Why is Ryan Braun so hated?

[coolhandluke121]

Absolutely shame plays an important role in society. So do humility, humbleness and forgiveness. Love him, hate him, want him gone or want him to retire a Brewer, it really doesn't matter. The minute he did what he did I lost interest in him as a person. I don't love him or hate him or particularly care what he does off the field. I don't feel it's my job to judge him in any way and he has to deal with the consequences of what he did. Hate is a very strong emotion and for anyone to hold on to hate for that amount of time is strange to me. I just hope he has a few more walk off dingers left in him.

 

It's not that kind of hate. It's not something that keeps me up at night. In a way, he's just a brand to me. I hate him the way I hate Lee jeans or Kashi products. It's personal preference and it should be really obvious why it's my preference.

[82brewcrew82]

Absolutely shame plays an important role in society. So do humility, humbleness and forgiveness. Love him, hate him, want him gone or want him to retire a Brewer, it really doesn't matter. The minute he did what he did I lost interest in him as a person. I don't love him or hate him or particularly care what he does off the field. I don't feel it's my job to judge him in any way and he has to deal with the consequences of what he did. Hate is a very strong emotion and for anyone to hold on to hate for that amount of time is strange to me. I just hope he has a few more walk off dingers left in him.

 

It's not that kind of hate. It's not something that keeps me up at night. In a way, he's just a brand to me. I hate him the way I hate Lee jeans or Kashi products. It's personal preference and it should be really obvious why it's my preference.

It's your preference, why should that be obvious to anyone but you? I don't particularly care whether you hate him or not. You have your reasons for not liking him but that doesn't in anyway invalidate or lessen those who have chosen to move on in a more positive manner.

[coolhandluke121]

It's your preference, why should that be obvious to anyone but you? I don't particularly care whether you hate him or not. You have your reasons for not liking him but that doesn't in anyway invalidate or lessen those who have chosen to move on in a more positive manner.

 

It should be obvious because I answered the question of the whole thread by saying I hate him because he's a liar and a cheater. What more justification could I possibly need? Several people here have implied, and practically even said outright, that using perfectly sound moral standards to decide which players I don't like is not acceptable. I mean, what?? Sorry, but that's a sign of a lack of a moral compass. It's not the fact that they've forgiven him and moved on that bothers me and I don't think I implied that at all. It's that several people have suggested it's not even my place to hold a player to a basic moral standard if I'm going to like and respect him, and one person even suggested it was juvenile (see seabass's post, or better yet my post were I quoted him because there's a good chance he has realized how inappropriate his post was by now and edited it).

 

ETA: One guy even brought my own morals into question. Honestly I think that was pathetic. If someone steals your car, would you expect the police to say "well, you're probably no saint yourself, so you shouldn't really hold it against him". You seriously can't make this stuff up.

[MVP2110]

Idk. The way he has turned himself around since then has been motivation for myself. He does alot for the team, by all accounts is a great teammate, and he hasn't as much as gotten a speeding ticket since then, he has been an upstanding citizen. Personally I am over the whole Issue. If Dino Laurenzi forgave him I think we all can too.

 

Also again, the point being why do other random fans hate him? Random Padre fan probably couldn't tell you the whole story. I get why Dodgers fans hate him. Besides that I don't get it.

[82brewcrew82]

ETA: One guy even brought my own morals into question. Honestly I think that was pathetic. If someone steals your car, would you expect the police to say "well, you're probably no saint yourself, so you shouldn't really hold it against him". You seriously can't make this stuff up.

So you can question the morals of someone but no one can question yours? Don't judge less you be judged by others. If you hate Braun, just say you hate Braun and be done with it.

[splitterpfj]

The press conference is what has stuck to Braun, much more so than the PED use - that's just the way it is, and he has to live with it.

 

One other point to anyone who hasn't realized yet - sports fans are hypocrites. I was at a game in St Louis, in 2013, and one lady near me was just merciless each time Braun was announced, so finally, I said, "What about Mark McGwire?" She said, "We still love him." I said, "That seems a bit odd, since he was a cheater and a liar who refused to admit it when under oath."

 

She never said another word.

 

It's what fans do, if Braun wasn't a Brewer, I'm sure Brewers fans would carve him up too, but since he hits game winning bombs for the home team, we ask why he's so hated.

[FVBrewerFan]

I never really loved Braun before the whole PED thing. He has always come off a little fake to me. I know a lot of people feel the same way, hard to explain but just sort of rubs people the wrong way.

 

Thing is, I don't care. Ever since Favre, I have given up the jock worship. I may still root for certain guys more because I like them. But the thing is we really don't know any of these players so I try hard to stick to what they do on the field. So while I never really liked Braun I will like him plenty if he rakes this year.

[BrewersSuperCollector]

I like Ryan Braun the baseball player. I don’t want him to be traded and hope he retires a Brewer. But, with that said. I wouldn’t necessarily trust his word if there was a “he said she said” incident with him. Like the old adage...fool me once....

[Austin Tatious]

1. Braun let us down in a big way. He embarrassed himself, and by extension, his fans, the people who cheered for him, defended him, etc.

2. I was a huge fan of his since the day we drafted him.

3. I’m out of town and most of the people around me are not Brewer fans. When his appeal worked, I defended him. Others shrugged. Since he was outed and was exposed for how he handled himself, I take jabs over it. That’s not my problem in the main, but he still put that on his fan base.

4. His representation is utterly incompetent, one way or another. He could have kept quiet when the appeal worked. They could have simply said “I’m happy with the result, which speaks for itself. I’m very disappointed that the initial result was leaked, and my attorneys will handle that with the players’ association. Beyond that, I’m happy, and let’s play ball.” I’m not taking the blame from him. But, good representation could have guided him on the better path.

5. Then when the Miami memos came out, he could have just said, “regretfully, I was having an injury problem and used a lotion for healing. I had limited use for a period as a healing mechanism. But, I regret what I did, I take responsibility for it. It was a lapse in judgement. It’s over and I will make it up to my fans who support me.”

6. If his reps gave him better advice, the backlash would be much smaller.

7. So, he handled it arrogantly, foolishly, and put his fans in a bad spot. Honestly, it will never be the same if people can even remember how we felt about him at one time.

8. I’m over it. Like I said, the feeling of pure golden boy is gone forever. He lied to US, the people who supported him the most. But, he’s human, made a mistake, and I’m not standing in judgement. That’s not my job. If he has to take grief, well he made his bed and he has to lie in it. But, I’m moving on and am supporting him.

9. He’s always been a hitting savant. I’ve never for a second thought he needed PED’s to hit the way he does. When you look at him as a hitter, he’s with Yount and Molitor and Prince. Rarified air. Average, power, XBH. He can hit in any situation. He’s been a phenomenal talent.

10. If his representation handled it better, we’d be talking about a cream he used on a limited basis for healing a muscle. But since he’s a proven liar, he has to live with the consequences and the loss of credibility for anything he says. I’m over it, but to each his own. Others may never move on and always resent him. For me, he will never be that same special golden boy, but I appreciate him as a pure hitting talent, a well rounded hitting machine and one of the best Brewer hitters ever. It’s really a shame that this had to happen.

[tmwiese55]

The press conference was a huge mistake on his part since he knew behind it all that he was at fault. he should have issued a humble statement saying that he was glad the processed worked and his name has been cleared, then let it be. So for informed people, yes that is a legit reason.

 

However for this particular question, the average joe fan of other teams really aren't that informed or remember all that in my best guess. It's as simple as he's the 2nd most famous steroid user in recent baseball after ARod combined with he's also the 2nd best player to be caught. So basically they just remember that he was in on it whereas they don't remember Jhonny Peralta, so it gives them something to be riled up about regarding the opposing teams best player. And haters love to hate.

 

For a few things that I think I read in hear while quickly browsing that weren't exactly correct. Yes, the handler did screw up in that he I believe he said he kept it over night in his basement, not in a fridge. Then let it sit in the trunk of his car all day in something like 80 degree weather. I believe Braun's team or the team of an Olympic person recreated similar storage situations and proved that it can change the test results. Something of that nature. Moreover, I believe the other two players tested that day with Braun tested so drastically high that their results were thrown out and Braun's was barely under the limit to throw it out. So, clearly Braun was using, not denying that. But he might have been doing it in a way to avoid tests (like almost all guys in that scandal avoided failing tests) and the mishandling actually did lead to the failed test. this is going on so long ago that I'm not about to say I'm remembering everything 100% correctly so I don't want to argue about anything.

[brewmann04]

Yes I can understand what he did if he did not come out and denied it. The past is the past the guy is still on his game and will be a brewer for life

[danzig6767]

The press conference is what has stuck to Braun, much more so than the PED use - that's just the way it is, and he has to live with it.

Yep

 

All he had to do was put out a canned statement like numerous other players who have gotten busted by saying he must have unknowingly taken a substance which caused a positive test, but he apologizes for not being more careful and he accepts any punishment given to him.

 

Sure, Braun would have received some negative press and fan backlash at the time, but as with the numerous other players who put out a statement like the one above, there wouldn't be the level of permanent vitriol which he now has to live with for instead handling things the way he did.

 

I've largely gotten over my disgust with him and Braun does seem humbled, but i'll never entirely forgive him for how he handled this. It simply was to much of a douche-bag move to forgive completely, even as time has tempered my anger towards him.

[lcbj68c]

No one was thrown under any bus. According to the all knowing oracle of The Internet throwing someone under the bus refers to the act of betrayng a friend or ally for selfish reasons.

 

The Urine Guy was never Braun's friend or ally & if he had done his job correctly Braun would never have won his appeal in the first place.

 

Also Braun was never busted for "steroids" that I'm aware of. I believe it was elevated levels of testosterone which were found in the compromised sample.

 

Once it is understood that most casual fans can't even get these two pieces of crucial information correct (not accusing anyone here, just to be clear), it's not surprising they still refelexively boo when his name is announced.

 

It's hard to believe that somebody else out there actually "gets it". Bravo sir.

[jerichoholicninja]

He was hated well before the PED scandal. He played with a little bit of cockiness that rubbed people (Cardinals fans and the national media who took offense to the lowly, irrelevant Milwaukee Brewers having a really good player) the wrong way. I remember very early in his career, he would get booed basically every time he came up to bat in road games.

[BuckyBrewer61]

One other point to anyone who hasn't realized yet - sports fans are hypocrites. I was at a game in St Louis, in 2013, and one lady near me was just merciless each time Braun was announced, so finally, I said, "What about Mark McGwire?" She said, "We still love him." I said, "That seems a bit odd, since he was a cheater and a liar who refused to admit it when under oath."

 

She never said another word.

 

It's what fans do, if Braun wasn't a Brewer, I'm sure Brewers fans would carve him up too, but since he hits game winning bombs for the home team, we ask why he's so hated.

 

+1

 

Was at a game in SF a couple years ago and they boo'd Braun. When we pointed out that Barry Bonds guy, most fan gave us the same response as above. And not defiantly so, just laughed it off acknowledging their hypocrisy, because sports.

 

Personally, I don't particularly like Braun. But I do really love when he hits game winning dingers, and will keep rooting for him to do so.

[tmwiese55]

I've had the exact same talks with Cards fans at Miller Park when they'd boo him. And then I'd point out that their starting SS (Peralta) was in the same scandal. And never forget to mention that LaRussa was at the forefront of the entire steroid era in Oak (don't forget he gets to got the Hall on the backs of multiple steroid users but those same players aren't allowed in). And whenever they mention the cockiness then you point out that Pujolds in his prime was the worst or second worst after Bonds in regards to walking while watching his HRs. Yet Braun would get drilled over and over for it by LaRussa, to the point that he started that head down and smile at the dugout thing that came back out with that SD bomb. Cards fans are the worst.

 

Basically you can find a player on every other team involved that makes each team hypocritical. Top of my head for SD, you have Caminiti.

[jerichoholicninja]

One other point to anyone who hasn't realized yet - sports fans are hypocrites. I was at a game in St Louis, in 2013, and one lady near me was just merciless each time Braun was announced, so finally, I said, "What about Mark McGwire?" She said, "We still love him." I said, "That seems a bit odd, since he was a cheater and a liar who refused to admit it when under oath."

 

She never said another word.

 

It's what fans do, if Braun wasn't a Brewer, I'm sure Brewers fans would carve him up too, but since he hits game winning bombs for the home team, we ask why he's so hated.

 

+1

 

Was at a game in SF a couple years ago and they boo'd Braun. When we pointed out that Barry Bonds guy, most fan gave us the same response as above. And not defiantly so, just laughed it off acknowledging their hypocrisy, because sports.

 

Personally, I don't particularly like Braun. But I do really love when he hits game winning dingers, and will keep rooting for him to do so.

 

To piggyback off that, I don't understand how people can take things pro athletes, entertainers, politicians, etc. do so personally. Those people don't give a crap about you, why waste an ounce of energy on an emotional investment in them?

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Implying that the collector was anti-semitic was beyond pathetic.

 

Was that ever substantiated?

 

I could swear it was said by him in a published interview. I might have even seen him say it. I guess I'm not 100% sure, but I think the exact quote was something like "why he would leave the sample sit so long, I don't know - maybe it's because he's a Cub fan, maybe he's an anti-semite, whatever - but it does appear pretty suspicious".

 

ETA: Could also be it was in a report of what people say he told them, as opposed to Braun saying it publicly himself. In any case, I vaguely remember a quote like that being attributed to Braun. There were lots of reports on that from mainstream sources:

 

https://www.si.com/si-wire/2013/08/19/ryan-braun-discredit-urine-collector

 

More ETA:

So he brought up race and religion, and then made the statement that I paraphrased above. The implication that Laurenzi was an anti-semite was not as direct as I made it out to be, at least in the sense that race and religion was in the previous paragraph of Braun's statement.

 

Pathetic.

 

I'm fine with hating Braun, but you're REALLY reaching here. I think if you're going to say something like that, make sure you have a concrete source on it and not a vague memory. Braun never got anywhere close to that specific about things.

[adambr2]

No one was thrown under any bus. According to the all knowing oracle of The Internet throwing someone under the bus refers to the act of betrayng a friend or ally for selfish reasons.

 

The Urine Guy was never Braun's friend or ally & if he had done his job correctly Braun would never have won his appeal in the first place.

 

Also Braun was never busted for "steroids" that I'm aware of. I believe it was elevated levels of testosterone which were found in the compromised sample.

 

Once it is understood that most casual fans can't even get these two pieces of crucial information correct (not accusing anyone here, just to be clear), it's not surprising they still refelexively boo when his name is announced.

 

It's hard to believe that somebody else out there actually "gets it". Bravo sir.

 

Sorry, I agree with 99% of what sveum posts, but I really could not disagree with this one more in every aspect.

 

First of all whether or not the collector was 'thrown under the bus' is totally beside the point. You can call it what you want, it was a crappy thing to do to another human being. If he's forgiven him, great. It was still a crappy thing to do and in part answers the original question here.

 

Secondly by that definition he did indeed throw people under the bus. Ask his former best friend Aaron Rodgers if he felt thrown under the bus when he publicly called out MLB after Braun was acquitted, only to be made a fool of later. Not surprisingly, he severed business and personal ties with him after. How about his teammates, who publicly insisted on his innocence?

 

Also, to me the 'if Urine Guy had done his job correctly' argument is silly in my opinion. Yeah, if the cops out there who have made a procedural error in an arrest had done their job correctly, the criminals who benefited from it wouldn't have escaped justice. That doesn't make them any less guilty in reality.

[brewcrewdue80]

I don't hate him. I've spoken on his side to overlook this because as shown many times, he was put out there by the media that he had failed the test, when it hadn't gone through the powers that be. That leak ruined him. What happened after is the fault to the leak.

 

He's the only one to publicly be found innocent, because if innocent, those players aren't exposed that they were brought in to determine a ped failure.

Can't find someone guilty in the people's eyes if they aren't known on a charge in the first place.

[adambr2]

I think Braun is most likely 1 out of 2 guys:

 

1) Generally a decent dude who is human like everyone, made a mistake trying to recover from injuries, tried to hide it, and it snowballed on him as he got tangled up in his own web of lies.

 

2) A completely fake and narcissistic individual who does everything, all the way down to charity work, for his own interests and image. Think Sammy Sosa -- said all the right things, kissed babies and helped old ladies across the street, all the while he was a fake dirtbag who would do anything to get ahead. Likely a former chronic PED abuser who may have been using all the way back to his Miami days.

 

 

I really don't care, he's the one who needs to live with whoever he is. I will root for him to do well as long as he's wearing a Brewer uniform, but that's as far as it goes for me.

[TJseven7]

Going back to the OP. Was listening to a national sports program a year ago about the death of heros in sports and fan/media bias. He was talking about kc print ripping on teams for drafting character issues in the nfl despite no mention of their hypocrisy in tyreek hill.

 

I called talking ray rice before after video... mixon v other character concerns due to video... joe pas lawn party pre death and threw in that exact Braun v Marte game.

 

Agree agree agree good point good point... braun... whoa hold up!

 

He said that Braun doesn't fit. The way he treated the courier, the way he was smug about getting off the hook...

 

But the interesting part was he brought up fellow reporters who were jewish and livid about his anti-jewish comment at the courier. Stated he had close colleagues/friends who were downright incensed over it and he'll never get forgiven for it by them. True or not that's very much in play and in perceptions. I apologized for not remembering it at the time and backpeddled from that example... granted he also stated they shouldn't cheer marte... but that braun should absolutely be booed.

 

Daniel Tosh has a Kobe joke in completely serious... hate me because im a champion, hate me due to my work ethic... yadda yadda.

 

I think Brauns baseballs Kobe. Wasn't liked by many from the start but that one poorly handled situation just put the final nail in the coffin. Now he's real easy to hate.

 

Watched game 3 with my sisters sports crazy 11 year old. We had a long Braun talk. Me and him have a rule... I'll buy him jerseys of the best players in the game, whom I assume are also good leaders and good people, but no matter how much he loves the jersey, if the player does something that makes them a lesser person, the jersey gets tossed and he gets a new one to replace it of another guy. Although I expect him to get popped for steroids or hgh any day, I'm still happy he has a JJ Watt jersey. Rodgers, Jordy, Giannis as well. Been watch listing Khalil Mack for a few years now. He really liked carolina for awhike and he almost got Kuechly but didn't want a panthers fan for life in the family lol. He won't be getting a Braun one. He was kinda wowed by Yelich and Hader... wonder why. (Currently my most comfortable brewer jersey sits at Shaw but its a close group)

 

Lastly, man I hate the... if you could make 100 mil by cheating you'd do it too take. It's sad that's become such a popular outlook and opinion, and as a cynic I get why. But you don't know how the person you are talking to is wired, so don't point that at people. Saw that pointed at luke and man, lucky it was him and not me. Let's leave it at... I'm the type of dumb egotistical that I'd rather have the deck stacked against me so I know my accomplishments hold value. A stick it type of achievement... followed rules, didn't cut corners, still here type of achievement. Makes me dumb in the eyes of many but don't just assume people would cheat... we all have our messed up motives and some aren't that simple to see. You can decide which is better for yourself. Both have faults. It's like assuming all people who get power will become self serving corrupt monsters. Some people want power because of the opportunity it would present to do good things. Some love results some love legacy both can be completely selfish in the reason why they do what they do despite opposite outcomes.

 

People are messy, but cheating is WAY easier to see. Like reading a player had an issue and cutting to the video. Braun messed this one up bad, and even the 11 year old knows... we root for the Brewers to win and if that means we need Braun to do good so be it. We dont root for Braun. Before I get jumped on for teaching that lesson... we also talked about how he's being a team player and playing a new position, putting the team first this year and has probably stopped cheating.

[BilliamdaIII]

I honestly haven't cared since it happened. He got suspended in a year we weren't going to compete and the very next year after the test was just as good if not better than his MVP year that people think he cheated throughout. I believe anything to expedite the healing process should be legal. So what if he took something to get healthy for a playoff game.

[DocLuna7]

I think Braun would still be disliked by every non-Brewer fan even if none of the steroid stuff happened.

 

And its not just because of how good he is at baseball,

 

He simply has a certain air about him.

 

Call it whatever you like but he just comes off as that type of guy that orders bottle service at a posh nightclub and sits in the VIP section, looking down at everyone else like he is more entitled,

 

In fact I strongly dislike Bryce Harper for the same reason.

 

Brewer fans know that if Braun was on the Cards or Cubs they would hate him more than their other players.

 

I don’t know Ryan Braun on a personal level at all, but FWIW I happened to run into him at a nightclub years ago and he couldn’t have been nicer and mingled with lots of people (including fans) on the dance floor.

[torts]

because he lied and stuck with it because he had to in order to win his appeal case and threw some UPS driver under the bus for not doing his job.

 

I still love brauny, and im glad he did all of that because it showed flaws in the handling process for drug testing that has been fixed.