Score: 5

Fiona Sturges • Financial Times • Jan 9, 2023

"(Season: Pink Card) There is tragedy in Pink Card’s tales of individuals standing up against their oppressors...But there is also joy and optimism in the stories of women finding ingenious ways to subvert the system. Discussing her love of football, Sahafy captures the defiance of female fans as she observes how “even in the weakest moments, there is always that sliver of hope and possibility that we could win the match . . . There are times when we feel like the game is over, but in fact it’s just getting started.”…"

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Score: 5

Nicholas Quah • Vulture • Nov 9, 2022

"(Season: Pink Card) ...hooks the broader interest around the World Cup onto a story about a forty-year movement in Iran to overturn a ban preventing women from attending soccer games....Oliaee’s personal story factors into the narrative driving the project, as she additionally explores how football fandom served..."

Score: 4.5

Mike • Laughing Place • Jul 13, 2020

"30 for 30 podcasts have a way of finding those sports stories that are so much bigger than the sport themselves. That’s not to say that they’re not enjoyable though. It’s the exact opposite actually. Heavy Medals is very well done and story is incredibly well-told. It might not be a fun story, but it’s one that draws you in and brings you to a point of being completely emotionally invested. The one negative of this podcast series however is that it is just that – a podcast. Gymnastics is a very visually-driven sport that doesn’t necessarily translate well to this format. Listening to audio of a vault jump that scores a perfect 10 just doesn’t evoke the same excitement."

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