According to SB Nation, all-time great wide receiver Terrell Owens had to wait a couple of years before earning his spot in the Hall of Fame because, as general manager Bill Polian put it, T.O. was seen by voters as a locker room “cancer.” By the start of 2006, Owens had a history of orchestrating exits from teams. It’s how he moved from the San Francisco 49ers to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004. Thus, Eagles fans shouldn’t have been too surprised when Owens put pen to paper on a contract with division rivals the Dallas Cowboys shortly after Philadelphia released him in ’06. 

“Get Your Owens Jersey to Burn,” NBC Sports Philadelphia declared after the outspoken wideout joined “America’s Team.” Those who know anything about Philadelphia sports fans can probably guess they didn’t disappoint. Owens jerseys were set aflame outside of Lincoln Financial Field that October before the Eagles hosted T.O. and the ‘Boys. According to The Morning Call, certain Philadelphia-area retailers found they couldn’t get rid of Owens gear fast enough. 

Hopefully, those who burned jerseys at least got them at a discount. 

The image of Pittsburgh Penguins winger Marian Hossa slumped along the boards as he watched the Detroit Red Wings celebrate their 2008 Stanley Cup Final victory over the Pens resonated with Yinzers. They shared that heartache. That sadness turned to anger and even hatred, though, after Hossa jumped ship from Pittsburgh to Detroit the subsequent summer because he felt he would “have a little better of a chance to win the Cup in Detroit,” per ESPN. 

Hossa’s decision didn’t sit well with Pittsburgh fans. One created a “Marian Hossa is a Traitor” Facebook page that still existed in 2019. They chanted “traitor” and jeered him throughout his return to Western Pennsylvania in February 2009, as explained by Boston.com. Hossa jerseys became bonfire starters.  

Those who cheered Hossa when he donned the black and gold enjoyed the last laugh along with the Penguins organization. The Pens rallied from a 3-2 series deficit versus Detroit in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final to force a Game 7 in “Hockeytown,” and the visitors hoisted Lord Stanley’s famous cup after notching a 2-1 victory in the deciding contest. “OOPS!” was the headline of an NHL.com story about Hossa’s decision following that fateful Final. Don’t feel too sorry for him, though, as he went on to win the Cup three times with the Chicago Blackhawks after he had to shake the hands of his former teammates in June 2009. 

In reality, Arsenal supporters knew what to expect after fullback Ashley Cole signed an extension with the Gunners in July 2005. Cole had already attempted to make a move to Chelsea, so much so he, legendary Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, and Cole’s agent Jonathan Barnett, were all punished for their roles in a tapping-up meeting that violated transfer protocol, per the BBC. As is often the case in these instances, the player eventually got his wish, and Arsenal sold Cole to Chelsea for a £5 million transfer fee and defender William Gallas in return. 

Arsenal fans didn’t let their anger toward Cole waste the opportunity to utilize a clever pun. According to Metro and The Telegraph, supporters waved fake £20 notes and also inflatable phones at the player in regards to the transfer saga that soured his reputation. They also referred to Cole as “Cashley” and created some NSFW songs you shouldn’t listen to at the office or anywhere else, for that matter. 

As explained by the Independent, Cole claimed in February 2019 he was still “hurt” by reactions he received from Arsenal supporters. Those fans can’t locate violins small enough to play Mr. Cole off the stage. 

It’s probably the most famous NBA free-agency story of the second half of the 2010s (sorry, LeBron James, but everybody knew you were going to the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2018). After the Oklahoma City Thunder squandered a 3-1 series lead to the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, the Warriors blew a 3-1 advantage of their own to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Golden State, which won the 2015 Finals and still had Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson on the roster, responded by signing free agent Kevin Durant, who left OKC for the two-time reigning conference champs. 

Outside of Golden State circles, Durant’s move was widely criticized. Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said Durant jumped on a “gravy train,” per The Undefeated. Multiple outlets accused KD of chasing a ring. Thunder fans left without their superstar burned jerseys and t-shirts, and also hilariously forgot to check their spelling while calling Durant a “trader.” As explained by NBC Sports, somebody even created a Durant-themed “Snake” video game. That’s dedication. 

As you probably know, Durant had little to regret about his decision. He won two championships and a pair of NBA Finals MVP awards before he joined the Brooklyn Nets in the summer of 2019. 

Green Bay Packers fans understood when Brett Favre wanted to continue playing after the club decided to go with Aaron Rodgers as its starting quarterback for the 2008 regular season. Rodgers was Green Bay’s future, but Favre had every right to extend his career with a non-rival such as the New York Jets. “The Gunslinger” may have even received a standing ovation at Lambeau Field had he returned to the stadium wearing Gang Green colors that season. 

The story changed, though, once Favre and the Jets parted ways in 2009. Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay’s despised NFC North foe, that August, and fans were left incensed. “Brett Favre could play anywhere but Minnesota,” one local news report explained before a No. 4 Green Bay jersey was set on fire. Others followed suit, particularly after Favre led the Vikings into Lambeau in November. Fans at the stadium greeted the “Silver Fox” with boos, while those at a Milwaukee establishment hosted a jersey burning party, per TwinCities.com. 

A few years after Favre’s (last) retirement from the NFL, Andrew G. Davy of Lombardi Avenue wrote why he still viewed the one-time Super Bowl champion as “an egotistical traitor.” The Total Packers website shared that opinion in January 2018.  

Books and movies have been dedicated to the legend of Babe Ruth, and that will probably continue to be the case as long as the sport of baseball is played at any level. Before he became “The Sultan of Swat” with the New York Yankees, Ruth was an accomplished pitcher and hitter with the Boston Red Sox. He helped the club win three World Series titles between 1915 and 1918, but the Red Sox then sold Ruth to the Yankees following the 1919 campaign because Boston owner Harry Frazee “needed the funds,” per The Society for American Baseball Research. Whether or not Frazee used that money to fund a play, specifically No, No, Nanette, may never be known. 

What followed for the two clubs isn’t up for debate. The Yankees became the MLB dynasty of the 1920s, and Ruth evolved into the greatest player who ever lived. Boston, meanwhile, went decades without winning a World Series, and Red Sox fans blamed “The Curse of the Bambino” for their team’s repeated failures. For the Ken Burns Baseball documentary, former Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee suggested the club needed to dig Ruth’s body out of the ground and apologize for the trade to reserve the jinx.

Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary, as Boston won the 2004 World Series to put the idea of any curse to bed once and for all.