After former Capital Matt Bradley recently verified what everyone in D.C. had already suspected, that Alex Semin ‘doesn’t care,’ the remaining folks in Semin’s cheering section grabbed their stuff and prepared to walk out. Sure, Semin still has the potential to put up a bunch of goals, and so long as he’s a Capital, fans will pull for him to help bring a Stanley Cup to Washington. But it’s not his potential that fans are concerned about. Even if he’s just misunderstood, Semin is widely perceived as not caring, and it’s hard to like a player who ‘doesn’t care.’
With unpopular D.C. athletes now playing elsewhere, such as Albert Haynesworth, Gilbert Arenas and Jaromir Jagr, who is left to gripe about in this town?
Andray Blatche and Jayson Werth don’t exactly score high on the likability scale. Some mention Mike Green‘s name in these discussions (not clear why), and I constantly hear complaints about Jeff Schultz – not because he isn’t likable but because fans think he’s soft. Perhaps none of these guys are ‘hated’ but certainly not popular.
Despite the goals, Semin has not had a fairytale stay in D.C. The Caps had to file a complaint against him for skipping the 2005–06 season due to his ‘Russian military obligations.’ He’s frequently missing games due to injuries. He often takes what analysts say are lazy penalties. His goal-scoring touch often disappears. The combination of these issues are not a ringing endorsement of his character, despite Bradley’s statement. (If a Redskins player did all this, do you think he’d be in Washington for long?)
Semin may be a downright wonderful person who is fully committed to winning, but this is not the perception people have. So, we ask, only because there’s nothing else to discuss today:
Is Semin D.C.'s most disliked athlete?
- No (75%, 156 Votes)
- Yes (25%, 53 Votes)
Total Voters: 209
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