BILL SIMMONS RECENTLY wrote a thought-provoking and highly controversial piece in which he suggested journalists should be allowed to speculate, in the public sphere, about whether or not athletes are doping.

The article was heavily divisive, as it gained as many detractors as it did admirers, and therefore was one of the more provocative examples of journalism written in recent times.

So with that in mind, we’ve decided to compile a list of some of the other most controversial sports articles of recent years.

Check them out below, and let us now if we’ve made any gaping omissions.

1. Rob Smyth on United

Sort of like the journalistic equivalent of Alan Hansen’s infamous “you never win anything with kids” remark, Rob Smyth’s similarly ill-advised suggestion that the Fergie empire was set to end inevitably resulted in United coming back stronger than ever.

Sample quote:

“United finished second last season, but that as much about the deficiency of the Premiership as their own quality. Arsenal will surely not have a four-month blind spot this season, while all evidence suggests that Liverpool’s gradient will continue on its upward trajectory. With Tottenham getting stronger, even with the loss of Carrick, it is conceivable that, if they start slowly and get significant injuries, United could finish fifth; in today’s environment, that would be disastrous.”

2. The Roy Keane Saipan interview

In the build-up to the 2002 World Cup, Roy Keane gave an interview to the Irish Times in which he presented a less than flattering portrait of conditions in the Irish team’s camp. An argument ensued and the then-Man United star was subsequently either sent home or chose to abandon the squad as a result, depending on who you believe.

(Then-Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy and Niall Quin at a press conference at the Hyatt Hotel in Saipan – Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA Archive/Press Association Images)

3. Buzz Bissinger on Lance Armstrong

Just after Armstrong decided not to pursue charges brought against him by USADA last August, the acclaimed sportswriter launched an impassioned defence of the cyclist. Unsurprisingly, he later wrote a retraction of the piece once Armstrong confessed.

Sample quote:

“I still believe in Lance Armstrong. I believe his decision had nothing to do with fear of being found guilty in a public setting before an arbitration panel, but the emotional and mental toll of years and years of fighting charges that have never been officially substantiated—despite stemming all the way back to 1999.”

4. Martin Samuel on Joey Barton

The normally excellent Daily Mail journalist wrote a bizarre piece on the footballer in which he oddly seemed to implore Barton to declare himself homosexual. Perhaps Samuel was being ironic, but the distinctly unfunny results merely caused embarrassment for all concerned.

Sample quote:

“The gay pressure group, Stonewall, has called again for football to tackle its ‘culture of fear’, while Anders Lindegaard, the Manchester United goalkeeper, has said that football needs a ‘gay hero’.

“So here’s a thought. Joey Barton continues his quest for intellectual and social respectability. Why not come out as gay?”

5. David Whitley on tattoos

In an article that drew much criticism from its readers, AOL published a piece in which its writer lamented the ubiquity of tattoo-loving athletes in professional sport currently. Consequently, the site was forced to emphasise that “Whitley’s opinion is not reflective of the opinion of AOL” and their editor-in-chief had to write a separate article defending the publication of the piece.

Sample quote:

“I realize tattoos are ways to pay homage to your religion, children and motorcycle gang. I’m cool with LeBron James looking like an Etch A Sketch.

“I still cringe when I go to the gym and see middle-aged women with barbed wire circling their biceps. They have bigger arms than I, so I never make fun. But I can’t shake the notion that a person’s body is a temple, and you don’t cover temples in graffiti.”

6. Kimmage interview with L’Equipe

In a move that was vehemently criticised by most sports fans, the UCI decided to sue Paul Kimmage for comments he made about them in an interview with l’Equipe. An internet campaign was subsequently organised to raise funds for Kimmage’s defence and the organisation soon dropped the case. Kimmage, at the time the news broke, commented:

“My reaction to this can be summed up very simply. Unlike Mr Verbruggen and Mr McQuaid, I do not accept donations from Lance Armstrong, so I am not really in a position to defend this… Hell will freeze over before I issue either of those gentlemen an apology for anything.”

7. Gregg Doyel on black coaches

Greg Doyel is renowned as a frequently controversial sportswriter in the States, and his piece about why black coaches never get a second chance was clearly no exception.

Sample quote:

“The Holtz hire doesn’t have me thinking about what just happened at Louisiana Tech, but about what Embree said will never happen for him: a second chance. And overwhelmingly, the odds are he’s right. The only African-American coach to be fired by one high-level program and hired by another was Willingham, and he’d been fired from Notre Dame. All coaches who get fired from Notre Dame get another chance, whether it’s an overmatched high school coach like Gerry Faust (Akron) or an assistant like Bob Davie (New Mexico).”

8. Rod Liddle on Roy Keane

Amid Roy Keane’s controversial departure from Man United, Sunday Times columnist Rod Liddle wrote a piece in which he described the Irishman as “a thug”. Some people were not happy as a result, most notably Eamon Dunphy, as the video below illustrates.

YouTube credit: Piaras Kelly

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