Nothing spices up athletic competition like a good fight. Whether you’re a fan of hockey (a sport practically built on fighting), football, basketball, baseball or soccer, the sudden outbreak of violence ratchets up the energy level and draws the interest of everyone. Even non-sports fans are glued to the screen when a fight happens. There’s just something about hot-headed athletes duking it out that arrests our attention. However, in the long-standing tradition of hot-headed athletes, a few stand out. Their fights were either so incredible (or so frequent) that fans associate the athlete with his fights first, and his play second. This article celebrates 20 of these hot-headed athletes, the cream of the crop from both past and present.