12. 1998 United States Olympic Hockey Team
Via nextimpulsesports.com
The 1998 Winter Olympics of Nagano, Japan included National Hockey League players taking the ice for their countries. There were always going to be disappointments in the tournament. That the United States did not win gold was, on its own, not a massive news story despite the fact that the squad seemed to be a juggernaut. What gets the US team on this list is that the players reportedly were far more interested in enjoying the nightlife in and around Nagano than they were in competing. To put the icing on top of the embarrassment cake, some of the American players trashed rooms at the athlete’s village after the US was eliminated from the tournament.
11. 2011 Boston Red Sox
Via boston.sportsthenandnow.com
All signs were pointing to the Boston Red Sox dominating the American League and possibly all of Major League Baseball at the start of the 2011 season. The Red Sox traded for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, and the club then signed outfielder Carl Crawford. Those moves bolstered a lineup that was already featuring David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. In a collapse that mirrored what had occurred during the 2004 American League Championship Series, the Red Sox failed to hold onto a nine-game division lead in the final month of the year. If that was not bad enough, stories then emerged that certain members of the Red Sox were having a bit too much fun during games.
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