It goes without saying that bad sportsmanship is one of the most frowned-upon aspects of athletics. It doesn’t matter if it’s a team or individual sport, as fans and players expect competitors to behave correctly. Sometimes this means following unwritten rules like shaking hands with opponents after the game. But some athletes embarrass themselves with pathetic moments of bad sportsmanship.
So today we’ll look at some of the most infamous incidents in sporting history. We’ve seen stars go off on crazy rants after they lose and lose control. Others technically don’t break the rules but they do something that leaves everybody shaking their head in disgust. Check out our list of athletes who showed horrible sportsmanship below.
Serena Williams
Williams is one of the greatest female tennis players ever. There’s no denying her brilliance on the court but she also had notorious moments of bad sportsmanship. Part of this was because of her competitive spirit. Williams had an incredible winning mentality and reacted badly when things didn’t go her way.
One of the worst moments came in 2018 when she lost the U.S. Open against Naomi Osaka. It was the highest point of the Japanese star’s career but Williams ruined it for her. She complained about the loss and the fans booed Osaka on the court. Later, Williams apologized to the young star for tarnishing her moment (via People).