Matt Slocum / AP

It’s rare that one man can set the tone for an entire year, but Terrell Owens pulled it off, writes NBCSports.com columnist Mike Celizic.

The ultimate act of destructive greed killed an entire season of NHL hockey. Bob Goodenow, the president of the players association, could have settled with the owners. Instead, he deprived his clientele of an entire year’s pay, then ended up settling for less than the offer he rejected back in February.

In the NBA, it wasn’t just Brown exercising his right to be more important than the game. There was Phil Jackson going back to the Lakers, conveniently forgetting everything he’d say about the selfishness of his star player, Kobe Bryant. And in Florida, as the year was drawing to a close, Pat Riley nudged Stan Van Gundy off the bench so he could take over himself, reminding the nation that only he knows how to really coach a basketball team.

The NBA itself tried to clean up the stains left on its game by the self-indulgent ways of its spoiled stars. But even when David Stern imposed a dress code, some players couldn’t help making it about them rather than the game. If nothing else, players like Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby gave us one of the best belly laughs of all time when they put on straight faces and declared that if Stern wanted them to dress in sport coats and collared shirts, he had better provide a clothing stipend, because, as every working stiff knows, having to buy a couple of jackets and some slacks does irreparable damage to a $12 million income.

Sometimes, even genuinely great accomplishments were spoiled by the culture of the individual. Lance Armstrong extended his winning streak in the Tour de France to seven, and even that was overshadowed by the constant sniping of a jealous French media that pursued drug allegations against him like a dog digging for a flea on its rump. It wasn’t Armstrong’s fault, but the effect lingers still.

Michelle Wie turned 16 and pro at the same time, but her pro debut, which should have been a fourth-place finish in an LPGA tournament, was tarnished by the act of an individual — Sports Illustrated writer Michael Bamberger — who saw her take what he thought might be an illegal drop on Saturday, then didn’t bother to tell anyone until Sunday. He broke the first rule of journalism by making himself part of the story. And he broke the first rule of being a decent human being by not saying anything until the only way to remedy the violation was to disqualify Wie.

NASCAR’s season sometimes resembled a demolition derby with drivers playing out personal vendettas on the track, paying back imagined slights with bumper-on-bumper justice. In Indy Cars, Danica Patrick’s brilliant rookie year commanded the headlines – along with the sniping of rival male drivers who couldn’t stand the thought of a girl driving just as fast as they did.

The great teams where there, as they always are. It was just hard to notice them in the forest of bad behavior and selfishness. It made for a memorable year, but not one we’d like to ever have to go through again.