Most hated SINGLE-season teams of all time (redux)

[dbadefense1990]

Hi everyone. So about three years ago, Sports Illustrated did a list of the most hated single-season teams of all time, within the fallout of LeBron's "Decision." I think three years is a fair amount of time passed to recalibrate this list.

So it's really simple: pick a team and tell us why you hated them. What did they do to your favorite sports interests? Did they attract an obnoxious bandwagon fan base? Did you loathe their style of play on the field? Did you detest the team for some specific players on it? Or is there another reason why you simply just decided to cheer a team into failure?

Once again, I highly stress single-season teams. Don't put franchises and state that you hate them in general. Please pick one specific season/year from that team and say why you hate that edition of the team. For example, if you're a Celtics fan, don't say you just hate every Laker team from the dawn of time, I get that. Pick one specific Laker team and state something about that specific team only which made you hate them.

Just for reference, this was SI's list of the most hated single-season teams of all time, at the time of the article:

Honorable mentions:

32. 1993 New York Mets

31. 1905 New York Giants baseball

30. 2003 America's Cup winner (Alinghy)

29. 2007 Boston Red Sox

28. 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football

27. 2000 New York Yankees

26. 1990 Argentina World Cup soccer

#25-#11:

25. 2011 Miami Heat

24. 1909 Detroit Tigers

23. 1984 Georgetown Hoyas basketball

22. 2002 Toronto Maple Leafs

21. 2001 Portland Trail Blazers

20. 2004 U.S. Men's Olympic basketball

19. 1919 Chicago White Sox

18. 1976 East Germany Women's Olympic swimming

17. 1993 Notre Dame Irish football

16. 1974 Oakland Athletics

15. 2005 USC Trojans football

14. 1972 Soviet Union Men's Olympic basketball

13. 1986 New York Mets

12. 1992 Duke Blue Devils basketball

11. 1990 Miami Hurricanes football

Top 10:

10. 1999 Manchester United

9. 1990 UNLV Rebels basketball

8. 1976 Oakland Raiders

7. 1994 New York Knicks

6. 2007 New England Patriots

5. 1978 New York Yankees

4. 1975 Philadelphia Flyers

3. 1992 Dallas Cowboys

2. 1989 Detroit Pistons

1. 1986 Miami Hurricanes football

If within the last three years (July 2010-present) there has been a team worthy of this list, feel free to add them.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/more/07/23/most.hated.teams/index.html?mobile=no

[raysox]

2009 Yankees

They signed Sabathia and Texiera in the offseason after embarrassingly missing the playoffs in 2008, they also moved into their new billion dollar stadium. They also gave awful fans like this another ring to bring up any time anyone wants to argue teams.

I expect the Heat and any SEC team in the last decade to be in this thread too.

[Lights Out]

2004 Lakers.

- Kobe was fresh off his rape case and the petty, annoying public drama between him and Shaq was at an all-time high.

- Other than Kobe, the team had thoroughly detestable douchebags like Karl Malone and Derek Fisher.

- They were hyped up to an outrageous degree by the media and fanbase (much like the hype that surrounded last season's Lakers).

- The most remembered moment of their season was a bull shot by Fisher that arguably shouldn't have counted because the clock appeared to have started late.

- And finally, they're the Lakers.

Needless to say, the 2004 Finals was one of my all-time favorites.

[charger77]

The 2002 Red Wings

[Rockstar Matt]

2004 Lakers.

- Kobe was fresh off his rape case and the petty, annoying public drama between him and Shaq was at an all-time high.

- The team had thoroughly detestable douchebags like Karl Malone

- They were hyped up to an outrageous degree by the media and fanbase (much like the hype that surrounded last season's Lakers).

- The most remembered moment of their season was one of the greatest postseason shots ever by Fisher.

- And finally, they're the Lakers.

Needless to say, the 2004 Finals was one of my all-time favorites.

Fixed for accuracy.

[Kramerica Industries]

2009 Yankees

They also gave awful fans like this another ring to bring up any time anyone wants to argue teams.

I'll give you all the rest of the stuff. That's just the usual POV from a rival fan and, trust me, if the Red Sox had done something like that, I'm sure I'd say the same thing.

But the fan bit there is just weak. Thorough douchebaggery is not a Yankee fan specialty. EVERY fanbase on the planet has their fair share of douchebags. I'm sure we could find such people even amongst the "greatest, most bestest fanbases EVAR!" like the OKC Thunder or the Utah Jazz.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I enjoy when SEC teams lose, but don't hate when they win. They're the best football conference far and away, and if those states want to invest their limited resources into football instead of every other possible thing that could use public dollars, good for them.

Here are some teams I really didn't like, in no particular order:

• 2003 Yankees: This was when I turned on baseball in general and the Yankees in particular. They narrowly lost in 2001, so they reloaded with all of the best available free agents. It wasn't sportsmanlike, and a sharp contrast to the generally likeable teams of the late 90s.
  
• 2001 Patriots: The Rams were infinitely more entertaining, and this was the year that launched one dynasty and killed another. I hated they way they won the Super Bowl too.
  
• 2010 Duke: Butler would have been such a better story.
  
• 2011 Mavericks: While I generally root for a team that finally breaks through, I was really pulling for the Heat. This is sharp contrast, by the way, to how much I was pulling for the Spurs this year.
  

[alxy8s]

Most of that list just boils down to great teams that acted like they knew it. Maybe it's because I grew up with "The U," but that has never bothered me.

I'm sure no one but Tennessee and Georgia fans would even remember them, but the 2007 Tennessee Volunteers. UGA was deservedly blown out by UT before going on to become one of my favorite teams ever. UT went on to be blown out by Bama, get a 1-pt win over Vandy, and needed 4 OTs to beat Kentucky. UT just had a way of ruining our seasons and this one felt like a national title for Georgia was a real possibility if Tennessee just had the decency to lose one more time. I guess, really, my least favorite team ever is the SEC division tie breaking rules. Like I said, no one but UGA fans would remember or care.

In the fast few years, because of NBA "journalists," I've come to hate narratives about intangibles beating talent. I love when Celtic pride, Bulls heart, Indiana's "blue collar" mentality, Grizzlies toughness, or Spurs "championship DNA" lose.

• 2011 Mavericks: While I generally root for a team that finally breaks through, I was really pulling for the Heat. This is sharp contrast, by the way, to how much I was pulling for the Spurs this year.
  

Why's that?

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I had no opinion on "The Decision" TV show, but I did totally support Wade, James and Bosh deciding to play together. I wanted to see them win the title.

Two years later and they were old news. Plus, the Spurs have more likeable guys.

The NBA is way better if you watch for storylines instead of choosing a favorite team.

[Nyk33]

2009 Boston Celtics

The way the Celtics conducted themselves in that 1st round series against Chicago was terrible. From Garnett acting like a tough guy on the sidelines due to his injury to Rajon Rondo intentionally hitting Brad Miller in the face at the end of Game 5 and not being called for the flagrant then flinging Heinrich into the scorers table in Game 6. This started my disliking of the Celtics that would be fueled in later years by the interactions between them and the Knicks until recently when Garnett and Pierce were traded to Brooklyn.

[Sport]

Easy one for me - 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers

Average football team with some of the most unlikable characters ever assembled on the same team. Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Joey Porter to name a few. Their run to the super bowl wasn't an impressive roll of good football over good teams. It was a cheapshot (with Bill Cowher dancing on Carson Palmer's shredded knee postgame), a gift from the Colts who played their worst game of the season, and a Broncos team that just wasn't that good.

Once in the super bowl the Jerome Bettis Detroit homecoming story became so tired that I think even Jerome Bettis was sick of it. Then there was the officiating of Super Bowl XL. They were gifted one of the most lopsidedly officiated games (not just super bowls) in NFL history. At the very least, Seattle was robbed of a fair game. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but that game was fishy.

That was a team of colossal dbags winning it all in a gross way when every single bounce and call somehow went their way.

[Thad]

2010 Auburn. I'm biased and don't care. I still can't stand Cam Newton and his smugness.

2004 Lakers.

I think it was the 2008 Chinese women's gymnastics team. Everyone knew they were cheating having the kids that were too young competing, but nothing was done. I still don't know why this bothered me so much.

[Magnus]

Miami Heat after "The Decision".

2007 Patriots

2005 Steelers

2009 Alouettes

[4_tattoos]

2006 NY Giants. Because they tied the Redskins in number of Super Bowl victories. 2011 NY Giants. Because they surpassed the Redskins in number of Super Bowl victories...... Needless to say I dislike when other NFC East teams win the Super Bowl *shrugs*

[The_Admiral]

The NBA is way better if you watch for storylines instead of choosing a favorite team.

This isn't a good thing.

[RyanMcD29]

Probably the 2011 UConn men's hoops team. Kemba Walker shows up for four weeks, everyone around them in the bracket gets decimated, and oh look they get the national title by being less horrible than Butler in the title game.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

The NBA is way better if you watch for storylines instead of choosing a favorite team.

This isn't a good thing.

I meet it where it is.

[infrared41]

The 1986 Boston Celtics.

[cmm]

1996 Yankees. They were the first Yankee team to win the World Series in my lifetime. That's when all the bandwagoners I went to school with started to show themselves. That was also the year that little turd Jeffrey Maier cheated and was paraded around like he cured cancer. Screw you, Jeffrey Maier and screw you too, Richie Garcia. And screw Derek Jeter of course.

[Lights Out]

Fixed for accuracy.

Nice attempt at revisionist history, but Fisher was and is a douchebag who quit on and lied to several teams.