Are you a player hater?

Sports must have an evil to go with the good.\nTherefore, we need full disclosure about our preferences but a more objective ability to understand why things happen. For example, I am a big Browns fan, and I hate the Steelers, and I have even learned to hate Antwaan Randle El, but I can tell you the Browns lost their AFC Wild Card game to the Steelers last Sunday because of poor pass defense and an inability to run the ball. I think anybody who saw the game with no rooting interest could agree with me.\nThe following is a rundown of some of the most hated teams in popular sport today and a brief explanation why. I recommend you read this while eating a meal of liver and broccoli.\nMajor League Baseball: \nNew York Yankees\nYankees owner George Steinbrenner announced he was removing the dental plan from all his front office employees' health insurance at the end of the year to save money. ESPN.com reported this would save the Yankees $100,000, or outfielder Raul Mondesi's salary -- for three games.\nOf course, this isn't exactly why people hate the Yankees, but what Steinbrenner did is symbolic of it. They spend more money than anybody, disdain the little people, and have all the charm of an Iraqi tank.\nNational Basketball Association: \nLos Angeles Lakers\nShaquille O'Neal supposedly travels or commits an offensive foul every possession. Phil Jackson is a terrible coach who wins because he coaches great players. Kobe Bryant is arrogant and gets away with traveling a lot. The NBA wants the Lakers to win because they play in a huge media market, and as a result, the officiating is rigged in the Lakers' favor.\nYeah, right.\nNational Hockey League: \nDetroit Red Wings\nThis one is a close call because the Montreal Canadiens have always struck people as an evil French-Canadian empire, and the New York Rangers bring out hatred in that they strut like winners with a history like that of a loser.\nThe Red Wings win because they try the hardest to win. They sign the best players, and until last year, their coach was Scotty Bowman, the game's best ever. Canucks president and general manager Brian Burke accused them of playing dirty in last year's playoffs. They always acquire the players that you think your favorite team should be acquiring. Owner Mike Ilitch also owns the Tigers, but he spends nowhere near the money on them in order to achieve success.\nNational Football League: \nDallas Cowboys\nThis one was also close. People hate the Packers because they have a problem with the smell of deer urine. People hate the Ravens because of the way they were stolen from the people of Cleveland and because of the general obnoxiousness of coach Brian Billick. People hate the 49ers because their fans are perceived as wine and cheese eaters who don't really "get" football. People hate the Raiders because of owner Al Davis' willingness to flaunt league rules and his continued desire to keep the leisure suit in fashion.\nBut the Cowboys will always be in our hearts, or should I say gnawing in the pit of our stomachs. First, they have the arrogance to call themselves America's Team. Second, their owner Jerry Jones, is the second most egotistical figure in pro sports. Third, their coach Bill Parcells is the most egotistical figure in pro sports. Finally, they get much more media attention than they deserve when they stink.\nCollege football: \nNotre Dame\nThey may also be the best liked. They have a great Midwest and East Coast following. These fans so faithfully watch the games that even their games against Navy and Rutgers get televised. Devoted Catholic fans from the East Coast who never traveled anywhere near South Bend are referred to as the "Subway Alumni," named for the mode of transportation they used to take to the classic Notre Dame-Army matchups of the 1940s when they were played at Yankee Stadium. \nSo why are they disliked? Well, religious piety and beating people's brains in strikes many as rather contradictory. (A lot of people hate Brigham Young University for the same reasons but to a lesser extent.) Much of the Notre Dame legend is built on myth, not fact, including the Catholics vs. Convicts duels with Miami in the late '80s and early '90s. Plus, NBC televises all their games, a built-in recruiting advantage that should make them an annual national championship contender but somehow hasn't. \nCollege basketball:\nTexas Tech\nDuh.