Now that LeBron James and the Miami Heat are in the NBA Finals, the LeBron haters are out in full force.

Quite frankly, it's disgusting.  I don't get it.  But that brings up a great question.

Which athlete is hated more - LeBron James or Barry Bonds?

I think it's LeBron.  Hands down.

I have never seen anything like the hatred for LeBron James in my life.  The guy is hated because he left a bad company for a better job.  He held a televised special (which raised millions dollars for charity) and is now hated more than Bernie Madoff at a charity fundraiser.

People are irrational when it comes to LeBron.  He wanted to win and took less money to do it.  What on earth is wrong with that?

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You didn’t like the way “The Decision” was handled or you didn’t like it because LeBron decided not to come to your team?

Unless you live in Miami or were a Heat fan before LeBron got there, you’re rooting against them in this series.  It wasn’t like this in Cleveland – everyone was a Cavaliers fan BECAUSE of LeBron.  James hasn’t converted many people to be Miami Heat fans.

No one hated the San Francisco Giants because of Barry Bonds.  In fact, everyone wanted Bonds memorabilia.  Everyone wanted to watch him.

I think people just accepted Barry Bonds' steroid use because they were entertained.

No one was moaning and groaning about Barry Bonds until about 2004.  And by that time, he was on the downside of his career - there were really only 3 seasons left when the hate started occuring.

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When he hit 73 homers in 2001, everyone was a fan.  People couldn’t get enough of Barry.  Even when he was “hated”, his homeruns were still watched with awe.  When Bonds went to other stadiums, he was still cheered.  It wasn’t a hatred the way it is for LeBron right now.

People don’t even know why they hate LeBron, they just know they hate him.

People don't like LeBron James because of the Jordan factor.

If there’s a player that comes along that could one day come close to what Michael Jordan did, he’s instantly hated.  Because people refuse to think anyone could ever challenge their hero. 

Most people think like this: “It will never be better that what I remember as a kid.”  And if it is actually better, people will refuse to believe it.

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