We all know about how professional athletes get paid millions upon millions of dollars to play sports that we play all the time. Now we may hate them for making more money than we do, we still do love them. Well, most of them. We all have famous athletes we love and wish we could meet, but then there are the ones we don’t even want to look at. One category of athlletes is in a class all by itself–either you love them or you hate them.

Kobe Bryant or Lebron James are at the top of this category. Everyone on the Miami Heat band wagon loves Lebron. The rest of us hate him, and its the same with Kobe. Lakers fans love him while the Black Mamba inspires hate groups all over the rest of the world. Others like them include Carmelo Anthony, Tom Brady, Reggie Miller, Dennis Rodman, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Cam Newton, Muhammad Ali and Paul Pierce. Personally, I hate around 90 percent of the people I just named, but that’s just me.

Then there are the all time favorites–the chosen–everybody seems to love or at least respect these guys. Who doesn’t like Peyton Manning or Michael Jordan. Let’s not forget The Great One Wayne Gretzky.  Baseball greats Hank Aaron or Willy Mays are beloved (in the modern era, at least). In earlier decades, Aaron and Mays did not get the love from the bigoted audience.

Why do we love these guys? Is it because they went up against all the odds and did well? Probably. Take Kevin Durant, for instance. They said he would never make it in the NBA–too skinny, too weak. I can bench press more than he could at the NBA combine. Even though he might not be on your favorite team, and even though he will score 40 on your favorite team, you have to respect him. He is the epitome of what a real NBA player should be. He’s humble, still lives with his mother. He never holds the nation hostage with his “decision” news conference. When his contract was up for renegotiation, he didn’t send agents and lawyers to demand more. He simply texted his owner to sign him up for another tour with the Thunder. It’s just really hard to not like a guy like that. He’s the Mr. Rogers of basketball–easy to like, lovely to have in your NBAborhood.

Then there are those you just cannot stomach. It doesn’t matter what he changes his name to, Ron Artest, wait I mean Metta World-Peace, is one of those people with multiple cheap shots at other players, etc. Or Andrew Bynum with his attack on JJ Barea in the Western Conference Finals a few years ago and his continuing misconduct. Or Aaron Hernandez in his alleged murder of Odin Lloyd. I bet you are thinking of your own list right now. There are athletes who seem for the most part to be rotten or insane or both.

Most professional athletes are great. They give you various quirky personalities that you can love or hate so you can rant about them at the next family meal or guys’ night out. You do have to think without these players sports would be a lot less enjoyable because these bad guys are what make your favorites the good guys.