The "Good Guys" Hitlist

[IrishCanadian25]

Well, it's more than official. Tiger Woods is off of the "good guys in sports" list. I am not just talking about players who are nice guys. I am talking about those rare, few sports stars who transcend their sports AND have enough of a positive nature and clean public image to be endorsement machines and ambassadors of good will.

First, let's look at who is left.

Major League Baseball

Derek Jeter
Albert Pujols
David Wright

National Football League

Brett Favre (had a bout with painkillers, but nothing major)
Peyton Manning
Tom Brady (impregnated a few girlfriends, but handled it well)

National Basketball Association

LeBron James
Shaquille O'Neil
Dwayne Wade

National Hockey League

Alexander Ovechkin
Evgeni Malkin
Mike Modano

Soccer

Landon Donovon
David Beckham

Other

Roger Federer (Tennis)
Phil Mickelson (Golf)
Shaun White (skiing)
John Cena (pro wrestling)
Randy Coture (MMA)


For this thread, I have a series of questions / discussion points I'd like to highlight:

1. This is intentionally an incomplete list. Who else do you feel belong on this list and WHY?

2. Who are the most important names on the list? Who are the best of the superstar good guys and WHY?

3. Who can their respective sport LEAST afford to lose in a scandal or controversy?

Please note there are a host of things that disqualify someone from the list of Superstar Good Guys. A-Rod is off for steroids. Michael Phelps is off for marijuana. Bode Miller is off for being a cock. Michael Jordan would be off for gambling. Kobe is, of course, off for adultry. Ray Lewis is off for beating a murder rap.

I am really anxious to get a great discussion going on this matter.

 

[Mr. TM]

Mario Lemieux: Survived cancer to come back to help out his franchise, to help Canada win gold after 50 years. Fought against injury and would set many records, compared to either the best, or second best player in all of hockey. Large charitable donator as well as a large contributor to political parties, Mario Lemieux might be more known for putting his money back into the team that helped him along his way, making a winning team out of the Penguins and guiding them out of bankruptcy.

The man is a humanitarian and someone I consider a good guy of sports, who as far as I know has not ran into corruption. Gretzky might be held back by the gambling that his wife, his partner, but suspiciously not himself took part in, as well as the troubled Coyote Franchise, and his disappearance from it, but Lemieux has always been a straight arrow.

 

[NSL]

Great thread, IC. I had a similar thread on baseball, but got little response

David Wright (without homer bias here) is one of the guys that can save baseball, and bring it back to being as American as apple pie. He's a great player, has the squeaky clean image, and plays in the largest sports market available.

I also loved seeing Mike Modano on that list. He's getting up there in age, but he has always been a good guy in the sport, and even captained the USA team in the Olympics.

I'd add Jeff Burton, from NASCAR, to the list. He's universally loved by the fans and fellow drivers, and is always at the head of the pack for bringing in safety features, and was a huge advocate for the CoT. He's never had any issues with other drivers, handles his interviews well, and always says just the right thing.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Gretzky's elitest attitude and his whole deal about hitting and defense in the sport didn't help him either. Couldn't stand him, despite being a terrific player.

You're spot on about Lemieux, though. Great call. He's a real fighter, and a guy that millions of kids can look up to.

NSL, I agree about David Wright. He also plays in a HUGE market - NY Baseball -and still handles the media with grace and dignity. As opposed to Jose Reyes, who is a prima donna.

TM mentioned Lance Armstrong to me, and that's a terrific thought. The question is - he was accused of blood doping by the French. Nothing was ever proven. What are your thoughts on Mr. Livestrong?

 

[jmt225]

Drew Brees right now is solidifying himself as the best quarterback in the National Football League. The more popular he becomes, the more people will realize just how great of a person he is. His grandfather is a WW2 veteran, and Brees has had it instilled in him since day one to respect the people who serves in the arm forces of our nation, and now that he has a lot of money... he does A LOT for them. Whether it's visiting wounded soldiers in hospitals, going to boot camp during the off-season for a week or so to train with and aspire these guys, donating to Vet hospitals, etc., the guy does whatever he cans for the people who serve us in the arm forces.

Moreover, you have no idea how much time and money he's spent for the city of New Orleans during their recovery of Hurricane Katrina. Tons and tons of it.

So, while Brees right now is the best Quarterback in the league, I'd also argue he does more charity work then the guys you mentioned as well, and he'll start getting recognition for it as time goes on and the more popular he gets; I'm sure of it.

Tim Tebow is another guy I must mention. Has there EVER been a college football player who has done more for their community? I don't think so. Just because he doesn't get paid millions and millions of dollars every year like professional athletes do, that doesn't stop Tebow from doing TONS and TONS of charity work. I really, really, really respect this guy as a human being, and I'm heavily rooting for him to make in the NFL. If he becomes a superstar, then there's no doubt he's going to be the 'Poster Child', so to speak, of charity work that players do for their community.

And there are loads more, IC, but I'll stop there and get to your third question.

Kobe Bryant, is without a doubt, the person who can not slip up right now. This guy got accused of the worst thing a man could ever get accused of, and he looked guilty once it was all said and done. However, today, it is all pretty much forgotten. Why? Simple, Kobe has spent literally all his free time working his ass off on the basketball court, and giving back to the community. That's all he does today. He works harder than ANYONE in professional sports, and for him to keep his image to what he has miraculously gotten it to after being accused of such a thing, he's going to have to be perfect from this point on. He's been perfect since it all went down, but he needs to keep it up, otherwise there will be no forgiving and forgetting the second time around. But that's just for himself.

For the LEAGUE, I would have to say Tennis cannot afford to lose Roger Federer right now. He's literally all they have keeping the sport relevant. Without him, no one gives a damn about Male Tennis. No one. And not only has Federer done a tremendous job putting together an unbelievable legacy for himself on the tennis court, offside of it he's done nothing controversial. And right now more than ever, with Andre Agassi's book coming out and making the sport look terrible, they need him to keep that image for himself.

 

[Mr. TM]

See Armstrong when I thought of him is an interesting case. He fought against cancer, he dominated a sport that had never been dominated by one man like that before, and he was called for doping by the people that had the most pride in the sport, yet never proven. One rumour can crush an athlete's career when doping/steroids is that word, but Armstrong came back again and showed (despite not winning) that he still has it.

 

[NSL]

I almost feel stupid for omitting Mark Ingram. Did anyone else see his Heisman speech? He busts his ass on the field, and showed in that speech that he's down to Earth, and has a good heart. Whenever he makes it to the pros, he could have a great career on, and off, the field.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

JMT, your note about Kobe is well taken, but he's already off the "Good Guy" list. Off the list once is off the list for good.

In terms of my third question, I'd say that the two most important images to their respective sports right now are Roger Federer and LeBron James.

Tennis is based on star power, because there are no teams. It's such an individual, one-on-one sport. Federer's dominance, combined with his humility and positive attitude have made him among the most marketable athletes in the world, and you have to respect that. If he went down to a scandal, it'd be bedlam. Tennis would be picked up by a few others, but honestly, Andy Roddick isn't really a superstar and the other really transcendant people in tennis are females - Sharapova and the Williams sisters.

With Kobe being shrouded by that adultery controversy, I really think the pressure is on LeBron James to carry the NBA. He is the guy who brings non-NBA fans to see games because of what he is. Many people think he's better than MJ. And never before has a sport relied so heavilly on the success of a franchise from Cleveland, OH. He's endorsed at a level similar to Tiger and Jeter.

Also, don't overlook the value of John Cena. With so many eyes focused on pro wrestling and the wellness policy, especially after Umaga's death, the loss of the clean cut Cena would be a financial disaster for a company pushing "The PG Thing." If CM Punk got busted it's be ironic, but if Cena got busted it'd be tragic.

 

[jmt225]

Another guy that comes mind is Manny Pacquiao.

Not only is he a GREAT guy, very religious and does a ton of charity work, but where is boxing right now without him? When Mayweather retired, there was no one left except a washed-up Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, and even then... neither of those guys would have had anyone to fight without Pacquiao being around. However, since there is a Manny Pacquiao, there's someone to carry the sport, since Mayweather is too wishy-washy, and also not very well liked. Pacquiao is boxing's good guy, and Mayweather is boxing's bad guy (though I wouldn't call Mayweather a bad person; it's just he's not well liked like I just said). Without that good guy in Pacquiao, Boxing is pretty much an after thought at this point. But because of Pac Man and Pac Man only as far as I'm concered, Boxing is alive and ticking. If something happened to Pacquiao where his image got completely tarnished, I don't think the sport would fair too well after that.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Tony Romo- I feel that he's highly overrated, but because he's the Dallas Cowboys QB, he will get a lot of press. The last time he was in the mainstream media spotlight was during his whole relationship with Jessica Simpson. Romo is squeaky clean, and I think if he were caught with his hand in the cookie jar, he would go down in flames.

Adrian Peterson- This man is without a doubt the best RB in the league. Yeah he tends to fumble a lot, but he still is dominat in pretty much every game. Imagine if something were to happen with him with the way the Vikings are on a role now? It would put a ton of negative spotlight on that team. And with great running backs being a dying breed these days in the NFL, he's pretty much the only popular one left.

Dwayne Wade- He's already skating on thin ice as it is. For those of you who don't know he was going through a nasty divorce with his wife. I'm not sure, but I think things are done as far the courts go between these two. His ex-wife made some pretty bold and harsh accusations. Along with Lebron James and Kobe Byrant, he's in the top three as far as superstars go in the in NBA.

As far as your list goes, since I already did Wade, I'll go with Pujols . He is the one baseball can least afford to lose due to a scandal. Pujols is really the only superstar left in baseball that hasn't been destroyed by the media yet. If he goes down, then there will be nobody left to step up and take his place for a LONG time.

 

[Stormtrooper]

1. This is intentionally an incomplete list. Who else do you feel belong on this list and WHY?

There is one name that I think needs to be added to the list. I'm not trying to be a homer here, that the man that needs to be added to he list is Mariano Rivera. There is little doubt that Rivera is the best closer ever. He has been dominant in the league for 14 years, and is not showing any signs of slowing down (after a rough start, he had one of his better years in 2009, at age 39). To top off being the best at his position, never once has anybody ever been able to find anything bad to say about him (as a person, or a ballplayer), and he plays in the biggest media market in the country, for the most hated (and most liked) team in all of American sports.

Another name to consider (and I don't know if he would belong or not) would be Joe Mauer. I do not know a whole lot about him, but I do believe that he fits the "good guy" description, and is definitely a superstar player.

2. Who are the most important names on the list? Who are the best of the superstar good guys and WHY?

The most important name on the list is probably Pujols. Albert Pujols is this age-groups only chance to break the Home Run records, which have been tainted tremendously because of steroids. If he can stay healthy (and clean), he has a shot to surpass Bonds(A-Rod)/Aaron for the all-time record, and Bonds/McGwire/Sosa/Maris for the single season record. If he can, he would reclaim baseballs greatest record from the Steroid Era.

3. Who can their respective sport LEAST afford to lose in a scandal or controversy?

Baseball can least afford (another) scandal, and I would think that Pujols would be the superstar who can least afford it, for the same reasons mentioned above. The only way for baseball to get past the Steroid Era is to have the clean stars outshine the tainted ones, and Pujols is their only hope right now.

Jeter would be another case for somebody who the sport can least afford it. Jeter, the Yankees, and MLB built his whole career on being this squeaky-clean guy, and anything to tarnish that would be devastating.


All this being said, I would never in 100 million years expect to see Jeter, Rivera, or Pujols to be knocked off this list.

 

[Big Sexy]

First, let's look at who is left.


National Basketball Association

LeBron James
Shaquille O'Neil
Dwayne Wade

A couple names you have for the NBA might not fit. The first being Dwayne Wade. He was married to his high school sweetheart but they divorced a year or two ago and she accused him of adultery, even going as far as to say he gave her herpes because of his "transgressions" as Tiger Woods has so eloquently called it. So Wade is definitely off in my opinion.

Shaq is a little more on the fence. He is also now getting divorced and again his wife accused him of adultery, but the evidence in that accusation isn't as concrete so i could see Shaq staying on the list.

A couple guys that should be added in the NBA are Tim Duncan and Kevin Durant. Duncan is the quintessential professional. He has never gotten in trouble for anything. Durant is a rising star in the NBA. He is appearing in a lot more commercials for the NBA and he seems like the next guy to really be one of the faces of the NBA.

In the NFL I'd add Adrian Peterson. He recently got caught speeding going 109 on the highway but other then that his reputation is very good. He is definitely one of the "Good Guys" in the NFL.

 

[BooCocky]

How you can Ovie a good guy is beyond me. He is a walking cheap shot. He isn't someone I'd want my kids looking up. Not only does he intentionally injure people he drives around like a fucking maniac. He might not kill himself but he might put someone elses life in danger.

Crosby might have a bad rep for being a baby but he is genuinely a good guy. He is the face of NHL, never in the news for bad shit and he is a hell of a hockey player. Another person is Lance Armstrong. He battled through so much and perservered through so much more to become the greatest cyclist of all time.

 

[Mr. TM]

I was a little on the fence for Ovie as well, he did just got off of a suspension for a hit where it was intent for injury. He even had that vicious knee-on-knee hit on Gonchar in the playoffs, trying to take him out. And one of my biggest things things about him is his pouting. I've seen him whine twice now, one in international play and once in the NHL. I am not too pleased on Crosby as it is, but Ovechkin is on the cusp.

 

[NSL]

How you can Ovie a good guy is beyond me. He is a walking cheap shot. He isn't someone I'd want my kids looking up. Not only does he intentionally injure people he drives around like a fucking maniac. He might not kill himself but he might put someone elses life in danger.

Crosby might have a bad rep for being a baby but he is genuinely a good guy. He is the face of NHL, never in the news for bad shit and he is a hell of a hockey player. Another person is Lance Armstrong. He battled through so much and perservered through so much more to become the greatest cyclist of all time.

I'll agree Ovechkin doesn't deserve to be on the list, but I'd hardly put Crosby on either. It's no secret he's a bit of a crybaby, and routinely dives to get calls. Because he's a huge name, and scores 50+ goals, he won't get called for diving, but you can't sit here and say he doesn't do it.

It's something that everyone has called him out about, and there's even been signs and banners at their road games saying it. If he's not going to man up and play the game right, I can't put him on a list of the "good guys".

 

[BooCocky]

Man up? He's forcing a penalty... Who thr fuck cares no one bitches when people intentionally foul someone... Crosby has done nothing but good things for hockey. That diving shit is a bunch of shit and is the biggest bunch of bullshit ever....

I know Ben is no great person either but he does a lot of things around Pittsburgh like giving the Police money and shit like that. Too bad that bullshit rape charge is holding him back.

I'd even put Dale Jr on this list. He's nothing but the love of Nascar fans all over. He can do no wrong. He's a shit driver and people still love him...

 

[NSL]

I know Ben is no great person either but he does a lot of things around Pittsburgh like giving the Police money and shit like that. Too bad that bullshit rape charge is holding him back.

I understand the motorcycle incident was perfectly legal, but the fact he was riding around without a helmet when he's supposed to be a role model, takes him off this list. Again, he was within the law, but he should have thought that out a little more.

Dale Jr. would be a good choice though. He handled the incident with his step-mother well, and he's always been a professional on, and off, the track. Anyone who doesn't think so needs to listen to the fans complain when he doesn't act like his dad, and run guys off the track.

 

[coolykamana]

Im not sure I would throw Brett Favre in any category that includes the word's good and person in the same phrase. Left his team to come back and play for the Vikings. Does anyone really think he landed in Minnesota for no reason? The Jets players made it clear he wanted nothing to do with them just wanted a piece of Green Bay. Hes a genuine piece of garbage. He knew his role with the Packers when they drafter Rodgers, however he decides to drag more attention to himself. Hes more of a dramatic female than my girlfriend.

Great Quarterback/Shitty Person

 

[CH David]

I'm going to throw big Jim Thome's name into this ring. The only blemish, if you want to call it that, was taking a deal after the 2002 season from Philly. But he is one of the nicest guys in the MLB, and right now he may not be the marquee player he once was, but if Mariano Rivera can be on this list, Jimmy should be. He is a huge advocate for Breast Cancer Awareness, which is huge for me, and he is also putting his 10 nieces and nephews through college. Jim Thome is one of the few guys in the MLB that should be looked up to for how he played the game and the way he acted off the field.

 

[Big Sexy]

Another guy that should be put in there for baseball is Curtis Granderson. He is a former Tiger outfielder now with the Yankees, so he will definitely be getting a lot more exposure. As Jim Leyland said "He's everything that is right with baseball." Granderson has also served as an ambassador for MLB International, traveling to a few different countries. Bud Selig wrote him a thank you letter which included this "There are so many fine young men playing Major League baseball today, but I can think of no one who is better suited to represent our national pastime than you."

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

Greg Oden is a good-guy in the NBA. His work ethic and character are some of the best in the league and he does an incredible amount of work in his community. Oden is a big name player who's only mark against him is his suspect knees. He's a genuinely good person, and a real "good guy" in basketball. The same could be said for Brandon Roy. (Yay for homer-ism.)

Andy Pettitte is the first name that sprung to my mind for baseball, other than the guys listed. He admitted to 2 days of HGH usage to recover from and injury, but that was hardly major. It's all but forgotten now, largely in part to how up-front he was about it and just the type of guy he is. He's a true professional who's never had anything whispered about him. Great player, great guy.

Troy Polamalu is a "good guy" for the NFL. He works hard, plays hard, and is a good influence for his teammates. He's active in the community, and for what I know, hasn't been publicly accused of anything that could take him off this list.

The most important name on this list and the person who would affect his sport most if lost is, without-a-doubt, Albert Pujols. This is the man that is supposed to lead us out of the steroid era. He is the one of, if not the best, hitters of the decade, and by the time his career is over, he may be the home-run king, and have his name next to Ruth, Aaron, Williams, and Mays. If he were linked to steroids, it'd be a crushing blow to the MLB.