Podcast
ROS Presents: Counterattack
Hosted by Religion of Sports | PRX · EN
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.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
COUNTERATTACK Part 6: The Comeback
Jun 15, 202300:31:29Tap to summarizeTelling their stories opens the door for Sinead Farelly and Mana Shim — and the NWSL itself — to undergo radical transformations.
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COUNTERATTACK Part 5: The Reckoning
Jun 8, 202300:29:17Tap to summarizeSinead 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.
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COUNTERATTACK Part 4: The Awakening
Jun 1, 202300:22:52Tap to summarizeThe creation of Angel City FC, a new NWSL team owned and operated by women, promises the kind of culture players have long envisioned for the league. But Sinead Farelly is deeply concerned that the league and its players will never reach their potential with coaches like Paul Riley still in positions of power. So, she decides it’s time to finally tell her story.
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COUNTERATTACK Part 3: The Whistleblower
May 25, 202300:35:33Tap to summarizeThe 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.
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COUNTERATTACK Part 2: The Reality
May 18, 202300:27:32Tap to summarizeSinead Farrelly leaves college early to go pro. But when she arrives, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Abysmal pay, poor conditions, and league instability create a culture in which players have little protection or power. But her coach, Paul Riley, is a soccer legend. He pushes her to play her best—but he also pushes beyond her personal boundaries. At first, she laughs off his inappropriate comments, but eventually his advances cross the line. This episode brings listeners inside the culture of women’s and girls soccer. Host Briana Scurry explores the undercurrent of sexism that has historically pervaded its power structures, media coverage, and often, coach-player relationships.
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COUNTERATTACK Part 1: The Dream
May 11, 202300:25:23Tap to summarizeThe US Women’s National Team’s historic World Cup win in 1999 changed the narrative for female athletes everywhere and inspired a generation of soccer-loving kids like Sinead Farrelly, a little girl in small-town Pennsylvania with big soccer dreams. Host and goalkeeper Briana Scurry relives that iconic summer and reflects on the legacy of activism, organizing and sisterhood in women’s soccer in this inaugural episode of Counterattack. She also traces the orgin story of Sinead Farrelly, whose experiences in the pros eventually change the game forever.
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COUNTERATTACK: Trailer
May 4, 202300:02:14Tap to summarizeWorld Cup champion goalkeeper Briana Scurry follows the journey of Sinead Farrelly from young soccer phenom to league whistleblower to comeback kid in Counterattack, launching May 11. Sinead’s experiences in professional soccer and her brave decision to speak out ignited the revolution taking place in professional women’s soccer today. Through determination and collective action, 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.
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ROS Presents: Elena Delle Donne on In The Moment with David Greene
Apr 27, 202300:35:06Tap to summarizeTwo-time MVP Elena Delle Donne is considered one of the best to ever play in the WNBA. In 2019, she led the Washington Mystics to their first WNBA championship in franchise history. Playing through three herniated discs, a broken nose and a knee injury, Delle Donne managed to dominate in the winner-takes-all Game 5 putting up 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. “I was given all the warnings. I was told, like, this isn't the greatest way to go about this,” Delle Donne told In the Moment’s David Greene, “but I wasn't gonna listen.” Delle Donne’s decision to ignore warnings from team doctors and play through her injuries helped the Mystics cement the win. She credits her mindset about playing through the pain to her older sister, Lizzie, who has cerebral palsy and was born deaf and blind. “The things she has to overcome is way more than any of the pain that I had to deal with in Game 5,” Delle Donne said. In The Moment’s David Greene sat down with Delle Donne at the Mystics practice facility in Washington, D.C. to discuss that game and how her close relationship with her sister helped shape her uncommon career path in the WNBA. Find out about upcoming guests and other news by following Religion of Sports on Twitter or Instagram. Subscribe to our newsletter for more sports news.
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ROS Presents: Carli Lloyd on In The Moment with David Greene
Apr 6, 202300:33:08Tap to summarizeIn the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup final, the USWNT suffered a devastating loss to Japan after the 2-2 match went to penalty kicks. In 2015, the two teams faced each other again in the final and this time, Carli Lloyd and the USWNT had something to prove. Lloyd went on to become the first woman in FIFA World Cup history to record a hat trick in a final in their 5-2 win over Japan. Lloyd sat down with David Greene for a special live taping of In the Moment to relive her historic hat trick.
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ROUGHHOUSING Part 6: F*ck Closure
Mar 30, 202300:33:10Tap to summarizeThe trauma from violent hazing can lodge itself inside the victim, metastasizing in the years that follow. In our final episode, we’ll find out how Rodney, as well as other people who have more distance from their hazing incidents, have dealt with it years down the road.
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