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Sport is an ideal breeding-ground for the eccentric and the erratic, and over the years it has given us the chance to witness the antics of the very strangest pros of them all. Here is a list of six of the craziest athletes in sports history, in no particular order (how does one measure madness, after all?).

Love them - for all they can do inside a stadium or sports arena - or hate them - for everything else they did and do. Just don’t forget them, because these names will keep coming back again, though not always for the right reasons. There were many more that deserved a mention but were left out simply because I graded on the curve. In other words, just not as crazy.

John McEnroe

Loud-mouthed and temperamental, John “you-cannot-be-serious” McEnroe apparently didn’t care much for his public image, as he constantly displayed his bad temper alongside his amazing skill on a tennis court. The “SuperBrat” was ever-willing to give people a piece of his mind, usually presented with an impressive array of colorful vocabulary. He hated losing almost as much as he hated those he blamed for it—everyone but himself.

George Foreman

One of the greatest fighters of all time, George Foreman seems like a normal, straight-laced man. While that may be mostly true, he was a bit off his rocker in some respects, such as naming seven of his ten children after himself, two of them being girls (Freeda George and Georgetta Foreman), as well as returning to boxing to win a world championship at the incredible age of 45. While that feat is irrefutable proof that there is no stopping someone who is determined to reach his goals, it does take quite a bit of crazy.

Mike Tyson

An undisputed world champion in boxing, Mike Tyson is a sports icon to be remembered. However, that’s not the only memory that comes to mind upon hearing his name. While fighting Evander Holyfield in a rematch fight in 1997, Tyson was disqualified for biting Holyfield in the ear, not only once but twice. Teddy Atlas, Tyson’s trainer at the time, claimed that Tyson’s move was deliberate and stated that he wanted to be known to the world as “savage and brutal”. If we add his rape conviction and prison time, as well as overall ferociousness, I’d say he was very convincing.

Dennis Rodman

While it may be true that appearance isn’t everything, at times they can be an indication of what lies inside - especially so when it involves wedding dresses and hair-dyes, two things that just don’t go together. Dennis Rodman was known as a “bad boy” on the field and off it, for such things as regular brawls with other basketball players and marrying Carmen Electra while drunk. This guy is so crazy he doesn’t even get a “Controversy” section on Wikipedia; it’s controversy all throughout.

Muhammad Ali

Our third boxing legend is Muhammad Ali, who is on this list not so much for his eccentricity as much as for never being afraid to stir up controversy, something he has done all his life. Before entering a fight, Ali would wire the atmosphere by talking up trash against his opponents, often using poems, sometimes correctly predicting the exact round in which he would finish them off. His dogged determination and conviction to his beliefs have made him one of the most celebrated athletes in history. He was crazy enough to enter any fight, in the ring and out of it, which he almost always won.

Diego Maradona

Considered by many the greatest soccer player who ever lived, Maradona has every reason for being on this list. He went from King of the World - achieving (self-appointed) God-status by winning two World Cups for his country - to crack addict and alcoholic, being banned from soccer for failing a doping test, overdosed and attended rehabilitation numerous times, while still having time to father illegitimate children on the side. Indeed, space would fail me to write of the rest, and he still remains as controversial as ever, freely giving his opinion on absolutely everything under the sun.

Honorable Mentions:

Terrell Owens—This guy never really knows when to just stay out of the spotlight, something that has lead him to one-too-many foot-in-mouth situations throughout his career.

Tie Domi—A hockey legend that enjoyed his sport way too much for his own good.

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