Four Reasons Why I Dislike Charles Barkley

Former NBA basketball star Charles Barkley, now a controversial color commentator for TNT, never fails to spark emotion with some of his often-incendiary comments.

Love him or loathe him, one thing about 'Sir Charles' is that he never fails to spark some sort of response.

Having said that, this column focuses on all the reasons why I - and many others - dislike Charles Barkley.

Sure, he's not the worst guy in the world, (we'll save that for the murderers and such), but Barkley can undeniably be a flat-out 'jerk' of epic proportions at times and has also been known to go a bit too far with what he considers humor.

Either way, Barkley can often be too much for one person to take. Here are four reasons why I - and many others - dislike Charles Barkley.

Bad Attitude
While Barkley is as down-to-earth as anyone you'll ever meet, I'll keep it real by saying that the guy can be a first-class jerk on occasion and often has a bad attitude that can be downright surly when provoked. Either during his playing days or now in his role as a NBA television analyst, you don't want to catch Charles Barkley when he's in a bad mood.

Too Outspoken
I love Barkley's honesty and candor more than most people, but I have to admit that even I, tend to get sick of hearing some of the things he says.

While Barkley generally speaks the truth on certain issues, at least as he sees it, every now and then, I just want to tell Charles the same thing he recently told Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, "Just shut the hell up."

Poor Role Model
I agreed with Barkley to a certain extent back in 1993 when he said, "I'm not a role model. Just because I dunk a basketball doesn't mean I should raise your kids."

However, Barkley would have been well-advised to remember that a part of being a professional athlete is the fact that kids do - and always have - looked up to professional athletes while wanting to emulate their every move.

Having said that, I certainly wouldn't classify Barkley as the worst guy on the face of the planet. On the other hand, I agree with him, I certainly wouldn't want him raising my kids.

Barkley can be an arrogant jackass half the time - and since he came into money as an NBA player - his, 'I can buy my way out of anything' attitude has only gotten worse.

Sense of Humor

While Barkley is downright funny, every now and then, he can go a bit too far. The former 'Round Mound of Rebound' doesn't apologize for much, but I'm sure he wishes he could have one or two of these now, infamous quotes back.

"I can be bought. If they paid me enough, I'd work for the Klan."

"When I speak to kids I tell them, "Hey, you think your parents are a pain in the ass now, but they're going to get smarter as you get older."

"Anytime a fan touches you, you have the right to beat the hell out of him."

"I think they (New York Knicks) have a better coach. This coach probably won't try to kill himself."