Very rarely does a topic come along that elicits a serious, stragith-faced response from me.. mainly because I am, for the most part, incapable of delivering one.

However, my stance on the Tiger Woods situation has climbed to one of those types of events.

This morning, I attempted to make my stance on my new opinion of Tiger VERY clear, and I thought that it was rather simple - apparently not.

Let me start with the brief history of my Tiger fandom.

I bought and wore red Nike shirts-because that’s what Tiger wore. I drank Tiger Gatorade-because that’s what Tiger drank. I swang Nike irons on the course-because that’s what Tiger swang. I wore Nike spikes-because that’s what Tiger wore. I played Nike Ones, my first “real” watch was a Tag-Hauer and I learned how to bounce a golf ball on the end of my pitching wedge when I was bored - because all of that made up Tiger Woods.

And Tiger was the best.

Tiger wasn’t a golfer. And he wasn’t a model. And he wasn’t a playboy. And he wasn’t a billionaire. He was the Ken Griffey Jr. of our day - the guy who was just cool. The million dollar smile, the ability to stand over a 17 footer and almost seem to say “watch this” before knocking it down to win his next six-figure prize check and trophy.

Tiger was the best. He took a sport that I loved and became so good at it, owned it so much, that it seemed instead of saying “I want to be the best golfer ever,” you started to say “I want to be Tiger Woods.”

I saw full grown men playing on Sunday afternoons wearing Tiger Woods gear. He could take men, who are supposed to idolize no one but themselves, their families and their own fathers, and turn them into fans. Fanatics. No… FANATICS.

But what does it take to have that much admiration for someone? Whether it’s Tim Tebow, or Drew Brees, or anyone else who plays a game for a living?

You have to like them. You have to be able to say “I like the way that person is.” You have to be able to say “I’ll defend my opinion of them.”

Unfortunately, I can no loner do that with Eldrick Tiger Woods.

What he did crossed a line. Listen, I’m not a prude and I’m not stuck in the 1700’s. Stunningly enough, people sleep with more then just their spouses now a days. Do I agree with it? Moot point. Fact is, it happens.

But Tiger wasn’t just another billionaire playboy athlete with money to burn and a libido to much. A 24 year old single wide receiver goes out and pulls stunts like that - whatever. He’s got no commitments, he owes nothing to anyone.

Tiger isn’t a single 24 year old. Tiger is married. Tiger has professed undieing love to a woman. Tiger has fathered two children with this woman and Tiger started a family with this woman.

And he didn’t just “cheat” on her. It wasn’t an “oh my God, I screwed up, I’m so sorry, let’s fix this” kind of thing. This wasn’t one mistake, one thing to forgive.

This was a choice. And a choice. And a choice. And a choice, and a choice and a choice and a choice and a choice……… for three years.

I don’t like Tiger. I find what he did reprehensible and unacceptable and while I can’t say “unforgiveable” because I’m a very forgiving person, I can say it absolutely disgusts me.

And I don’t like Tiger. I can’t be a fan of Tiger. I can’t ever look at him and just “forget” what happened, that he did this to a family and to the woman he said he’d love unconditionally forever.

Is it my business? No. Hell no. Not a damn bit of it.

But now I know about it. Now I know the real Tiger.

And I don’t like him.

And if you don’t like someone, you can’t be a fan.

The shirts are put away, I’ll switch back to VitaminWater, and the hats will be donated to Haiti or wherever else they’re needed. I can’t do it. I can’t be a Tigermaniac anymore.

I don’t like him, and I can’t be a fan.

Rob Brown General