{"id":70472,"date":"2021-05-17T21:36:14","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T21:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscroll.com\/?p=70472"},"modified":"2023-09-04T07:32:28","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T07:32:28","slug":"sports-stars-who-threw-temper-tantrums-in-public","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.sportscroll.com\/sports-stars-who-threw-temper-tantrums-in-public\/","title":{"rendered":"Sports Stars Who Threw Temper Tantrums In Public"},"content":{"rendered":"
Everybody allows their emotions to get the better of them sometimes. This includes elite sports stars who sometimes can control their fury and have temper tantrums in front of the world. While these moments are cringe-worthy, they also often induce some good-feeling because fans can relate to them on a human level.<\/p>\n
They throw tantrums for many reasons like bad officiating decisions or because they are simply annoyed<\/a> with somebody in their close proximity. Whatever their reasons, the cause is usually not that serious but the consequences are often massive. Check out the list below via RTE<\/a> and Tiebreaker<\/a>.<\/p>\n Beckham is no stranger to temper tantrums. They occurred frequently during his time with the New York Giants. The wide receiver was a sublime talent before injuries sapped his effectiveness. He was also fiercely competitive. When things didn’t go his way, he made sure that everybody knew about it. In 2017, he caught just four passes as the Packers soundly handed the Giants a playoff defeat. As a result, he punched a hole in a wall.<\/p>\n But this wasn’t the first time he unleashed his fury on an inanimate object. In 2016, in the third quarter of a game against the Redskins, events irritated OBJ. His response was to swing his helmet at the kicking net. Unfortunately, this became one of the most parodied tantrums of the year because the net fell on top of him. It was embarrassing<\/a> for Beckham but hilarious for everybody else.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 1997, Tyson met Evander Holyfield for a second time. Holyfield won their first clash and Tyson was out for revenge. However, the simple truth was that Holyfield wassimply too much for this late version of ‘Iron Mike.” He outboxed Tyson before finally, the former heavyweight champion snapped. In one of the most shocking sporting moments<\/a> of all time, he bit off a chunk of Holyfield’s ear.<\/p>\n Incredibly, the fight didn’t end after this bite. Referee Mills Lane allowed the fight to continue after taking two points from Tyson. Then, Tyson bit Holyfield a second time on his other ear. Finally, the referee disqualified ‘Iron Mike,’ and Holyfield won the controversial fight. As tantrums go, this was definitely a special one because Holyfield lives with the scar.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rodman doesn’t like when people take photographs of him. Or maybe it was just something about Eugene Amos’ face. In 1997, the Bulls played the Minnesota Timberwolves when Rodman fell to the ground<\/a> as he tried to secure a rebound. Then Amos came too close to the Worm and Rodman lashed out with a kick to the cameraman’s groin. He crumpled like a piece of paper.<\/p>\n Temper tantrums are relatively common in sports but it’s unacceptable to boot random members of the media in the family jewels. Rodman discovered this to his cost because he received an 11-game suspension without pay. Because of this, he lost out on about one million dollars. Meanwhile, he also paid Amos a $200,000 settlement. Hilarious, but ill-advised.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Clemens and Mike Piazza hated each other. This added extra spice to games between the New York Yankees and the Mets. In the 2000 World Series, the pair faced off again. Clemens launched a fastball at Piazza who batted it away. But his bat snapped in half as he made the hit and bounced toward Clemens. It clipped his stomach and he angrily responded<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Yankees pitcher picked up the broken piece and threw it back in Piazza’s direction. Almost immediately, the benches cleared and everybody was on the field. It was an extremely petty reaction from Clemens because it obviously wasn’t intentional on Piazza’s part. Some fans said that his temper tantrums were the result of ‘roid rage.’ The MLB reprimanded Clemens with a fine.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Irish MMA fighter McGregor is ‘notorious’ for his anger problems. This affected him negatively in 2019 when he encountered an annoying fan outside of a Florida nightclub. The former double champion became frustrated because the so-called fan continued to follow him and his entourage around. Finally, it came to a head outside of the Miami event space when McGregor grabbed and smashed the man’s phone.<\/p>\n Needless to say, the ‘victim’ was delighted with this tantrum because he sued the Irishman. Police arrested the UFC fighter<\/a> and he spent the night in a precinct. In the end, he settled out of court. But this was only after it became global news and McGregor endured more commentary on his unstable mind. In sum, McGregor can’t avoid trouble even when he isn’t looking for it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the best tennis players of the modern generation, Serbia’s Djokovic is also very petulant. A brilliant talent, he occasionally allows his emotions to burst forth. This results in dramatic consequences. In 2021, he mangled his tennis racket after smashing it three times off the court during the Australian Open. The frustrated star came from behind to defeat Germany’s Alex Zverev, but the story was about his antics during the game.<\/p>\n It’s embarrassing when grown adults have visible temper tantrums in public, but that’s literally what he did. He beat his racket off the ground until it was in bits. Then, he had the stones to tell the umpire it needed to be cleaned up. Meanwhile, the commentary wasn’t impressed and said that he should have done it himself as he caused the mess. The umpire also cited Djokovic for his unsportsmanlike conduct.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Maxwell wasn’t the first athlete to fight a fan and he probably won’t be the last. However, the former NBA<\/a> star made headlines during a 1995 game against the Trail Blazers. The Houston Rockets’ star believed that he heard the fan making racist remarks and reacted violently. He left the court and entered the stands to confront the so-called supporter with his fists.<\/p>\n The basketball star<\/a> didn’t speak to the fan. Instead, he simply punched him in the face. While tantrums are forgivable in this kind of situation, there will also be consequences. Maxwell received a 10-game ban and a hefty fine for his actions but he didn’t mind. A two-time NBA Champion, ‘Mad Max’ was an excellent player but an unforgiving presence in his heyday.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dier is a valuable utility player for Tottenham Hotspurs. In 2020, the Spurs played Norwich in an FA Cup game. Norwich knocked Dier’s team out of the competition but the story was about him after the game. This was because he entered the stands to confront a fan who he said insulted his brother. Tantrums like these are uncommon in sports and always bring some kind of penalty.<\/p>\n His head coach Jose Mourinho said that while Dier was wrong to leave the field, he understood on a human level why the player made that decision. Unfortunately, there is a culture within many sports where fans<\/a> think they can say what they want without consequences. In this situation, the fan received more than they bargained for because Dier didn’t let it go.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sometimes temper tantrums cloud people’s judgment. This was definitely the situation in the case of Stoudemire because he made a very dumb decision after a New York Knicks playoff game. The Miami Heat inflicted a crushing loss on the Knicks in the second game of the series and Stoudemire wasn’t impressed. He decided that the appropriate course of action was to unleash his fury on a nearby inanimate object.<\/p>\n So he hit a fire extinguisher. It emerged that this wasn’t a good move because his hand immediately gushed blood and paramedics had to help him. He missed the third game of the 2012 series but avoided serious damage. However, it is never a good idea to hit walls, windows, or anything hard in the nearby vicinity. Stoudemire discovered this to his cost.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The New York Jets were never the easiest franchise to play for. Any of their fans who travel to Seattle in the winter for games deserve respect because those conditions aren’t fun. In 2012, Jets players received more than they bargained for when their own fans threw snowballs at them for fun. Unfortunately, their defensive end, Ellis, didn’t see the funny side because he was cold and miserable.<\/p>\n He spontaneously reacted in a moment of petulance that had consequences. He gathered up some snow off of the ground and flung it back in the direction of the crowd. It decimated one support but the problem was that he basically picked up a slab of ice and not a snowball. The NFL suspended Ellis and the fan<\/a> sued him. Some tantrums just aren’t worth the results.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the worst draft busts in NFL<\/a> history, Leaf was a disaster for the San Diego Chargers from beginning to end. They drafted him in 1998 and things went downhill very quickly for the second overall pick. After just three weeks with the franchise, he threw one of the most petulant temper tantrums on this list when he confronted a cameraman. Another journalist noticed this and wrote it down.<\/p>\n Later, Leaf targeted the journalist and got in his face. “Don’t talk to me, alright? Knock it off!”<\/em> he screamed before teammates separated the pair. It was bizarre and immature from the volatile young quarterback. Needless to say, Leaf was the subject of scorn around the NFL after this incident while the journalist received sympathy. Things didn’t get better for him after this.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Dallas Mavericks owner is as volatile a character as they come. He is also incredibly prone to temper tantrums when things don’t go his way. Unlike other sports franchise owners<\/a>, Cuban doesn’t just sit there in a suit and tie in silence. He is unapologetically a fan of his team and makes his opinions known. This rubs some people up the wrong way but there’s no doubting its authenticity.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, it has provided moments of hilarity. One game against the San Antonio Spurs especially infuriated Cuban. His reaction was to take out his anger on an innocent jug of Gatorade. Meanwhile, his unfiltered comments have seen the NBA hit him with millions of dollars worth of fines. Cuban may be controversial, but never boring. Not many owners can say that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Naomi Osaka won her first Grand Slam title in 2018 when she defeated Williams in the U.S Open. However, Williams’ behavior throughout the game tarnished the win for the Japanese-Haitian athlete. She received three violations throughout the game and ended it by calling the umpire a ‘thief.’ Meanwhile, Williams’ fans booed Osaka after she won her first major title.<\/p>\n It was so bad that Osaka felt obliged to apologize after the game. “I know that everyone was cheering for [Williams], and I’m sorry it had to end like this,”<\/em> she said. After, Williams acknowledged that she was in the wrong and that Osaka was a worthy winner. She apologized to her opponent and instructed the crowd to give her respect. However, her antics on the court were pathetic at the time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Disputes between players and coaches are more common than fans realize. Sometimes personalities simply rub each other up the wrong way. This usually manifests in both parties<\/a> giving each other the cold shoulder. While it’s unpleasant to be around this, usually a stable working environment is still maintained. However, Sprewell wasn’t a normal person and violently targeted his coach P.J Carlesimo.<\/p>\n Sprewell had a bad practice session for the Golden State Warriors before one of the most infamous tantrums on this list. Carlesimo told him that he wasn’t passing sharply and Sprewell responded by trying to choke his coach unconscious. Finally, teammates and other coaches pulled the two men apart. The Warriors fired Sprewell and the NBA suspended him for his actions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “You can get that camera out of my face or I’ll take care of it myself, do you hear me?”<\/em> Bonds told a cameraman in 1991. For some reason, the presence of the press member irritated Bonds during the spring training practice. Things escalated when a team member explained to Bonds that the media worker was entitled to be there. Bonds reacted by getting in the man’s face and intimidating<\/a> him.<\/p>\n The baseball legend was prone to tantrums throughout his glittering career. Of course, this also prompts accusations of ‘roid rage,’ but it’s more likely that it was simply his personality. He also had a poor relationship with some of his coaches as well as his Giants’ teammate, Jeff Kent. Brilliant but volatile, Bonds was a tremendous player with an asterisk next to his name.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Daley possessed one of the most lethal left hands in all of MMA. The English fighter is one of Bellator’s most recognizable fighters but broke onto the U.S scene with the UFC. ‘Semtex’ is a knockout artist and has devastating power. But he fell foul of the UFC after one unfortunate incident in 2010. He lost a decision to Josh Koscheck and wasn’t happy about it.<\/p>\n Daley threw a cheap shot at Koscheck after the bell and instantly attracted the ire of the UFC top brass. As tantrums go, this one proved costly because the promotion cut him. President Dana White<\/a> promised that Daley would never fight for the organization again. While Daley was wrong to punch Koscheck, it was still a disappointing turn of events.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Youzhny was an immensely talented tennis player in his heyday, but also a constant underachiever. The Russian star always fell short of winning a Grand Slam but had victories over great players like Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic. However, consistency was always his downfall. Well, almost always. He was occasionally his own worst enemy as he had a penchant for hitting himself on the head with his racket during tantrums.<\/p>\n In 2008, in Miami, he actually drew blood from the stupid action. That should have taught him a lesson, but it obviously didn’t because he did the same thing again in 2015. Only this time, at the French Open, he retired after suffering headaches from banging himself on the head. During other tantrums, he destroyed his own racket too. Youzhny was quite a character.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The elder Diaz brother always carried a certain mystique about him. A former Strikeforce champion and UFC contender, Diaz was always a fan-favorite. He was also an explosive personality and unafraid to bring some Stockton justice to personal disputes. Jason Miller discovered this the hard way after he confronted Diaz’s teammate, Jake Shields. A verbal dispute broke out before Diaz simply punched Miller.<\/p>\n Needless to say, this kicked off a brawl. It was one of the biggest in the history of MMA and had consequences because CBS canceled its coverage of the sport. Not that Diaz cared, because he was happy to issue some street violence to Miller. Meanwhile, his brother Nate has also had back-and-forths with Conor McGregor<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Brazil striker Jesus received a red card in the 2019 Copa America final. The Manchester City forward felt overcome by emotion after the referee sent him off. To be fair it was a mortifying moment for the young man because his whole country was watching. He kicked a water bottle on his way off the field and violently pushed a VAR machine as he walked past.<\/p>\n “I want to apologize, I could have avoided it and I also need to grow up a lot,”<\/em> Jesus acknowledged after the game. In fairness, it was mature of him to deal with the incident in such a manner. Furthermore, Brazil defeated Peru in the game so that helped to make him feel better. But there is a reason why many of his coaches don’t trust him and his volatility is one of them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “This is not fair. It is not fair. I’m angry, and I have the right to be angry. I don’t care what people say,”<\/em> Vettel fumed after a five-second penalty cost him the Canadian Grand Prix<\/a>. He was furious because it meant that his rival Louis Hamilton won the race in 2019 instead. His anger was evident over the Ferrari radio and was available for the world to hear.<\/p>\n “This is a wrong world I tell you. This is not fair,”<\/em> Vettel ranted during one of the most notable driving tantrums of the decade. The German driver told the team manager that he was not going to calm down because he felt the race was stolen. Maybe he had a point but he didn’t cover himself in glory with his lack of dignity. However, sometimes emotions just take over.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Arguably France’s greatest ever soccer player, Zidane led his country to the 2006 World Cup<\/a> Final. He was in the twilight of his career but lit up the tournament and brought them to a showdown with Italy. However, Zidane made headlines<\/a> in the final for a reason that nobody expected. After Marco Materazzi whispered something offensive in his ear, ‘Zizou’ immediately headbutted him.<\/p>\n30. Odell Beckham Jr.<\/h3>\n
29. Mike Tyson<\/h3>\n
28. Dennis Rodman<\/h3>\n
27. Roger Clemens<\/h3>\n
26. Conor McGregor<\/h3>\n
25. Novak Djokovic<\/h3>\n
24. Vernon Maxwell<\/h3>\n
23. Eric Dier<\/h3>\n
22. Amare Stoudemire<\/h3>\n
21. Shaun Ellis<\/h3>\n
20. Ryan Leaf<\/h3>\n
19. Mark Cuban<\/h3>\n
18. Serena Williams<\/h3>\n
17. Latrell Sprewell<\/h3>\n
16. Barry Bonds<\/h3>\n
15. Paul Daley<\/h3>\n
14. Mikhail Youzhny<\/h3>\n
13. Nick Diaz<\/h3>\n
12. Gabriel Jesus<\/h3>\n
11. Sebastian Vettel<\/h3>\n
10. Zinedine Zidane<\/h3>\n