feel-good comeback from cancer and his charitable work with Livestrong. Then he decided
to fess up to Oprah. Good for the soul perhaps, but as for public opinion, not what he’d hoped for. Especially since many
viewers didn’t find him all that remorseful.
“The Oprah interview hurt him, he came off as pompous, arrogant and unapologetic,” says Stephen Master, senior vice
president of sports at Nielsen.
Then there’s Te’o, the Notre Dame linebacker and Heisman Trophy runner-up who enjoyed immense popularity as he led
the Irish to a 12-0 regular-season record and a spot in the BCS National Championship game. Not only was Te’o all over
the field every week, he was likable and articulate in post-game interviews. And of course, he did it all while fighting the
grief over the deaths of both his grandmother and his girlfriend.
Then after Notre Dame’s title game loss to Alabama, Deadspin revealed that the girlfriend he was grieving for just didn’t
exist. She was the product of an online hoax, complete with fake photos and a fake voice on the phone. Te’o claims he was
duped, and many believe he was. But they also think the ‘girlfriend with cancer’ angle he’d been playing up since early in
the season was too much for someone, it turned out, he’d never even met in person. Teammates commented that that they
thought he played up the relationship for attention. Sitting at 88% appeal at the time of the BCS title game, Te’o
plummeted to 15% nearly overnight.
“The story was just so creepy,” Master says. “And even when he knew he’d been duped he stuck with the story for awhile,
and he’d told people he had met the woman in person.”
Te’o, who could be a high pick in the 2013 NFL draft, can probably put the bizarre episode behind him, particularly if he
goes on to a strong pro career. As for Armstrong, no such luck. By cheating to win all those races, it’s as if he didn’t win
them at all. There’s no undoing that (also unfortunate is the fact that the public doesn’t seem moved by the ‘everybodydoes-it-so-I-had-to’ rationale).
Armstrong and Te’o are tops among five new members of this year’s edition of our Most Disliked Athletes list. The others:
Lakers forward Metta World Peace, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, and Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler, all of whom
have flirted with the list in the past but avoided it in 2012.Michael Vick, No. 1 on this list in the past, can thank the new
blood and the passage of another year from his canine troubles — he moves down to No.7.
Among the most disliked of 2012 who escaped the list this year are Kris Humphries, no doubt a one-shot wonder after his
quickie marriage to Kim Kardashian landed him in the tabloids, and LeBron James, who shook off a lot of the negativity
surrounding his “decision” thanks to an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal. Also dropping off: Plaxico Burress (gun
bust), Ndamkong Suh (dirty play), and Terrell Owens (all-around pot stirrer), memories of whom are fading quickly.
10 Most Disliked Athletes In America
1.
Lance Armstrong
Appeal: 15%
The doping confession to Oprah didn’t yield much
sympathy. In a virtual tie with Manti Te'o at the
top, but Armstrong's broader name recognition
gives him the nod.
Manti Te'o
2.
Linebacker, University of Notre Dame
Appeal: 15%
Apparently the online girlfriend hoax wasn’t his
idea, but most people figure he embellished the
extent of the relationship for personal
attention. Te'o's appeal rating went from 88% to
15% almost overnight.
3.
Tiger Woods
Golfer
Appeal: 19%
His image hasn't improved that much since his
highly publicized infidelity problems of a few years
ago, in part because he hasn’t won much.
4.
Jay Cutler
Quarterback, Chicago Bears
Appeal: 21%
Seen as standoffish with teammates and the public.
Fair or not, the sight of Cutler riding a stationary
bike on the Bears’ sideline after pulling himself
from a 2011 playoff game still lingers as a symbol
of softness.
5.
Metta World Peace
Forward, Los Angeles Lakers
Appeal: 21%
NBA bad boy has been on good behavior for a while
now, but old images die hard.
6.
Alex Rodriguez
Third Baseman, New York Yankees
Appeal: 22%
Where to even start with A-Rod, the human drama
that’s entering the 10th year of a Broadway run?
That’s longer than 'Jersey Boys.' Depending on the
outcome of his latest PED fiasco, Rodriguez could
easily shoot higher.
7.
8.
.
Michael Vick
Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles
Appeal: 23%
See Metta World Peace - reputations take a while to
come back. At least Vick is moving steadily down
the list from the top spot he used to occupy.
8.
8.
.
Kurt Busch
NASCAR Driver
Appeal: 27%
Hot tempered and arrogant, Busch has feuded with
teammates and reporters alike.
9.
8.
.
Kobe Bryant
Guard, Los Angeles Lakers
Appeal: 27%
Always polarizing, and still feeling residual heat
from a 10-year-old rape allegation that was never
prosecuted.
10.
8..
Tony Romo
Quarterback, Dallas Cowboys
Appeal: 27%
Takes lot of heat for a good quarterback who has
never harmed anyone or been in trouble off the
field. That’s life with the high-profile Cowboys when you don’t get to the Super Bowl, people find a
way to blame the QB.