For many sports fans, a team is their first love. Beyond the team, the love fans have for their favorite player knows no bounds. From lining up hours before a game for a free bobblehead to collecting jerseys, love for the athletes is part of what makes being a sports fan so special.
When those players get traded, injured, retire, leave or even join a team, it can be a core heartbreak for fans of all ages. On the flip side of love this Valentine’s Day, the Northern Star Sports Staff recount their worst athlete heartbreak.
Kalin Schaefer, Sports Editor: Jose Abreu
As if being a fan of a subpar baseball team for a majority of my life wasn’t enough, the White Sox choosing not to pay Jose Abreu enough to keep him in Chicago was the worst heartbreak.
When he became a free agent and later signed with one of my least favorite teams, the Houston Astros, I was a mess. My heart shattered that day in 2022. I cried for hours when I learned my first favorite player and the first baseman who helped me learn to love baseball was leaving.
To this day, he’s still my favorite White Sox player, and I’ll forever be upset that he didn’t finish his career in black-and-white pinstripes.
Skyler Kisellus, Senior Sports Reporter: Jordan Howard
As a lifelong Chicago sports fan, I’ve seen my fair share of devastating heartbreaks. But no day was more excruciating than March 28, 2019 — the day the Chicago Bears shipped running back Jordan Howard to the Philadelphia Eagles for a bag of peanuts.
You see, Howard had a special place in this sports head’s heart. Sure, he wasn’t a superstar. He wasn’t a gamebreaker. He was really just another run-of-the-mill running back. But from the moment I first saw Howard play as a rookie in 2016, he became to me what a mediocre wide receiver becomes to any average man in their youth.
And to see him shipped away from a then-promising Bears squad felt — and still feels — like a betrayal. At the very least, I can take solace in that Howard didn’t have to suffer through the seasons of misery that followed.
Joseph Segreti, Sports Reporter: Deshaun Watson
I’ve decided to take a different approach to this, and rather than choosing a trade that sent away a favorite player of mine, I’ve decided to pick a trade that destroyed many things about my favorite football team. For starters, Deshaun Watson is not a good person, as at the time of his arrival in Cleveland, Ohio, he had over 20 pending sexual assault charges against him.
The Browns shipped off three first round picks as well as a number of late round picks for the then- disgraced Texans quarterback and ran former Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield out of town just two years removed from Mayfield leading the Browns to their first playoff win in almost 30 years.
To make matters worse, the Browns rewarded Watson with a five year, $230 million contract, fully guaranteed. Now, the Browns have only made the playoffs once in the four years since this trade, but it was with the help of an almost 40-year old Joe Flacco, not Watson.
It’s hard enough to root for the Cleveland Browns, the laughing stock of the NFL, but ever since the Watson trade, matters in Northeast Ohio have gotten so much worse, without an end in sight.
Claire Valenti, Sports Reporter: Andrew Shaw/Kirby Dach
The Montréal Canadiens have robbed me and broken my heart two different times. The Chicago Blackhawks traded my former favorite Andrew Shaw to the Habs for two second-round picks during the 2016 NHL draft. When the regular season started and Shaw wasn’t anywhere to be seen, my 11-year-old self was distraught.
This hurt resurfaced during the 2022 draft when I heard NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announce the Blackhawks traded my new former favorite Kirby Dach to Montréal. If I had a nickel for every time I lost a favorite player to the Canadiens, I’d have two nickles, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?
Eric Avila, Sports Reporter: John Cena
Just like R-Truth, John Cena was my childhood hero, and seeing him retire was one of the saddest days in my life. Watching WWE my entire life whether people say it’s fake or scripted blah blah blah, John Cena was one of if not the best wrestlers ever.
His accomplishments range from getting his PhD in thuganomics, to shocking the world in his 2008 Royal Rumble return, to defeating Cody Rhodes for his record breaking 17th world championship, to even turning heel at the Elimination Chamber.
He faced many boo’s but most importantly he had hundreds of thousands of fans cheering for him, most specifically at his return at Money in the Bank 2021. Getting to witness him wrestle at the 2025 Royal Rumble was an experience I’ll never forget.
But as all great things, everything must come to an end. John Cena retired on Dec. 13 and it was sad seeing him go after watching him wrestle for 18 years. He’ll always be remembered as one of the greats and for always reminding people to never give up.
Abel Naranjo, Sports Reporter: Cristiano Ronaldo
As of late, it’s been a polarizing time as a Real Madrid fan with the instability on and off the field. Only in Madrid is it possible to fumble Xabi Alonso, who just last season was a game away from an invincible treble with Bayer Leverkusen.
With Alonso leaving, Madrid doesn’t seem to have a clear plan of if they want to rebuild entirely or keep faith in the current squad. Players like Vinicius Junior demand higher wages but haven’t delivered since his Ballon d’Or worthy season in 2023-24 while Kylian Mbappé has also received criticism for his lack of effort on the defensive side despite winning the Golden Boot.
Some want Vini Jr. to leave, others want Mbappe gone and a few believe they can still find success together. On social media it seems there’s a civil war within the Madrid fanbase between Vini supporters and Mbappe supporters.
Nonetheless, Madrid’s issues run deep beyond these two players; promising talent like Endrick are sent to Lyon and aging players like Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba are now liabilities in defense. Even though Madridistas are notorious for having low patience, this time it seems warranted it is because of the legacy of players like Cristiano Ronaldo.
Logan Whittington, Sports Reporter: Anthony Rizzo
I’ve been watching baseball consistently since 2014, and that’s all thanks to Anthony Rizzo. He was my childhood hero and I probably wouldn’t be as big a baseball fan as I am today if it weren’t for him. I remember the many times I would visit Wrigley Field just to see him play, idolizing the face of the team that would eventually break the curse in 2016.
That’s what makes this next part heartbreaking. In late July 2021, Rizzo was traded to the New York Yankees.
I was out with friends when I got the notification and I was devastated. I sulked for days knowing my favorite player of all time now played for a team I despise. To this day he is by far my favorite player to ever don Cubbie Blue.