You hate Nick Saban. We get it. After all, his laundry list of sins is steep: He demands excellence. He’s short. He left a lousy job he hated for a dream job. All clearly capital offenses.

But when he made the recent Sports Illustrated list of most disliked people in sports, you have to wonder – have you looked at the company you’re grouping him with?

Others on the list are a who’s who of sports bad guys. Donald Sterling. Richie Incognito. Lance Armstrong. Michael Vick. Lane Kiffin.

Oops. Wait. Forget that last one. We like him now.

Why the hate for Saban? The knee-jerk answers are easy: He can be brash. He’s cut-throat. He bailed on LSU at their pinnacle. He abandoned the poor Miami Dolphins in their time of need. He’s just a generally hateable sack of unlikeable misery.

So, quick question – why is the man so revered by Bama Nation?

I will give you a few moments to serve your pithiest comebacks as to why one of the nation’s largest fanbases is just a bunch of brainwashed imbeciles.

That was fun. Lots of original ones there, fellas.

Give an LSU fan some sodium pentothal and chances are they would confess that they would very much love to have Saban over their current grass-eating coach, his national title notwithstanding. LSU fans, deep down, know that their hurt comes from the fact that the girl of their dreams left them and ended up settling down and raising a family with their bitter rival.

Nick Saban has been married for 42 years. He’s a father and a grandfather. And he’s been a tough-love mentor to hundreds of kids, many of whom were in dire need of the strict but fair demands of excellence he brings. He has four national titles under his belt, and probably more to come. And most impressive: His list of scandals – personal and professional – is nonexistent.

Want to get to know the man you hate so much? Check out this 60 Minutes piece:

Hate him all you want. But you really have no reason to dislike him other than this – he’s not coaching your team.