Lesser of Two Evils

When it comes to top sportsmen who are jerks, two names come off the top of the head of many.

Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds.

In the court of public opinion, Armstrong is a jerk because of how he persecutes those who expose the ugly truth, that he became a top cyclist thanks to all kinds of doping imaginable. Bonds is a jerk because of his hostility towards everyone, from fans, teammates to reporters, and because of his steadfast denial against doping charges on him despite, many argue, solid evidence.

To me, Armstrong is a real jerk as first, he admitted to Oprah Winfrey that he didn't think what he did was wrong and, second, he wanted all of us to believe that he is actually a good guy by setting up the Livestrong Foundation, one that has raised millions of dollars in the fight against cancer. Armstrong himself admits that he is "part jerk part humanitarian". To me, the good things he has done will never be able to make up for the atrocious acts he has done to many.

Armstrong is a hypocrite. A real jerk.

Bonds is a mystery to everyone as he never let the fans know him. Fans marvel as his baseball prowess, but also scoff at his standoffish nature. On Facebook, he may have a lot of followers, but I doubt that he has a lot of friends.

Like Armstrong, Bonds has been embroiled in doping controversies for years. But unlike Armstrong, whose many former associates have come out against him, Greg Anderson, the long-time trainer of Bonds who allegedly was the source of performance-enhancing drugs, has chosen jail time instead of testifying against him in court.

To me, Bonds is just socially inept. So he shuns almost all interview requests, and has a frosty relationship with his teammates throughout the years. He is aloof by choice.

Armstrong's bullying nature has resulted in many of his former confidants saying, "Enough is enough", but Bonds' softer side to his inner-circle of friends may have saved him from being punished in the court of law.