Everybody Hates LeBron

LeBron James's latest Q Score is out, and to no one's surprise, the country sees him as a huge bastard. That's a lot more names for his enemies list.

A little perspective: the average sports star has a 15 percent positive Q score and a 24 percent negative score. That makes sense. His team's fans like him, his team's rivals' fans hate him, and most everyone else is indifferent.

Way back during the season, LeBron was viewed positively by 24 percent of respondents, and negatively by 22. Polarizing to be sure, but generally more liked than most athletes. Well, they polled people again. And it's clear he didn't make many fans outside of Miami by going to the Heat.

Just 14 percent of the general population has a favorable impression of LeBron James, compared with 39 percent who think he's a big selfish jerk who drove a stake through the heart of Cleveland. (My words, not the poll's.)

That's bad. He's the sixth most hated athlete in the country, behind Michael Vick, Tiger Woods, Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Kobe Bryant. Most impressively, James didn't earn his infamy by committing some horrible transgression, like killing dogs, breaking up a marriage, or starring on a VH1 show.

This won't be a wakeup call. We already know LeBron has reached a level of fame and fortune to be able to dismiss any criticism as haters hating. And you know someone from his circle is going to show him these stats, and tell him that seven percent more Americans have an opinion about him since The Decision. And in the world of marketing, that's probably the most important number.

LeBron's Q Score Takes Huge Hit [CNBC]