Athletes who have won you over

These are all people I used to really dislike, but they have eon me over either on the field or off.

1. Tim Tebow - Hated him at UF, especially as an OSU supporter. Hated his ESPN coverage, hated his personality, his "nobody will work harder than me speech." Now I find myself pulling for him and the Broncos. He is doing what few expected he could. He plays very well within himself, and is a genuinely good human being.

2. Cam Newton/ Nick Fairley - Hated that Auburn team, and as you can see, I just dislike the SEC lovefest in general. Now they're in the NFL, I cheer for them and enjoy watching them play. I think their character issues have pretty much been refuted by now.

3. Rajon Rondo - As much as I still favor CP3, and take his side in any feud, Rondo has turned himself into a premier pg and player. He is very fun to watch.

4. Braylon Edwards - Again, I supported OSU through the 90s and 00s big time, and Edwards tore up those OSU teams. Never thought he'd last in the NFL (mostly out of bias), but not only has he proven me wrong, he has turned into an incredibly generous person (look into his scholarships in Ohio) and I enjoy watching him play a ton now.

There are others (Demarcus Ware, Derek Jeter, Shaq, idk if this counts, but Jay Bilas, used to hate from Dook bias, now recognize his greatness), but those are the big ones.

Who have you come around on?

Cam Newton

/endthread

I really dislike Tim Tebow

Cam Newton

Respect your list but definitely not Rajon Rando. There's a reason no one would accept him in a trade.

Cam Newton
Dirk Nowitzki
Tim Tebow

Charles Barkley on the desk.....hated him as a player

Wakeforest22890 said:

Cam Newton

/endthread

I really dislike Tim Tebow

Click to expand...

Why do you dislike Tebow?

Cam for sure. Liked him at Auburn but didn't think his game would translate at all at the next level. Boy was I wrong and damn glad to have him on my team.

AnonymousDeac said:

Respect your list but definitely not Rajon Rando. There's a reason no one would accept him in a trade.

Click to expand...

Still, look at how much he has improved his game since college. He's surrounded by stars, and he still shines on his own. I might not love him off the court, but he just keeps improving.

Can Newton - mad that he transferred from UF and then the dubious activity that followed. Hated the pick for the Panthers (as seen on this board if you search) but so far I have been very happy the cats selected him. Love his drive and his energy seems contagious.

LeBron - thought he was an egotistical, oblivious-to-why-he-is-hated douchebag even before the decision, but met him in Chicago during the EC finals and he treated everyone that spoke to him with respect. Is he cocky? Yes. Is he a bad guy? No, I think he has a poor pr team around him and that has led to many of the misconceptions.

TownieDeac said:

Still, look at how much he has improved his game since college. He's surrounded by stars, and he still shines on his own. I might not love him off the court, but he just keeps improving.

Click to expand...

He is extremely talented. No question. But he is just a douche of a person and thus, he will never win me over.

KOBE!

RVP

IBRA

AnonymousDeac said:

He is extremely talented. No question. But he is just a douche of a person and thus, he will never win me over.

Click to expand...

Admittedly, I'm not as up on the NBA as I am on the NFL or MLB. I actually find Rondo likeable. I know all his stuff with CP3, but otherwise, I love his persona on the court. He is a gamer. I disliked him at UK, but ever since the Boston rise to prominence, I have really started to enjoy Rondo's game. I understand people still hatin'.

D-Wade: Hated him cause he was the worst ref-baiter of any NBA player. But in the 08 Olympics he balled out ridiculous coming straight off of injury. And he was the only person to really show up besides Kobe in the final.

Dirk: soft ass euro saved us from The Headband winning a ring. his 1 ring in Dallas is better than any amount that the Heat wins.

Blake Griffin
Dirk
Pujols (mostly from frustration pulling for a different NL Central team)
Calvin Johnson (again, from GT)

Athletes who will never win me over: Kobe, Lebron, Roddick, Mickelson, ARod, Vick, Ray Lewis, any and all UNC athletes (I'd include that piece of shit Roy Williams, but he's not an athlete - unless being a piece of shit is now considered a sport, which in that case, he's a first ballot HOFer)

Juwan Howard and the rest of the Fab Five

Tebow and Cam Newton.

Tebow and Cam.

Mickelson.

Missy Peregrym—Stick It