15 Professional Athletes Who We Love to Hate

15 Professional Athletes Who We Love to Hate

Love' em or hate 'em, oh the continued debate.

Professional athletes across all sorts of platforms are praised for the good that they do, but others are resented for a number of reasons that range from success to stupidity to the simple aspect of fueling the fire among fans.

Where does Alex Rodriguez rank?

What about Kobe Bryant?

Is Tiger Woods helping his public image?

Or what about the media circus that was Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez?

Let's dive into this discussion and see some of these athletes that are just so easy to hate, taking a look into the top 15 professionals who fit this bill and category:

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No. 15- Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Wade gets the connected criticism that comes with being a member of the Miami Heat and "Big Three." Wade is labeled as a flopper by some and he's openly seen complaining for calls and what not -- game in and game out.

No. 14- Tim Tebow

Many, many people love them some Tim Tebow. Yet, with that comes the whole "media circus" factor. No back-up quarterback or figurehead has as much recent attention as Tebow -- and that causes some backlash in his public perception.

No. 13- Jay Cutler

Jay Cutler has never been liked for the most part. Some believe he has attitude issues, some believe he simply likes to blame others. Even Chicago hasn't been too happy with him at times.

No. 12- Tom Brady

Tom Brady wins and he likes to show people just how much he wants it. That ticks people off, so there's no doubt that he qualifies for this list.

No. 11- Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby may very well be the best hockey player in the NHL these days, but that doesn't mean people like his attitude and the way he carries himself on the ice.

No. 10- Dwight Howard

The ongoing Dwight Howard saga over the past year or so hasn't allowed the 7-footer to make many friends in the public eye.

No. 9- Mark Sanchez

For some reason, Mark Sanchez is liked within the Jets' organization. I mean he's still on the team and competing for the starting job despite his obvious on the field struggles. With that being said, even New York fans boo him.

No. 8- Manti Te'o

Manti Te'o was an All-American both on and off the field. Then he had that whole girlfriend (or lack thereof) situation.

No. 7- Michael Vick

Michael Vick went to jail -- then he returned to the NFL. Not many people are a fan of how things have worked out in his favor and most aren't rooting for him to succeed.

No. 6- Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods has probably been in the top five of this debate for quite some time, but he has this whole resurgence thing going on right now. Eh, he's still near the top.

No. 5- Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant has won multiple titles and awards in his time and while many are fans of him, that hasn't always been the case. People don't mind seeing Kobe and the Lakers go down.

No. 4- Tony Romo

The Cowboys are America's team, right? Well, that brings about hate as is and it's not rocket science to see why their starting quarterback, who cannot find postseason success, is near the top of this list.

No. 3- Lance Armstrong

From an American hero to amongst the most hated athletes of all-time -- Lance Armstrong's story speaks for itself.

No. 2- LeBron James

The MVP of the NBA. Yea, there's a following amongst LeBron James, but with that comes another, more satisfying factor in which some just simply like seeing the King fail and the Heat lose.

No. 1- Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez has been in a slow decline ever since originally being linked to steroid use. Now you have this whole Tony Bosch situation that has surfaced recently. Oh, and he's a member of the Yankees and the most overpaid player in major league baseball. So, there's that.