Top 10 Most Controversial Villains in Sports History

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Sports isn’t always about fair play and glory. Over the years, some athletes and figures have earned the label of “villains” in sports due to their controversial actions, rivalries, or infamous behavior. ⚽🏀🥊  In this countdown, we highlight the Top 10 most controversial real-life villains in sports history — the players and personalities who became infamous both on and off the field.  🔥 Love them or hate them, these names left a permanent mark on the sports world.  👉 Who do you think is the biggest sports villain of all time? Comment below!  🔔 Follow WatchMojo.World for more sports countdowns and legendary moments.

Transcript

00:00My style is impetuous, my defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious. I want your heart.

00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 real-life villains in the world of sport.

00:11We'll be excluding athletes who are seen as villains solely because of crimes committed outside of their sport.

00:16Answer my question! The question, jerk!

00:22Number 10. Roger Clemens. Baseball and PEDs truly have a dark and complex history.

00:27You know, it's shameful. I mean, what Mitchell did. I've passed every test. I opened up my life to them.

00:34I told them, come check whatever you want.

00:36And in this case, our vote for Roger Clemens could just as easily have gone to Barry Bonds and his own fall from grace.

00:41But Clemens wasn't just a villain due to his use of performance enhancers.

00:44He was already known as a highly aggressive and intimidating force on the field.

00:48Clemens is coming after Cooney because I think he just realized Cooney has ejected it.

00:53Obviously, Clemens was shouting some things down at Cooney about the questionable balls and strikes.

00:59Clemens could have been playing totally without PEDs, and he'd still make it onto our list.

01:03Regarded as a hot-headed controversial and generally a mean presence on and off the field,

01:07his demeanor made a whole lot more sense when it became clear he was juiced up to the gills.

01:12It took a couple of Boston muscle men, Baylor and Jim Rice, to cart their pitcher away.

01:17Number 9. Tom Brady. Nobody likes a man who wins too much, right?

01:20The problem is, you can't have one without the other.

01:24You can't have the football fame and not the other stuff.

01:27So, in a lot of ways, I've created this myself.

01:30It's what you always wanted.

01:31You're right. You're right. It has.

01:34And I didn't think it came with all the other baggage, though.

01:36Though Tom Brady is the most decorated quarterback to ever do it,

01:40Brady had some moments in his career that made it easy to root against him.

01:43His long-standing association with the New England Patriots meant that he was caught in the crossfire

01:47of the whole Spygate scandal in 2007, although not directly involved.

01:51You couldn't be any more clearer than 2006.

01:53I made him a mistake. I was wrong. I was wrong.

01:56However, 2015's deflate-gate, the supposed strategic deflation of balls used by Brady to gain an advantage,

02:02that certainly did involve him.

02:03Maybe it's just easy to hate on a goat like him, but for all the love and respect Brady gets,

02:08there's certainly another side to it all.

02:09There will never be another one of him that could just stand up there upright and just carve you up.

02:15The way that he does is spectacular.

02:18Number 8. Brad Marchand

02:19With multiple fines, suspensions, and reputation as the dirtiest player in the NHL,

02:24Brad Marchand is the ultimate instigator.

02:26And Marchand's going to get an extra here, and you can tell how upset he is.

02:31Well, he might get the instigator here.

02:34Described as the type of guy who you'd love to have as a teammate but absolutely hate to play against,

02:38Marchand takes pride in his ability to rattle the opposition.

02:42And if he needs to bend some rules to get the full intended effect, so be it.

02:45It's going to be at Justin Williams.

02:47Him and Marchand are going at it, and they're still dipping it, yapping at one another,

02:53and Marchand is pointing over at the penalty box.

02:55He is a rare example of a guy who fully accepts and embraces his role as a villain.

03:00And in many ways, even his victims have to respect his commitment.

03:03Marchand creates chaos and disrupts rhythms, and in that regard,

03:06he's truly one of the best in the business, even if he's despised for it.

03:09And then Marchand up to his usual antics.

03:12Number 7.

03:13Jose Mourinho

03:14When Jose Mourinho first landed on English soil to manage Chelsea,

03:18he did so with a Champions League title in his back pocket and a massive chip on his shoulder.

03:23I'm not feeling the pressure, no.

03:24You cannot put pressure on me.

03:25No chance.

03:26No chance.

03:27I read a lot of times during this week that I have to prove a lot in English football.

03:35Sir Alex is the only one European champion in this country.

03:38Nobody else.

03:39So I have to prove what?

03:40In his very first press conference, he lit the English media on fire by boldly declaring

03:45that his own self-belief was not arrogance.

03:47Because facts are facts, he became known as the special one, and boy was Mourinho special.

03:51I'm European champion, so I'm not one of the bottle.

03:58I think I'm a special one.

04:00He has won two Champions Leagues, a bunch of league titles across Europe,

04:03while taking the reins at some of the sport's most historically significant clubs.

04:07And he never once stopped playing the villain.

04:09Sure, he's brash, cocky, and unapologetically blunt at times, but you can't argue with results.

04:13And I won more premierships alone than the other 19 managers together.

04:19Three for me, and two for them.

04:23Respect. Respect.

04:25Floyd Mayweather well and truly cracked the code when it came to selling a fight.

04:30Floyd, why come back now?

04:32Why not?

04:34Why not?

04:34The sport needs the cash cow back, you know?

04:39We already know what I can generate.

04:42We already know what I can do in the sport.

04:43And we already know who's the face of boxing.

04:45Being a hero to the masses is all well and good, but you can be such an incredible villain

04:49that people would actually pay to see you lose.

04:52That's a different story.

04:53As a master defensive boxer, Mayweather would stifle some of the greatest fighters of his era,

04:58frustrating the fans to no end with a host of blockbuster fights that went to decision.

05:02What are you talking about?

05:03You heard him.

05:05You never give me a fair shake.

05:06HBO needs to fire you.

05:07You don't know s*** about boxing.

05:09But in his eyes, these opponents didn't have the skills to make their fights exciting.

05:13So why shouldn't he outpoint them and make them miss?

05:15Mayweather got in and out of the fight game without taking a scratch and became filthy rich

05:19as a result.

05:20I'm a strong individual.

05:22Nothing can throw me off.

05:24Nothing can throw me off.

05:25Throw me off key.

05:27I'm always focused on what I gotta do.

05:29Number five, Dennis Rodman.

05:31We easily could have gone for a modern pick like Draymond Green.

05:34But when it comes to the truly great enforcers and workhorses of basketball,

05:38Dennis Rodman was the king.

05:39I love the game.

05:40I love my job.

05:42Even though the job that I do on the court, people don't like.

05:45They don't want to do it.

05:46But I love what I'm doing.

05:47I want to earn my money.

05:49I want to earn my respect on the court.

05:51Not only was he rough and ruthless on the court,

05:53but he also split people right down the middle off it, too.

05:56He was a determined defensive presence who frustrated his opponents endlessly

06:00during his legendary career.

06:01Dennis took the responsibility of guarding the other team's top score

06:05all the time, regardless of who he was.

06:08And in his personal life, he was a party animal, a style icon.

06:11He dated celebrities and spent weekends on benders in Las Vegas.

06:14Looking back on it now, Rodman seems like a lovable rogue.

06:17But at the time, people absolutely despised him for it.

06:20Although Rodman's personality earned him as much or more attention than his play,

06:26his priorities were never endowed.

06:29Number 4.

06:29Conor McGregor.

06:30Notorious by name, notorious by nature.

06:33Who the f*** is that guy?

06:35Who the f*** is that?

06:38You know damn well who I am.

06:39Who the f*** is that?

06:42Oh my god.

06:44Conor McGregor might be dealing with a host of legal issues and controversies these days,

06:49but during the peak of his fighting career, he was a villain for a very different reason.

06:53No fighter was safe from his trash talk,

06:55and his desire to mentally break each and every one of his adversaries

06:58made for some of the most exciting fight promos of all time.

07:01Look at everybody up here.

07:03They're all dressed like me.

07:04They're all trying to talk like me.

07:05They're all trying to be me.

07:07Everyone in the game wants this fight.

07:09Sure, it all got a little whiskey-soaked and aggressive towards the end,

07:12but no Mount Rushmore villainous figures in the fight game

07:15would be complete without a mention for McGregor.

07:17He split fans down the middle from his first UFC fight to his most recent,

07:21and that's the hallmark of a true showstopper.

07:23Really, I should create my own belt, because I am in myself my own belt.

07:28Number 3. Luis Suarez.

07:30Can you excuse biting a rival player once?

07:33Maybe it was the heat of the moment, or perhaps you were having a bad day.

07:36Luis Suarez! Inevitable!

07:40But when you make a habit of it, you're a dirty player, and that's that.

07:43Luis Suarez has a whopping total of three incidents in his career where he bit an opposition player.

07:48And though the first one was early in his youth, the other two were on the biggest possible stages.

07:53He had to be part of it!

07:56They've come to Old Trafford and ripped up the enemy!

08:00Not only did he shame Liverpool by biting Chelsea defender,

08:03Branislav Ivanovic, in the Premier League,

08:05he then did the same while representing Argentina at the 2014 World Cup.

08:09Italy's Giorgio Chiellini was the unlucky recipient of the bite, sealing Suarez's place in infamy.

08:15Well, if that was a bite, and we've yet to see conclusive proof,

08:19then that's the third time that Luis Suarez has committed that particular crime.

08:24Number 2. John McEnroe.

08:26John McEnroe's tantrums are the stuff of tennis legend.

08:29But the volatile American, renowned for his on-court tantrums, received three code violations.

08:34He was one of the finest players of his entire era in terms of skill and achievement,

08:39and yet, his reputation for losing his cool is the thing that always springs to mind first.

08:44McEnroe was a hothead, there's no denying it.

08:46And when he took to the court, no umpire was safe.

08:48We're not going to have a point taken away because this guy's an incompetent fool, you know that?

08:53That's what he is. That's what he is, right?

08:55Who can forget his hilarious outburst at 1981's Wimbledon Championship

08:59when he kicked off over a line call that he thought was wrong.

09:02Once he uttered that famous line, you cannot be serious,

09:05his reputation as one of tennis' most volatile figures was forever set in stone.

09:09You can't be serious, man. You cannot be serious!

09:12That ball was on the line! Chalk flew up! It was clearly it!

09:18Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

09:22Nick Kyrgios, tennis star who is never too far away from a meltdown.

09:25Easily could have gone the other way today.

09:27You know, a couple lucky shots here or there, but he could put himself in a position to win.

09:33Bill Laimbeer. Laimbeer personified the infamous bad boy Pistons of the 80s.

09:37And they're going to call a foul on him, Laimbeer and Daly are furious.

09:41Now they're going to call the technical on him also.

09:48Manny Machado. The baseball star who seems to like being the villain.

09:52Some serious chirping going on down there.

09:54Machado kind of pushed out of the pile there as they come together.

10:01And now the bullpens are empty.

10:04Harbogen Singh. Singh is a controversy magnet who is involved in multiple issues on and off the field.

10:09Out LBW, Havoshan Singh. He's making a big comeback here.

10:14Roy Keane. Hothead captain who is never opposed to intentionally hurting opponents.

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10:42Number 1. Mike Tyson.

10:44There are very few sports stars in history who have risen to the level of fame that Mike Tyson has.

10:49Tyson was one of the most dynamic athletes in the world.

10:52The youngest heavyweight champion in history.

10:55He was a marquee attraction with enormous power.

10:58During the 80s and 90s, Tyson was sitting on a podium reserved for the Michael Jordans and Maradonnas of the world.

11:03Bigger than sport itself, but to say that Tyson let the fame get to his head would be putting it lightly.

11:08He was a rock star without the leather pants and six-string.

11:11And as his acclaim grew, so did his ego.

11:13Multiple controversies outside of the ring were joined by some crazy moments before, during, and after fights.

11:18His call out of Lennox Lewis, their brawl pre-fight, biting the ear of Evander Holyfield, the list goes on.

11:23There seems to be some kind of altercation going on.

11:28It looks like he could have been disqualified. The fight could be over.

11:31Mike Tyson was and is the ultimate villain in sports.

11:34Are there any sporting villains that we missed out on? Be sure to let us know in the comments.

11:38I think if I didn't, Joe, if I didn't have family or my sisters and the tight-knit that everybody's kind of heard a little bit about,

11:44is that I've probably told everybody, excuse my language, to go s*** in their hat.

11:48You know, that's what I should have, that's what I really like to do.

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