Being labeled a diva in the world of sports may have a negative connotation to it, but it also means that said athlete is one of the best in the world at their given sport. Unfortunately, many of those who have been labeled with that tag have gone on to have some not so flattering moments in their careers, aside from their outstanding talents on the court, field or ring. With that said, we’ve decided to chronicle the greatest divas ever in the sports world. All in good fun of course.
Contributers: Rocko Rathon, Andrew Somuah, Omari White, Justin Richards
Alex Rodriguez
When the name Alex Rodriguez is brought up, the initial thoughts are that he is one of the highest paid pro athletes ever, signing a $275 Million contract at one point, and also being one of MLB’s poster boys for steroid use. The third thought is that he is perhaps one of the most disliked sports figures in recent memory. Former NY Yankees manager Joe Torre shared that A-Rod seemed to not fit in with his teammates, often drawing attention to himself. According to Torre, he once requested to have a clubhouse attendant assigned personally to him, even though there are 5 for the entire team. Torre once instructed A-Rod to get his own coffee and he later went out of his way pat himself on the back for doing such a menial task on his own. In a 2006 cover story for Sports Illustrated, Rodriguez gave his thoughts on his negative press in the media saying “When people write [bad things] about me, I don’t know if it’s [because] i’m good-looking, i’m biracial, I make the most money…” No lack of self-esteem here. A good picture that summarizes A-Rod’s self-image is this photo of Rodriguez kissing himself in a mirror.