Logo for ROS Presents: Counterattack

ROS Presents: Counterattack

Religion of Sports | PRX

ROS Presents is home to Religion of Sports’ most ambitious and engaging audio storytelling, existing at the intersection of sports and society.

We are now in our fourth season with Counterattack, which follows the journey of Sinead Farrelly from hometown soccer star to league whistleblower to comeback kid. Sinead’s experiences in professional soccer and her brave decision to speak out ignited the revolution taking place in professional women’s soccer today. She and her fellow players are continuing a long tradition of sisterhood in women’s soccer. They are changing the game and forging a new path forward—for themselves, for their league, and for the next generation of little girls with big soccer dreams.

Our first season, Crushed, presented a fresh take on legacy the home run race of ’98 and baseball’s steroid era.

Season 2, the award-winning series False Idol, examined the murder of Reeva Steenkamp and the myths surrounding her killer, Oscar Pistorius.

Season 3, Roughhousing, took listeners inside America’s locker rooms to explore hazing in high school sports today — why we do it, what it says about us, and whether change is possible.

ROS Presents is home to Religion of Sports’ most ambitious and engaging audio storytelling, existing at the intersection of sports and society.

We are now in our fourth season with Counterattack, which follows the journey of Sinead Farrelly from hometown soccer star to league whistleblower to comeback kid. Sinead’s experiences in professional soccer and her brave decision to speak out ignited the revolution taking place in professional women’s soccer today. She and her fellow players are continuing a long tradition of sisterhood in women’s soccer. They are changing the game and forging a new path forward—for themselves, for their league, and for the next generation of little girls with big soccer dreams.

Our first season, Crushed, presented a fresh take on legacy the home run race of ’98 and baseball’s steroid era.

Season 2, the award-winning series False Idol, examined the murder of Reeva Steenkamp and the myths surrounding her killer, Oscar Pistorius.

Season 3, Roughhousing, took listeners inside America’s locker rooms to explore hazing in high school sports today — why we do it, what it says about us, and whether change is possible.

17hr 45min
Thumbnail for "ROS Presents: Elena Delle Donne on In The Moment with David Greene".
In 2019, WNBA star Elene Delle Donne’s moment played through three herniated discs, a broken nose and an injured knee in a decisive Game 5 for the Washington Mystics in the WNBA finals against the Connecticut Sun. She sits down with ROS to talk about that moment and what she learned.
Thumbnail for "ROS Presents: Carli Lloyd on In The Moment with David Greene".
In this episode of In the Moment, Carli Lloyd relives her historic hat trick during the 2011 Women's World Cup final.
Thumbnail for "ROS Presents: NFL Great Larry Fitzgerald on In the Moment with David Greene (and an announcement...)".
The host of our upcoming series on hazing in high school sports, "Rough Housing," shares an interview with Larry Fitzgerald, one of the best wide receivers of all time. Fitzgerald is expected to be a first ballot NFL Hall of Famer and is also executive chair of the Arizona Super Bowl LVII Host Committee.
Thumbnail for "ROS Presents: MLB Hall of Famer Pedro Martínez relives "Who's Your Daddy" rivalry on In the Moment with David Greene".
Former Red Sox ace Pedro Martínez reveals new details about the historic 2004 pennant race against the Yankees in this exclusive interview from "In the Moment with David Greene."
Thumbnail for "CRUSHED Bonus Episode: The New Steroid Problem".
Has drug testing in the MLB gone too far?
Thumbnail for "CRUSHED Bonus: The Sticky Solution".
Is MLB’s latest crackdown on ball doctoring going after the right culprit?
Thumbnail for "CRUSHED Part 1: The Feel-Good Story".
What happens when your love of a sport is built on a major-league lie?
Thumbnail for "CRUSHED Part 2: The Snoop".
A reporter’s locker-room discovery sparks a controversy that will cast a shadow over Mark McGwire’s record.
Thumbnail for "CRUSHED Part 3: The Magic Shot".
Every player during the steroid era faced difficult choices, which could make — or upend — their careers.
Thumbnail for "CRUSHED Part 4: The Cheater's Rulebook".
Where do we draw the line between cheating and getting an edge?
Thumbnail for "CRUSHED Part 5: The Dirty Truth ".
Why did we focus on finding a villain when we should've been searching for the truth?
Thumbnail for "CRUSHED Part 6: The Reckoning".
Two American institutions—Major League Baseball and the government—collide on Capitol Hill.
Thumbnail for "CRUSHED Part 7: The Fallout ".
What did the steroid era destroy, and what did it leave behind?
Thumbnail for "Trailer: CRUSHED".
What happens when your love of a sport is built on a major-league lie?
Thumbnail for "FALSE IDOL: Trailer".
Introducing False Idol, the newest podcast from Religion of Sports and PRX, examining the rise and fall of Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee sprinter from South Africa.
Thumbnail for "FALSE IDOL Part 1: The Blade Runner".
Two Paralympic sprinters raise questions about Oscar Pistorius’ blades, the integrity of their races, and how he rose to the top of their sport.
Thumbnail for "FALSE IDOL Part 2: Oscarmania ".
Pistorius made history at the 2012 Olympic Games, but scientists and experts wonder aloud whether he deserved to be there in the first place.
Thumbnail for "FALSE IDOL Part 3: A Loaded Gun".
As Pistorius rose to fame, the media began learning more about him, and some of the details seemed … troubling. The details of his private life were even worse.
Thumbnail for "FALSE IDOL Part 4: Reeva".
Reeva Steenkamp was a model, a law student, an activist. She was on the rise when she met Pistorius in the Fall of 2012. Three months later, he would shoot her dead.
Thumbnail for "FALSE IDOL Part 5: Ready to Run?".
After Pistorius was charged with murder, prosecutors Gerrie Nel and Andrea Johnson fought to hold him accountable and get justice for Reeva.
Thumbnail for "FALSE IDOL Part 6: Swart Gevaar".
During his murder trial, Pistorius claimed he mistook Reeva for an intruder, when he shot her in his home. Lots of South Africans recognized the coded meaning behind his words.
Thumbnail for "FALSE IDOL Part 7: Culpability".
Finally, the judge delivered her verdict, and Pistorius learned his fate. Now, how would the Paralympic community, the prosecution team, and the Steenkamp family move on?
Thumbnail for "Introducing False Idol".
Joan Niesen talks with Tim Rohan, host of False Idol, the latest narrative podcast from Religion of Sports and PRX.
Thumbnail for "ROUGHHOUSING: Trailer".
For many teen athletes, going through some type of hazing is just part of growing up, gaining acceptance, making the team. But how far is too far? Roughhousing, a new narrative series exploring the culture of hazing in high school sports, launches February 23.
Thumbnail for "ROUGHHOUSING Part 1: Hell Week".
Young Rodney Kim Jr. had dreams of being the next Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes. Instead, a hazing incident ended his NFL dreams before his high school football career even started.
Thumbnail for "ROUGHHOUSING Part 2: The Line".
What if the person being hazed is kinda having fun? Is all hazing a bad thing? Host Iggy Monda looks into his own past, and depictions of hazing in U.S. culture, to try to find the line between horseplay and abuse.
Thumbnail for "ROUGHHOUSING Part 3: The Coach".
What makes a good coach? Some might say it’s the ability to win. Others might say they have to be a true leader. But when hazing happens on a team, how does a good coach respond?
Thumbnail for "ROUGHHOUSING Part 4: The Snitch".
We’ve all heard that ‘snitches get stitches.' It’s a rule on the streets but also on many sports teams. So what happens when kids speak out about being hazed in high school?
Thumbnail for "ROUGHHOUSING Part 5: The Good Fight".
The effort to stop hazing has been going on in the U.S. for decades. But how effective has it been? And is it even possible to change something so ingrained in our culture?
Thumbnail for "ROUGHHOUSING Part 6: F*ck Closure".
In our final episode, we’ll find out how Rodney and others have dealt with and learned from their hazing experiences years down the road.e road. 
Thumbnail for "COUNTERATTACK Part 1: The Dream".
The '99 US Women’s National Team's historic World Cup captured the world's attention and changed the narrative for female athletes. It also inspired a generation of soccer-loving kids like Sinead Farrelly, a little girl in small-town Pennsylvania with big soccer dreams.
Thumbnail for "COUNTERATTACK Part 2: The Reality".
Sinead Farrelly leaves college early to play professional soccer. But when she gets there, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Abysmal pay, poor conditions, and league instability all conspire to create a culture in which players have little protection or power.
Thumbnail for "COUNTERATTACK Part 3: The Whistleblower".
The launch of the NWSL means new opportunities for elite female soccer players, including Sinead Farrelly. But the power imbalances and lack of oversight that defined former women's leagues continue, leaving a new crop of young players in the same vulnerable positions.
Thumbnail for "COUNTERATTACK Part 4: The Awakening".
Inspired and empowered by the MeToo movement, Sinead decides its time to break the silence.
Thumbnail for "COUNTERATTACK Part 5: The Reckoning".
Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim go public with their stories of abuse and coverup in the NWSL and, in doing so, inspire a reckoning across women’s soccer.
Thumbnail for "COUNTERATTACK Part 6: The Comeback".
Telling their stories opens the door for Sinead Farelly and Mana Shim — and the league itself — to undergo radical transformations.
Thumbnail for "COUNTERATTACK: Trailer".
A story about the women of soccer—the dream that inspires us, the sisterhood that unites us, and the fight that gets us back up and moving constantly towards the goal.

COUNTERATTACK Part 3: The Whistleblower

Thumbnail for "COUNTERATTACK Part 3: The Whistleblower".
May 25, 202335min 33sec

The National Women’s Soccer league launches, creating new opportunities for elite female soccer players, including Sinead Farrelly, Michelle Betos and newcomer Mana Shim. But the imbalance of power and lack of oversight that defined previous leagues persists; coaches remain powerful and unaccountable gatekeepers. Sinead vows to take her and Paul’s secret to the grave, but it leads her down a path of self-destruction. At the same time, Paul pulls the same moves on a new player — but she has no intention of keeping quiet.

Thumbnail for "COUNTERATTACK Part 3: The Whistleblower".
COUNTERATTACK Part 3: The Whistleblower
00:00
35:33