Voting Station

Shep Messing

Please vote to return to collections.

Soccer Player

The Resume

    (October 9, 1949- )
    Born in The Bronx, New York
    Goalie for the North American Soccer League teams the New York Cosmos (1973-74,1976-77), Boston Minutemen (1975-76), Oakland Stompers (1978) and Rochester Lancers (1979)
    Goalie for the Major Indoor Soccer League teams the New York Arrows (1978-84), Pittsburgh Spirit (1984-85) and New York Express (1986-87)
    Broadcaster for the New York Red Bulls
    Co-host of 'MLS Extra Time'
    Named to the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

Why he might be annoying:

    At Harvard, he kept a kinkajou as a pet in his dorm room, arguing that the rules banned dogs, cats, birds and fish but did not mention kinkajous.
    During his playing career, he sported a Jewfro and porn star 'stache.
    Early in his career, he was better known for posing nude for 'Viva' magazine (December, 1974) than his on field activities.
    He did ads for chewing tobacco.
    He was sentenced to five years probation after pleading guilty to wire fraud (1991).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was a member of the US soccer team at the Munich Olympics (1972).
    After he posed nude, the Cosmos fired him for violating the morals clause in his contract; since his contract did not actually have a morals clause, he successfully sued for wrongful termination.
    When Pele signed with the Cosmos, he insisted that the team rehire Messing as goalie.
    His $100,000 contract with the Stompers made him the highest-paid American-born soccer player of the day.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 24 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 16 Votes: 31.25% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 22 Votes: 22.73% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 20 Votes: 70.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 41 Votes: 73.17% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 23 Votes: 60.87% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 17 Votes: 64.71% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 44 Votes: 77.27% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 11 Votes: 63.64% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 37 Votes: 64.86% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 29 Votes: 51.72% Annoying