A conversation in the SB Nation soccer Slack yesterday got me thinking — who are the most universally disliked sports teams? Okay, so I asked the original question. I was most interested in teams disliked for a (or many) particular reasons beyond being good. That’s a bit of a tautology because sports fans often find reasons to dislike teams that are perennially successful, but whatever.
The conversation we had was specifically about soccer teams, but for us, I’m expanding the parameters to all teams. For what it’s worth, the names tossed around in Slack were PSG, Manchester United, Lazio, Juventus, Leipzig, and Hoffenheim. Manchester City, Chelsea, and Real Madrid were also offered.
The names that jump to mind for sports generally are the Yankees, the Cowboys, and Duke. I’m not sure there is such a team in the NHL, but if I had to pick one, I’d say the Flyers for their Broad Street Bullies reputation. I suppose the conversation will be shaped by your age, reader, and the age of your sports fandom. I could see younger sports fans really disliking the Red Sox and the Patriots whereas baseball fans old enough to remember the Red Sox’s decades of futility would probably feel differently.
Have at it in the comments.