Sportsperson you've loved and hated

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

my favourite sports person is Padraig Harrington. Huge amount of effort to get to where he did and lot's of humility and humour to go with it.

I have an irrational dislike for all road race cyclists because they've encouraged a lot of men who shouldn't wear lycra to wear lycra and ruin my Sunday drive

Outside football my sporting heroes are cyclists - Coppi, Fignon, Cav, although I have a long list of canutes amongst pro cyclists.

 

[Esteban de la Sexface]

Outside football my sporting heroes are cyclists - Coppi, Fignon, Cav, although I have a long list of canutes amongst pro cyclists.

Don't get me wrong, they are amazing athletes, what they do to themselves is beyond logic. It's just they've made it ok for grown men to think Lycra is ok.

If anything signifies how far we've fallen as a society it's a middle aged man thinking it's ok to wedge and fold himself into Lycra like a pudding, cutting off the blood supply to his extremities, in the belief that it will reduce drag. Lose a couple of excess stones first, maybe.

i think I'm still scarred from a bloke in an office who used to think it was ok to cycle to work in Lycra with bits of him seeping out from all directions, then walk through the office in said lycra to collect his coffee cup before going to get changed.

 

[TheRemainsOfTheDave]

Loved John Spencer and Ray Reardon, always fun to watch them.

Hate Usain Bolt and any sprinter with a gimmick.

 

[KS55]

I despised McEnroe at the time, and I'm being serious, and couldn't understand why an umpire wouldn't disqualify him. I've not really warmed to the guy since. It might be that the BBC seem to hold him in such high regard.

McEnroe's tantrums infuriated me but I couldn't hate him because he was a genius with the wooden racket. Half volley drop shots, wow. Mellowed now and quite funny as an astute commentator.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Don't get me wrong, they are amazing athletes, what they do to themselves is beyond logic. It's just they've made it ok for grown men to think Lycra is ok.

If anything signifies how far we've fallen as a society it's a middle aged man thinking it's ok to wedge and fold himself into Lycra like a pudding, cutting off the blood supply to his extremities, in the belief that it will reduce drag. Lose a couple of excess stones first, maybe.

i think I'm still scarred from a bloke in an office who used to think it was ok to cycle to work in Lycra with bits of him seeping out from all directions, then walk through the office in said lycra to collect his coffee cup before going to get changed.

I have a fine collection of cycling jerseys - all of them purchased in what the industry calls 'a relaxed fit'! I get emails from cycling clothing shops where the model looks about a foot wide. Anything like that would interfere with my breathing, but lycra is perfect for cycling - cheaper than merino, colourful so those maniacs behind the wheel can see me in bright orange, pink, blue, green, etc, and they don't need anything more than a swish in the sink when yer done and they are dry in minutes.

 

[lefty goldblatt]

Golf
Jack. Top man
Seve. Could be a cnut at times. But a genius, and a skipfull of charisma

RL (most of you will've never heard of these 3. All Warrington players)
John Bevan
Des Drummond
Mark Roberts

Athletics
Ovett
Daley Thompson
... and not love, but a secret admiration, Michael Johnson

Snooker
Alex Higgins

Cricket
Botham


Hates
Tiger Woods. A despicable "human being". Treats everyone with disdain, spits on greens when he misses putts, his private life's a disgrace (Giggsesque). I could go on.

Seb Coe
A poster boy for the Mail, and the BBC old school tie brigade. If there was such a thing as a "Smarm meter", you'd be fitting a new needle to it, every 2 minutes

Never liked Tyson (even before rape)


Then there's the Brits that you just can't "take to", despite their excellence

Rory McIllroy and Graeme McDowell (even without their raggy love)
Kevin Pietersen.... Just a cock
Lewis Hamilton
and somebody above has just reminded me of my dislike of Mark Cavendish

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

As a kid I loved Seb Coe. Always Coe over Ovett - then he became a Tory MP and tarnished my liking of him a lot.....

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

McEnroe's tantrums infuriated me but I couldn't hate him because he was a genius with the wooden racket. Half volley drop shots, wow. Mellowed now and quite funny as an astute commentator.

Yer right, K, but I do bear a grudge and he spoiled a lot of tennis viewing, not to mention the total disrespect he showed towards his opponents. I feel that half of it was that he was an ignorant young American and the other half was obnoxious gamesmanship. He didn't need to do either. He was phenomenal with a tennis racket. But I wanted everyone to beat him.

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

So many on either side, but I don't like David Coulthard.

 

[KS55]

Roger Milla during the 1990 World Cup was amazing.

Steve Cram always seemed like a good bloke.

Hated Muhammad Ali. Racism is racism no matter what colour you are.

Seb Coe...... twat!

When I posted in favour of Benaud, I couldn't think of a hate figure, but you have reminded me what a complete supercillious precious twat Coe is. Corrupt too, allegedly.