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LenDale White vs. The City of Pittsburgh: A Primer on Sports Hate




Let's be honest, there are few things more entertaining in sports than when an athlete is absolutely despised by a city. And I don't mean despised in the Michael Jordan-tears-out-Cleveland's-heart-with-a-wooden-spoon level hate. That's rooted in Jordan's superhuman play on the field.

I mean on a level like LenDale White stomping on the Terrible Towel and refusing to apologize -- where the entire city is outraged at one particular player.

For those of you who don't remember, the Tennessee Titans played the Pittsburgh Steelers in the next-to-last game of the regular season last year. The Titans won 31-14 to lock up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and LenDale White celebrated by stomping on a Terrible Towel on the sideline.

Latest FanHouse column is up here.

The citizens of Pittsburgh reacted with outrage. White remains unrepentant, telling ESPN's Paul Kuharsky: "I'm a professional towel stomper. My nickname is LenDale 'The Towel Stomping' White. I've seen the big Ben Roethlisberger sandwich on TV. So if anybody wants to freeze it and send one over, I'll be more than happy to eat it."

At least White has never had weight issues or the reputation of being willing to eat anything.

But White's refusal to back down from the towel stomping is exactly what we need to make the environment as electric as possible when Tennessee visits Pittsburgh in Week 1. It brings to mind other instances when an athlete has been hated by the opposing fans.

Think Dennis Rodman in Utah after his comments about Mormons, J.D. Drew in Philadelphia after his spurning of the Phillies, or Chipper Jones in New York (naming his daughter, Shea, really?). The kind of hate that ferments, that's personal, something that goes directly to the heart of the city and makes people so angry they can't utter your name without including a seven-letter expletive that begins with the letter "f" -- think Boston's reaction to Bucky (blanking) Dent.


Continue here for my 8 requirements before these hatefests can really take off.

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Posted by Clay Travis at 5:29 PM

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