LeBron James, Tiger Woods Among Most Disliked Athletes

It took years of covering up a history of serial adultery for Tiger Woods to finally trash his intricately constructed public persona. It only took LeBron James one ill-considered "decision" to do the same.

Woods and James are among the most disliked athletes in America according to the latest rankings from The Q Scores Company, which measures the familiarity and appeal of celebrities, brands and companies, reports the Los Angeles Times.

LeBron is the sixth most disliked sports personality in the country according to the list, released earlier this week. In January 2010, he possessed a sterling reputation, carrying a Q Score of 24 percent.

"LeBron's positive score at the time was the highest we had ever seen it," said Henry Schafer, the executive vice president of the Q Scores Company.

According to Schafer, the average athlete carries a 15 percent positive score and a 24 percent negative score. LeBron's negative rating was 22 percent.

Since "The Decision," James' July prime-time special in which he announced he was leaving the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat, his public standing has plummeted. LeBron's positive rating fell to 14 percent and his negatives soared to 39 percent.

James is even a negative rainmaker of sorts, dragging down the positive and pulling up the negative Q Scores of new teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Though LeBron has taken a big public black eye, he still sits outside the top five of the list. Topping the list is Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, still tainted by the dog fighting scandal that sent him to prison for 21 months. He's followed by Woods, the Cincinnati Bengals' reality show terrible twosome of Chad Ochocino and Terrell Owens, and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Selected Reading: CNBC, LA Times,Pro Basketball Talk

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