Worst dads in sports

[skippy]

Who’s your daddy?

A sampling of the worst fathers in sports

By STEPHEN RIPLEY, SUN MEDIA
June 15, 2008

Did you ever notice how professional athletes say, “Hi Mom!” but never “Hi Dad!” when TV cameras show them sitting on the bench?

After teaching their kids how to throw a ball, shoot a puck or punch another man in the face, you’d think fathers would have earned a little more respect. But no, it’s always mothers who get the props. Hallmark even sells 50% more greeting cards for Mother’s Day than it does for Father’s Day.

So why the double standard? Maybe it’s because there are too many examples of men who tried to relive failed sports dreams through their children, dads who exploited their athletically gifted kids for money and sports stars who were little more than sperm donors to their children.

I guess Hallmark doesn’t make a card for that sort of thing.

10. George Foreman
By most accounts, George Foreman is a stand-up guy — an ordained minister who has managed to do right by the 10 children he produced in five marriages. But what brings his fatherly qualities into question is his giant ego, which caused him to name all five of his sons George and one of his daughters Georgetta. In my book, that’s child abuse.

9. Patrick Roy
The former Hall of Fame goaltender’s parenting skills came under fire back in March, when his Quebec Remparts faced the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the QMJHL playoffs. When a line brawl broke out with his team trailing 7-1, Roy motioned for his son Patrick to leave his crease and square off against Chicoutimi’s Bobby Nadeau, even though the opposing goalie clearly wanted no part of the fisticuffs. The younger Roy followed his coach’s directions and pummelled the helpless Nadeau and then fought another player before saluting the Chicoutimi fans with both middle fingers raised. Despite video evidence to the contrary, Roy refused to admit he had urged his son into the fray.

8. Cecil Fielder
When Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder hit his 50th home run last season — making the Fielders the first father and son 50/50 duo — Cecil was unable to share the moment with his son. That’s because Prince has severed ties with his dad after the cash-strapped former Blue Jay tried to claim part of his son’s big-league signing bonus. As an 18-year-old in the minors, Prince was once accosted by a process server trying to recover money from the elder Fielder, who had gambled away most of his millions.

7. Travis Henry
How does a Pro Bowl running back with a $22.5-million contract fall behind on his child-support payments? It’s easy if you’re Travis Henry and you’ve sired nine illegitimate children (at last count) by nine different women. As if that’s not bad enough, Henry was recently cut by the Denver Broncos in the wake of a drug suspension, which means he’s going to have nine angry baby mamas on his case.

6. Roy Spencer
On Dec. 12, 1970, Roy Spencer was busting with pride, having learned his son Brian had just been called up from the minors by the Toronto Maple Leafs. But when he turned on Hockey Night in Canada, only to find the local B.C. station had pre-empted the national Leafs-Blackhawks matchup in favour of a Vancouver Canucks game, the old man snapped. He drove 135 km to the CBC station in Prince George and forced them at gunpoint to show the Leafs game. They complied, but Spencer was killed when he got into a shootout with cops on his way out of the station.

5. Mathew Kowald
Earlier this year, 36-year-old Green Bay Packer fan Mathew Kowald was charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly using duct tape to restrain his seven-year-old son during the Pack’s playoff win over Seattle. The boy’s crime? He had refused to support the team by donning a Packers jersey, so his dad used the tape to forcibly affix it to his son’s body. It could have been worse — at least he didn’t force the kid to wear a block of cheese on his head.

4. Roger Clemens
Never mind the steroids, the accusations of adultery with several other women or the ease with which he outed his wife as an HGH user. None of that compares with the sheer vanity Roger Clemens showed when naming his four sons — Koby, Kory, Kacy and Kody — in honour of his own proficiency at racking up strikeouts (which are signified by the letter K).

3. Marc O’Hair
In 1999, O’Hair pulled his 17-year-old son Sean out of high school so the kid could pursue a career in professional golf. In exchange for his “coaching” — which included constant verbal abuse and making Sean run a mile for every stroke he finished over par each round — O’Hair made his son sign a contract promising to give him 10% of his earnings. The younger O’Hair, who has won twice since joining the PGA Tour in 2005, severed all ties with his overbearing father in 2002.

2. Evander Holyfield
Hypocrisy, thy name is Evander. A born-again Christian who wasn’t shy about trumpeting his piety, Holyfield has fathered at least nine children out of wedlock. He has also been linked to two pharmacies under investigation for supplying athletes with steroids and human growth hormone. And just last week, the ex-heavyweight champ who has earned $248 million in total purses was accused of falling behind on his child support.

1. Jim Pierce
In a sport notorious for deranged parents, Jim Pierce is tennis’s Hannibal Lecter. The American father of Canadian-born champion Mary Pierce was banned from attending WTA events for five years for, among other things, verbally and physically attacking his daughter, punching a spectator at Roland Garros and shouting “Kill the bitch!” while his daughter was playing. Other than that, he’s a nice guy.

[Chris46139]

How is there a list without Shawn Kemp on it

[Bozzie]

Originally Posted by Chris46139

How is there a list without Shawn Kemp on it

Todd Marinovichs pop was a monster.