Don’t Hate The Game, Hate The Player: The Most Hated Athletes Of All Time

Lance Armstrong

Photo by Sam Bagnall/Getty Images

At one point, Lance Armstrong was thought of as the best cyclist on earth as he dominated the sport from the start. His accomplishments include winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times and beating testicular cancer. Armstrong was a pillar of inspiration until his career and reputation came crashing down because of poor decisions.

Since winning the 1999 Tour de France, there were accusations that Armstrong was using performance-enhancing drugs. In 2012 the United States Anti-Doping Agency investigation concluded that he had in fact cheated, and finally, Armstrong admitted to it. All of his Tour de France titles were stripped and his cancer awareness foundation was investigated for fraud. He was once someone the entire nation seemed to rally around, but now Armstrong is one of the most despised professional athletes ever.