EVERY FAN IS curious as to what the biggest stars of their favourite sports are really like.

Who better to portray the unvarnished personalities behind the carefully managed personas than the writers who have documented their careers, observed their crucial moments, both public and private, and have spent countless hours in conversation with the athletes and those around them?  

The unmissable Behind the Lines podcast gleans sharp insights on the biggest names in sport such as Michael Jordan, Lionel Messi and Tiger Woods from those who have covered their exploits meticulously over many seasons. 

With 15 major championship victories, Tiger Woods is one of the most famous athletes of the modern era. Yet few journalists can credibly claim to know the intensely private Woods, whose career will be remembered for his extraordinary success on the course and, at times, chaotic personal life. 

One writer who perhaps got closer than any other to unmasking the real Tiger is Wright Thompson, whose celebrated profile for ESPN, the Secret History of Tiger Woods, took readers inside the surreal life of one of the most scrutinised but least accessible sports stars.  

Here Thompson details the extraordinary lengths he went to in order to give his readers a picture of what Tiger is actually like.  

Highlights from The42 Membership / SoundCloud

This special episode is available for free, but if you’d like to listen to the full episodes with Thompson, or any of the other great episodes in our Behind The Lines archive, we’ve a special offer for any new members who sign up this week.

Go to members.the42.ie and enter the promo code BTL10 at checkout to receive €10 off the price of an annual membership.

Once you’ve signed up, you can start enjoying over 100 episodes of Behind the Lines and all of our other great benefits including our Rugby Weekly Extra, Football Family and GAA Weekly podcasts, as well as our journalists’ exclusive analysis on rugby, soccer, GAA, boxing and more delivered straight to your inbox.