Woods' scripted apology more than sports drama

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The reaction starts before there's anything to react to, but then, that's how it goes when the world's most famous athlete speaks for the first time about his sex life and marriage, creating the kind of moment we see once every decade or so.

Standing in front of a blue curtain devoid of any sponsor or PGA logos at a golf club in Florida, Tiger Woods held the attention of television-watching and radio-listening Americans for 14 minutes as he admitted personal sins, begged for forgiveness and scolded the media.

His wife, Elin, was not shown on camera or known to be present as her husband pushed the Olympics to sports' background.

"Every one of you has good reason to be critical of me," he said. "I want to say to each one of you, simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my selfish behavior."

As far as news value, Woods, 34, offered precious little. He referenced 45 days in therapy, said he had more to complete and he wouldn't "rule out" returning to golf this year.

That set off the endless stream of reaction, strangers of varying degrees of qualification judging his rehearsed and scripted speech on genuineness. About two-thirds of respondents to one cable poll thought he was sincere.

Everyone has an opinion, because the State of the Tiger address showed live on all the major networks and many cable channels. Each of ESPN's mediums blared Woods' apology, from cable to radio to Internet and podcasts. Then they replayed the speech. Over and over again.

It's the kind of transcendent moment we don't get much in sports anymore, not with niche interests served by niche Web sites.

Kobe Bryant's apology didn't go mainstream like this. Neither did Alex Rodriguez's. Roger Clemens' awkward testimony before Congress and Mark McGwire's desire not to talk about the past rocked the baseball world but didn't quite spill into the broader culture.

This was major celebrity confession, version 2010, delivered with the help of image consultants and in a meticulously chosen environment.

The jokes about "Tigerbot" screamed across cyberspace almost immediately after he started talking, but even so, this was as reaching as anything with an athlete since, what, Magic Johnson's HIV announcement in 1991?

It was Bill Clinton's confession, only sports.

"It's hard to admit that I need help," Woods said. "But I do."

The whole thing teetered between absurdity and gravity. Three women stood outside the golf club before Woods arrived, dressed like strippers and holding signs that read, "Pick Me."

The Golf Writers Association of America turned down an offer of six seats to watch Woods' speech in person, to protest that no questions would be allowed.

Before the apology started, ESPN golf analyst Andy North said, "We have people flying planes into buildings, and that's not nearly as important as some guy reading a statement."

A favorability poll showed Woods at around 40 percent, less than half his peak.

This came after a week of prereaction, where message boards and blogs and columns suggested he do everything from cry to curse to hire private investigators to find dirt on reporters.

Woods has changed the world, as his father said he would. He is still a good bet to beat Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships. Golf is more popular than ever before, and it has Woods to thank.

In the bigger world, his wealth funds many charities, including $3 million for Haiti relief and the Tiger Woods Foundation for children.

But the changes are taking on different forms than his father imagined. Pop culture is along for the ride.

Hattiesburg, Miss., used to be Brett Favre's home area, where ESPN reporters stood waiting for the annual will-he-or-won't-he announcement. It's now the place of a rehab center where Woods reportedly sought treatment for sex addiction.

Blake Lively made fun of the drama on "Saturday Night Live," and a string of jokes sprinted through cyberspace.

Woods' representatives leaked word that he wrote Friday's speech himself. He hit on all the expected major points: admitted infidelity, referenced therapy and asked to be able to attempt to save his marriage in private.

He apologized to friends, family, business partners and fans.

He defended his wife, emphasizing that she never hit him and that there has never been domestic violence in their marriage.

He talked about becoming truer to Buddhism, and living by the principles his parents taught and that he had drifted away from.

And after he read the last word from his printed papers, he stepped away from the lectern, hugged his mother, Kultida Woods, and a few others, and walked behind the blue curtain and back into silence.