ROS Presents: Counterattack

Religion of Sports | PRX •www.religionofsports.com

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.

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Episodes

CRUSHED Part 6: The Reckoning

In 2005, Congress forced star athletes and baseball leadership to finally confront their steroid problem on national television and answer questions on Capitol Hill. There were a lot of things the government got right that day, but some very important things it got wrong.

May 06, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 6

CRUSHED Part 5: The Dirty Truth

In the years after Barry Bonds was crowned home run king, baseball's steroid problem became too big to ignore. Fans began to look for someone to blame, a villain—but truth and accountability remained elusive.

Apr 29, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 5

CRUSHED Part 4: The Cheater's Rulebook

Baseball has always had a murky code of ethics, a rulebook that feels more like a suggestion. Did that culture pave the way for steroids? And, in baseball and in life, where do we draw the line between advancement and cheating?

Apr 22, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 4

CRUSHED Part 3: The Magic Shot

At the height of the steroid era, players across baseball had to decide if they should use—and reap the benefits—or stay clean. We meet two such players and follow the ripple effects of their choices.

Apr 15, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 3

CRUSHED Part 2: The Snoop

When reporter Steve Wilstein started asking questions about a bottle of pills in Mark McGwire’s locker, it set off a chain reaction that would cast doubt on the home run record and the power that had come to define baseball.

Apr 08, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 2

CRUSHED Part 1: The Feel-Good Story

What happens when your love of a sport is built on a major-league lie? Sportswriter Joan Niesen was a kid in St. Louis in the summer of 1998, when the home run race made baseball magic. Mark McGwire was her favorite player, and she tracked his every move that season as he chased baseball immortality. But the spectacle of that summer was not what it seemed. McGwire and countless other players had been using anabolic steroids for years. Now, Joan is revisiting the steroid era to untangle the truth...

Apr 01, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Trailer: CRUSHED

Sportswriter Joan Niesen is revisiting the steroid era to untangle its truth from the many myths, examine the legacy of baseball’s farthest-reaching scandal, and explore what it tells us about sports culture in America. Launching on April 1, Opening Day 2021.

Mar 24, 2021•3 min

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