Quote Originally Posted by Jolt View Post
Good points, but by comparing the Peloponnesian League, which was for all effects comprised of independent city-states, equals of Sparta, and had been formed in the 6th Century, (And required for each member to supply with soldiers for the common army, and comparing with the Athenian Empire (Or Delian League) which had been formed after the Persian Wars, and had resulted in a great shift in the balance of power, with Athens taking effective control (Mostly through tributations, since the members of the league were forced to pay tribute to Athens in exchange for protection) of the Aegean islands, I'd say that Athens did gain more badboy during the Century than Sparta and its League (Despite having defeated Athens and the Delian League.)

The fact is that Athens capitalized on the Persian defeat to create an hegemony over the Aegean Sea, with it as the clearly dominant city, upon which most members had to pay tribute to. Sparta did not attempt this. Neither after the victory over the Persians, nor after the victory at the Peloponnese War. Furthermore, Athens maintained a magistrate in the league members called Episkopos who oversaw the proper payment of the tribute and reported anything out of ordinary to the mother-city (Athens). There are documents that report that Greeks living in these members of the Delian League felt as if they were being dominated by the Athenian city. This doesn't happen in the Peloponnesian League, however.

EDIT: The Peloponnesian League did start using the tribute system in the 4th Century, but that caused the league to break and collapse, as members of the league revolted and defeated Sparta, not 10 years into the tributary system implemented in the Peloponnesian League.
Eh, I'd still say leading the armies that defeated Persia (and the Spartans were in charge at every major battle but Marathon which they did not attend), defeating the Athenians when far outclassed at sea, and invading Persia is far more "badboy" than anything that Athens accomplished.