In sports, a villain is an athlete or team that has a big influence on fans or an audience that negatively watches them to lose or fail. Fans who watch villains often have a big interest of watching a athlete or team because they love to hate due to controversial actions, bad personally, or flat hating on their popularity. Just because being successful doesn't make a athlete or team a villain. But that athlete or team has to have earned the label through negative lens from the fans. Having villains benefits the league's popularity and interest of the sport.
Fans seeing villains lose make them very happy and want more of it.[1] [2] [3] [4]