Sports Feuds Over the Years

SI Staff | Nov 1, 2011

Sports Feuds Over the Years /

Sports Feuds Over the Years

Shaquille O'Neal vs. Kobe Bryant

After winning three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to '02, Shaq and Kobe became basketball's version of Ike and Tina. Before the '03-04 season, Shaq took a shot at Kobe by questioning his importance to the team, and Kobe fired back by criticizing the center for not taking responsibility for losses. After the Lakers lost in the NBA finals, Shaq landed in Miami, and over the next two years the two took shots at each other through the media, with their head-to-head matchups producing unprecedented hype. The feud ended in 2006, however, when the two reconciled at the All-Star Game.

Magic Johnson vs. Isiah Thomas

In his new book, When the Game Was Ours, Magic Johnson accuses former pal Isiah Thomas of betraying their friendship, declaring that Thomas threw him under the bus when he questioned Johnson's sexuality after he was diagnosed with HIV. What was Thomas' response? He denied the claim, noting that his brother's death from AIDS made him hypersensitive to the issue. ''I wish he would have had the courage to say this stuff to me face to face,'' Thomas told SI.com. ''OK, I understand you've got to sell a book. But if this is how you sell it, then who's kicking who in the stomach?'' Who would you add to the list? Send suggestions to siwriters@simail.com.

Lance Armstrong vs. Alberto Contador

When Lance Armstrong returned from retirement to compete in the 2009 Tour de France, he explained he only wanted to be a part of a team, and went so far as to rejoin Astana without a salary. Three stages into the Tour, however, it was a different story. Armstrong began to argue with 2007 Tour winner Alberto Contador and dueled for the spotlight with his so-called teammate. After winning the Tour, Contador told the press he appreciates Armstrong's athletic skill, but will never admire him on a personal level.

Sidney Crosby vs. Alexander Ovechkin

The NHL's two most-recent MVPs have been rivals for four years, not just on the ice, but in the media too. With fans increasingly engaged in the rivalry, the players make no attempt to hide their mutual dislike. Crosby has bristled at Ovechkin's goal celebrations: ''Some people like it, some people don't. Personally, I don't like it.'' Meanwhile, when asked to assess Crosby's style of play, Ovechkin said: ''He is a good player, but he talks too much.'' With pushing, shoving, and a ''bye-bye'' wave from Ovechkin, the rivalry won't cool off any time soon.

Lane Kiffin vs. Urban Meyer and SEC coaches

At Tennessee's Signing Day gathering, Kiffin accused Meyer of breaking an NCAA rule, when in fact the Florida coach hadn't. As further embarrassment, the SEC reprimanded Kiffin for doing so. Though he didn't blast Kiffin in the media, Meyer got his revenge -- the Gators took down the Vols 23-13 on Sept. 19.

Shaquille O'Neal vs. Stan Van Gundy

The bad blood between Shaq and Stan Van Gundy started when both were with Miami in 2005, when Shaq criticized Van Gundy's coaching decisions following Miami's loss to the Pistons in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The rift widened this year when Van Gundy criticized Shaq for "flopping" against Dwight Howard in a March game between the Suns and Magic. Shaq fired back, calling Van Gundy a "frontrunner," a "master of panic," and a "nobody." Apparently unaffected, Van Gundy responded: "If you're going to dish it out, you've got to be able to take it. And I can take it."

David Stern vs. Mark Cuban

Criticizing officials publicly, running onto the court to both yell at referees and break up a player brawl, and telling Kenyon Martin's mother that her son is a thug are among Cuban's list of offenses -- offenses that have earned the Mavs owner over $1.5 million in fines from Commissioner David Stern. Night and day in terms of style, Cuban and Stern have butted heads throughout the years, although Stern insists the two have a "good relationship" and that he would be happy to hand over the championship trophy to Cuban and the Mavericks.

Eric Mangini vs. Bill Belichick

It was bad enough that Mangini left Belichick's staff to take over the New York Jets -- a move that earned him a cold handshake following a 2006 game against the Patriots (pictured) -- but things really turned sour when Mangini helped his former boss incur a $500,000 fine and the loss of a first-round draft pick on the heels of Spygate.

Jay Cutler vs. Philip Rivers

Sparks flew when two of the league's most outspoken young quarterbacks met in a Monday Night Football game in December 2007. Rivers and Cutler were caught jawing at each other as Cutler was walking off the field following a failed fourth-down conversion. When asked last October on "The Best Damn Sports Show Period" if he thought Rivers was "kind of an ass," Cutler responded by saying he's "not a big fan of the guy." The feeling is obviously mutual.

Martin Brodeur vs. Sean Avery

After taunting Brodeur during the regular season, Avery upped the ante in this feud during the '08 playoffs. During a first-round game, Avery waved his hands and stick in front of Brodeur in an attempt to distract him and block his view. Not illegal at the time, that changed with the advent of the "Sean Avery Rule." After the Rangers eliminated the Devils from the playoffs, Brodeur snubbed Avery in the handshake line, causing Avery to remark, "Fatso forgot to shake my hand." Since then, Brodeur has referred to Avery as "the Vogue intern."

Kyle Busch vs Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The brash, 24-year-old Busch -- the driver NASCAR fans love to hate -- has won more races than anyone else in stock cars the last two years after being unceremoniously dumped by Hendrick Motorsports in '07. His replacement over at HMS? None other than the sport's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. The two opposites have traded barbs on and off the track ever since, with the most infamous incident this spin at Richmond in May '08 that cost Earnhardt a shot at a win. The reaction by thousands of his fans was so severe, Busch had to have bodyguards surrounding him when entering Lowe's Motor Speedway for testing two days later.

DeShawn Stevenson vs. LeBron James

Following a Washington victory over the Cavaliers in March 2008, Wizards' guard DeShawn Stevenson raised eyebrows by calling King James ''overrated.'' LeBron laughed it off and later said ''It's almost like Jay-Z [responding to a negative comment] made by Soulja Boy.'' In a comical twist, the feud went multi-industrial the following month when Jay-Z made a diss record about Stevenson. Stevenson continued to speak out, but LeBron had the last word as his Cavs defeated the Wizards in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Larry Brown vs. Stephon Marbury

The 2005-06 season was one of constant bickering and endless finger-pointing for Stephon Marbury, Larry Brown and the disastrous New York Knicks. Marbury claimed Brown didn't give the Knicks enough freedom on offense, and Brown said Marbury -- the team's star player -- didn't take responsibility for the team's losing record. The tumultuous relationship worsened throughout the year,and eventually resulted in a divorce. Brown was fired at the end of the season -- his only one with the Knicks.

Donovan McNabb vs. Terrell Owens

T.O. has apparently never heard the saying "don't bite the hand that feeds you," because after McNabb campaigned for the Eagles to sign Owens in 2004, connected with him for over 1,200 yards and 12 TDs, and took him to the first Super Bowl appearance of his career, the controversial receiver criticized McNabb's performance in the championship game. Owens also complained frequently about not getting the ball enough, and even said that the Eagles would be better off with Brett Favre. McNabb took offense to the final comment, calling it "black on black crime." The two were caught arguing on the sidelines several times before Owens' comments earned him a one-way ticket out of Philadelphia.

Pat Summitt vs. Geno Auriemma

Put together two most successful programs in women's college basketball history (1679 wins and 13 championships between them) -- one a wise-cracker, and the other...well, not so much -- plus an annual matchup, and you have all the ingredients for a sports feud. Summitt and Auriemma have quarreled via the media throughout the years, particularly over Auriemma's 2003 reference to Tennessee as "the Evil Empire," but in 2007 Summitt took the rivalry to a new level when she refused to renew the perennial matchup between their teams.

Omar Vizquel vs. Jose Mesa

In his 2003 autobiography, Omar! My Life On and Off the Field, Vizquel criticized former Indians teammate Jose Mesa for blowing Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. In response, Mesa vowed to throw at Vizquel every time they faced each other; "Even my little boy told me to get him. If I face him 10 more times, I'll hit him 10 times. I want to kill him," Mesa said. He made good on the promise twice over the next three years.

Mike Vanderjagt vs. Peyton Manning

After the Colts lost in the 2002 playoffs, kicker Mike Vanderjagt criticized Peyton Manning for not showing enough emotion as the team's leader. Manning, fed up with questions regarding the comment, unloaded on Vanderjagt in a sideline interview during the Pro Bowl, saying, "We're talking about our idiot kicker who got liquored up and ran his mouth off."

Jeff Kent vs. Barry Bonds

By the time he came to San Francisco in 1997, Jeff Kent had already developed a reputation as a clubhouse recluse. Things only worsened when he encountered his equal in Barry Bonds. Despite the Giants' World Series appearance that season, a long-standing behind-the-scenes feud between the two became widely public in 2002. The powder keg erupted in a June game when Bonds and Kent became involved in a dugout shoving match that resulted in Kent saying days later, "I want off this team." He eventually got his wish, and signed with the Astros after the season.

Bud Selig vs. Pete Rose

Baseball accused the all-time hits king of gambling on the sport in 1989, three years after he retired as an active player. While still denying all allegations, Rose accepted a lifetime suspension from baseball under the assumption that no facts would ever be leaked. Thirteen years passed, and Rose continued to deny his gambling. The baseball legend applied for reinstatement in 1997, but Commissioner Bud Selig took no action until a vote by fans puts Rose back on the field to participate in a ceremony honoring the All-Century Team before Game 2 of the 1999 World Series. When Selig finally agreed to meet with Rose in 2002 to discuss potential reinstatement, Rose gave up the charade. "Yes, sir, I did bet on baseball," Rose told Selig, confessing to frequent betting. Despite his newfound candor, Rose wasn't reinstated.

Charles Oakley vs. Jeff McInnis

Charles Oakley was no stranger to odd feuds throughout his career. In 2001, he was suspended one game for bouncing a ball off Tyrone Hill's head during the pre-game shoot-around -- reportedly because Hill owed him money from a card game. But that was not even Oakley's most notable feud of the season: that December, he was fined $15,000 and suspended three games for punching Clippers' guard Jeff McInnis from behind before the game. Rumor has it that the altercation was over a woman.

Roger Clemens vs. Mike Piazza

Always a fiery competitor, Roger Clemens met his match in Mike Piazza. In an interleague game on July 8, 2000, Clemens beaned Piazza in the head with a fastball, resulting in a mild concussion that kept the catcher out of the ensuing All-Star Game. Piazza, who had gone deep off the Rocket in three straight games, said Clemens threw at him intentionally. The pair next met later that year in Game 2 of the World Series, and the feud boiled over -- in bizarre fashion. In the first inning Piazza hit a broken-bat-foul. The splintered barrel bounced toward Clemens, who scooped it up and threw it in Piazza's direction as he headed to first base. The two walked toward each other, and both benches emptied. Clemens later said he was tossing the bat to the ball boys near the on-deck circle. The Yankees went on to win Game 2 and the Series.

Steve Spurrier vs. Everyone

While the Head Ball Coach has kept most of his jabs in-house since going to South Carolina, he left no opponent unscathed while coaching at Florida. After the Foot Locker scandal, he dubbed Florida State''Free Shoes University.'' He jabbed his biggest SEC east rival with ''You can't spell Citrus without U-T,'' a reference to the bowl that took the SEC's second-best team. And after a fire destroyed 20 Auburn library books, Spurrier said this: ''The real tragedy was that 15 hadn't been colored yet.''

Bobby Clarke vs. the Lindros Family

In the great tradition of pro athletes' parents unwisely getting involved in their sons and daughters' careers (see: Momma James looking to lay the smack-down on Paul Pierce) Eric Lindros's parents -- as well as Lindros himself -- became involved in a feud with Flyers' GM Bobby Clarke. During the '98-99 season, after their son suffered a series of concussions, Lindros' parents criticized the team's handling of the situation and allegedly tried to dictate what lines he should play on. Lindros became involved as well, and Clarke eventually stripped him of his captain title before trading him to New York in 2001.

John Rocker vs. NYC

After taunting Mets fans during the '99 NLCS, John Rocker added words to his gestures in SI, likening a trip to Shea to: "riding through Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids." Rocker's return to New York was marked with 700 police officers, a protective cover over the Braves' bullpen and a limit on beer sales.

Latrell Sprewell vs. P.J. Carlesimo

The feud in 1997 was building for a while, with Golden State coach P.J. Carlesimo calling Sprewell "a joke" for laughing during a team huddle. Sprewell also missed a flight and drew a fine. The simmer turned to a boil quickly when, after Sprewell warned his coach to stay away -- advice he ignored -- the guard grabbed Carlesimo by the throat for 10-15 seconds. The Warriors voided the rest of Spree's contract, and the league suspended him for 82 games.

Al Davis vs. the NFL

The late Al Davis and the NFL had a love-hate relationship...with not much love. In April 1966, Davis was named commissioner of the AFL, and he quickly started signing the NFL's top quarterbacks. Three months later, the two leagues merged (AFL owners blocked Davis from the meetings), and to Davis' chagrin, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle was given the top seat. Davis returned to the Raiders, where he took over managing duties and bucked the league at every opportunity. In 1980, Davis attempted to move the Raiders to the L.A. Coliseum without proper league consent. The NFL filed an injunction to block the move, and Davis retaliated with an antitrust suit. Davis eventually won the lawsuit and was awarded $35 million in damages from the league. Adding prideful insult to financial injury, the Raiders won the Super Bowl the following year, forcing Rozelle to present Davis the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

John Calipari vs. John Chaney

They're two coaches with over 950 wins between them, and one severely blown fuse. Temple coach John Chaney erupted during a post-game press conference held by Calipari following a UMass victory on Feb. 14, 1994, and threatened to "kill" the UMass coach. Chaney believed that Calipari had intimidated the refs throughout the game, and charged towards him as reporters looked on. Calipari simply backed away, stunned, before security guards rushed in to halt Chaney.

Spike Lee vs. Reggie Miller

This feud pitted the No. 1 Knicks nemesis against the team's No. 1 fan. From his 25-point fourth quarter in 1994, to his eight point eruption, which erased a six-point Knicks lead in 8.9 seconds, Miller frequently tormented the Knicks and Lee. The director very publicly and visibly taunted and trash-talked Miller for years, but always respected his play.

Bruce Pearl vs. Jimmy Collins

In 1988, both the University of Iowa and the University of Illinois were going after top high school basketball prospect Deon Thomas. Pearl, then an assistant coach at Iowa, recorded a phone conversation in which Thomas admitted to accepting an SUV and cash from Illinois assistant coach Jimmy Collins. Pearl turned the tapes over to the NCAA, but both Thomas and Collins were found innocent. The feud, however, was sealed, and the two refused to participate in postgame handshakes as coaches in the Horizon League.

Buddy Ryan vs. Mike Ditka

Following the retirement of head coach Neill Armstrong in 1981, Bears' defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan was expected to get the top job. Instead, the organization brought in Mike Ditka to fill the void, and so began a long-lasting feud between Ditka and Ryan. Despite coaching some of the best defenses in the NFL from 1982-84, Ryan accepted the job of Eagles' head coach in 1986. When he and Ditka went head-to-head over the next five years, Ryan would confidently and consistently denounce his former team, although Ditka offered little response. Maybe that's because he went 4-0 in those games.

John McEnroe vs. Jimmy Connors

The two ''Bad Boys of Tennis'' first met at the Grand Prix Masters '79, when Connors sat atop the tennis world and McEnroe, a fiery young phenom from New York, was quickly climbing the ranks. Before the match, Connors said that McEnroe would be ''good practice'' for him. McEnroe won the match, however, and afterward Connors referred to his future rival as ''that f***face McEnroe.'' The two would clash verbally as they battled for superiority throughout the early '80's, but McEnroe eventually came out on top, posting a 20-13 record in head-to-head matches.

Cale Yarborough vs Donnie Allison

Heading to the last lap of the '79 Daytona 500, both men were battling tooth and nail for a chance at victory in the first televised flag-to-flag coverage of the race. But as Yarborough dove under Allison going down the back straightaway, the cars touched, lost control, and slammed into the wall entering turn 3 -- handing the win to Richard Petty. In the aftermath, both drivers blamed the other, exiting their cars in a dramatic confrontation playing out in front of the TV cameras. In the words of CBS announcer Ken Squier: ''There's a fight between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison. Tempers overflowing ... they're angry. They know they have lost.'' And while the two came to blows in public only once, a generation's worth of fans were hooked on stock cars as a result.

Barry Switzer vs. Darrell Royal

The Red River Shootout was contentious enough before 1976, but the Spy Game raised the stakes. After the 6-6 tie, Longhorns coach Royal accused the Sooners' Switzer of sending a spy disguised as a painter to closed practices at Memorial Stadium. Switzer steadfastly denied the charge. Switzer changed his tune in his 1990 autobiography, The Bootlegger's Boy. He said an assistant sent the spy without his knowledge. In 2001, Switzer told The Dallas Morning News the spying hadn't occurred in 1976, but years earlier when he was an Oklahoma assistant.

Bo Schembechler vs. Woody Hayes

These two titans actually liked one another -- Schembechler played for Hayes at Miami of Ohio -- but the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry made them rivals. Hayes, who called Michigan "that school up north" went 4-5-1 against his former pupil in what is now known as "The 10-Year War." The rivalry only deepened the respect the coaches had for one another. "If Bo is not a winner, I never saw one and I should know," Hayes told Ohio State student paper The Lantern in 1986. "He beat me the last three games we played. We've fought and quarreled for years but we're great friends."

Conrad Dobler vs. Bill Bergey

Eagles linebacker Bill Bergey and Saints guard Conrad Dobler developed something of a blood rivalry in the late '70's, a passionate hatred that often resulted in cheap-shot contests and verbal altercations. Bergey, one of the most ferocious tacklers in the league and a proponent for playing the game the ''right way,'' could not stand the notoriously ''dirty'' Conrad Dobler. Ironically, Bergey's career-ending knee injury came on a play in which he was lined up against Dobler (though blame goes to the Astroturf, not Dobler).

George Steinbrenner vs. Billy Martin

In a lifetime full of feuds and fights, Billy Martin's most famous sparring partner was George Steinbrenner. The Yankees' skipper on five different occasions, Martin's tenure lasted longer than one season just once. Martin publicly feuded with The Boss, calling him a convict, and forcing Steinbrenner's hand by fighting with everyone from Reggie Jackson to a Minneapolis Marshmallow salesman.

Reggie Jackson vs. Billy Martin

The only feud on this list that's provided the fodder for a TV miniseries event, the Jackson vs. Martin rivalry really did set the Bronx aflame. Jackson came to New York in 1977, boisterously declaring himself the ''straw that stirs the drink,'' and immediately clashed with the fiery Yankee skipper. Highly publicized scuffles, including the now-infamous mid-game shouting match in Boston, came to characterize the relationship over the ensuing two seasons. The feud did not slow the Yanks, however, as they went on to defeat the Dodgers in the 1977 World Series.

Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier

It is no coincidence that this legendary rivalry produced two of the greatest sporting events of modern times (the Fight of the Century; and the Thrilla in Manila in 1975). The two best fighters of their era were polar opposites, both inside and outside the ring. Leading up to the first bout, Ali continuously taunted Smokin' Joe by calling him ''too dumb'' and ''too ugly'' to be champ. Frazier retorted, ''If I pass him in the desert and he's thirsty, I'll drive right by.'' Frazier got the last word by winning that match, but Ali emerged as the ultimate victor, winning their next two epic bouts. Who would you add to the list. Send comments to siwriters@simail.com

Published Nov 1, 2011

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