Skip to Content
Defector home
Defector home
Log In
Subscribe to skip adsAdvertisement
The Lions line up against the Jets

Blitzing Is More Common Because Formations Are Becoming Tighter 

180Comments

Nation Of Bondholders

49Comments
Mike Tomlin shows off his Minecraft city, specifically a residential building with an aquarium centerpiece on each floor.

Mike Tomlin’s ‘Minecraft’ City Is A Delight

146Comments

Blogs of Note

Accept The Expanding Ball Of Infected Corpses You Cannot Change

Manchester City’s Financial Breaches Totaled Over £900 Million Over Nine Seasons

The Fever Are Good Enough To Get Under Your Skin

Rice Guy’s Twinnish Blasts

Finally, A Shitty Movie Where Muslims Are The Bad Guys

Dan Vladar of the Philadelphia Flyers surrenders a goal during the second period against the Pittsburgh Penguins as Christian Dvorak #22 looks on. Half his body is in the goal, and the puck is visible at lower right.
NHL

It’s Already Code Orange For The Philadelphia Flyers

65Comments
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 30: Arike Ogunbowale #24 of the Dallas Wings celebrates in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Valkyries during game two of the first round of the WNBA Playoffs at College Park Center on September 30, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
WNBA

Arike Ogunbowale Knows It’s All About Buckets

21Comments
a small green bridge with a road for cars and a walking path
Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

A Search For Movie History In Upstate New York

36Comments
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - SEPTEMBER 27: A detail shot of the Wally the Green Monster home run mask in the dugout prior to the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field on Sunday, September 27, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
This Is So Stupid

When Is It OK To Wear The Wally Head?

138Comments

The last good website.

Arts And Culture

Ed Sheeran looking into the camera

Even The Weather Hates Ed Sheeran

159Comments

Paula González-Nasser Gives Location Scouts Their Due

11Comments
Taylor Swift in a strapless dress on a red carpet for the Songwriters Hall of Fame with the album art for The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore superimposed next to her.

This Is A Cry For Help

353Comments

Revisiting Weezer’s Cringe Masterpiece At 30

Two Indie Action Films, One Clear Winner

Ed Sheeran Delivers Pointless Statement Then Cries During Latest Concert

Ed Sheeran crying at his Philadelphia concert

China Miéville On The “Completely Defining” Book It Took 20 Years To Write

An illustration showing a silhouette of a player in a Miami Sol jersey being grabbed by two silhouette of men in suits
WNBA

The Miami Sol’s Needless Demise Provided A Familiar Lesson

39Comments

NFL

Drake Maye

OK, What The Hell Is Going On With Drake Maye?

123Comments
Case Keenum talks to Laura Rutledge

Case Keenum Made For Great TV

179Comments

NFL Threatened To Pull Azeez Al-Shaair From Game For Eye Black Memorializing Palestinian Child

Azeez al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans warms up prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

Drake Maye Looks Dazed And Confused Out There

Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots looks on during second quarter of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Everbank Stadium on September 27, 2026 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Podcasts

Here is the logo of the Normal Gossip podcast

Normal Gossip

All Ball logo

All Ball

Try Hard

Only If You Get Caught

Nothing But Respect

WNBA

Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty defends against A’ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces during the first half of the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Breanna Stewart And A’ja Wilson Sit At The Grown-Ups Table

Tiffany Hayes

Ballhalla Got The Playoff Christening It Deserved

Head coach Natalie Nakase of the Golden State Valkyries reacts to a play against the Washington Mystics during the second half of the game at CareFirst Arena on July 6, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Eight Teams, Eight Qualms: A Guide To The 2026 WNBA Playoffs

Kiki Rice #1 of the Toronto Tempo celebrates a basket as the Toronto Tempo play the Indiana Fever at ScotiaBank Arena in Toronto. August 18, 2026.

The Tempo Have To Take Things At Their Own Pace

MLB

Interviews

The cover of Observer over a black-and-white photo of the Nevada desert.

Nicholas Russell’s Debut Novel Gets Weird In The Desert

12Comments
Head coach Mike McDonald of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates with fans during the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl LX victory celebration and parade at Lumen Field on February 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

How NFL Teams Avoid The Great Big Middle

24Comments
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain is interviewed by Jim Courier following victory over Alex de Minaur of Australia during the Men's Singles Quarter Final match on day 10 of the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 27, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

How Tennis Channel’s Jim Courier Sees The Sport

52Comments
Emily St. John Mandel, author of Exit Party

Talking To Emily St. John Mandel About Revision, Timeline Corruption, And Living Without A Floor

39Comments

Politics

US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon attends a round table discussion hosted by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on "exposing weaponization against parents in schools" at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC, on June 11, 2026.

The Trump Administration Rolls Back Title IX Protections, Again

91Comments
Irish players bow their heads during the Israeli anthem

Ireland Beats Israel 3-0 In Game Nobody Wanted

100Comments
Tommy Tuberville

The Protect College Sports Act Reveals The Dark Heart Of Management

144Comments
Dublin , Ireland - 18 September 2026; Bohemians supporters display a banner, protesting the upcoming Republic of Ireland matches against Israel, during the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between Bohemians and Drogheda United at Dalymount Park in Dublin. (Photo By Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Ireland Going Ahead With Israel Matches Against Everybody’s Wishes

91Comments

Crosswords

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are seen arriving at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2026 in New York City.

The Crossword, Sept. 28: You Gonna Remember Me (Themeless)

77Comments
(L-R) Donna Kelce, Singer Taylor Swift and actor Tom Cruise attend the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium on September 14, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Crossword, Sept. 21: Cheeky Move

54Comments
Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina interacts with Lamine Yamal #19 of Spain during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Crossword, Sept. 14: Miscalculation

51Comments
Ohio State Buckeyes goaltender Amanda Thiele (30) makes a save during the first period of the Women's Frozen Four Championship game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers on March 23rd, 2025, at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, MN.

The Crossword, Sept. 7: Big Resemblance

More

Minor Dilemmas

Am I Pushing My Kids Enough To Do The Right Extracurriculars?

123Comments
Funbag

Let’s Remember Some ‘Daily Show’ Correspondents

815Comments
NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 2: Daily Show correspondents sing a song to open live Election Night coverage of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart November 2, 2004 in New York City. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
Podcasts

Why The Book Thief Risked It All To Scam The Publishing World

7Comments
A bookshelf set up on the streets of Manosque, France, with uneven shelves that bend and curve, overflowing with books.
NHL

It’s The 2026–27 NHL Season Preview. What’s The Worst That Could Happen?

210Comments
the art is four players: Jason Robertson, Nick Suzuki, Ilya Sorokin, and Sidney Crosby, who look like they were doodled in a notebook
Cycling

Team USA Won Brandon McNulty A World Championship With A Tactical Masterclass

55Comments
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - SEPTEMBER 27: Gold medalist Brandon McNulty and Team United States (C) celebrates with teammates during the medal ceremony after the 99th UCI Road World Championships Montreal 2026 - Men Elite Road Race a 273.4km one day race from Brossard to Montreal on September 27, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Life Lessons

How Can You Not Be Romantic About An Old Rusty Truck Almost Ruining Your Life?

83Comments
Ivy Cummings changing a tyre on a 1925 Singer 10/26, London, c1925. The car is jacked up; Ms Cummings uses a spanner to tighten the bolts on the new wheel. Ivy Cummings was a racing driver who also ran a garage in Putney Bridge Road, London. She carried out all the repairs herself as well as selling second-hand cars. The Duke of York congratulated her for her many motor racing wins.
Announcements

Programming Notes

145Comments
an old-timey family sitting around the radio
Sports

The Finings Will Continue Until Morale Worsens

113Comments
Amon-Ra St. Brown #14 of the Detroit Lions celebrates after scoring a touchdown with Jahmyr Gibbs #0 against the New York Jets during the second quarter on September 27, 2026.

See All Posts →

Advice

Minor Dilemmas

How Do I Get My Kid To Be A Sports Sicko Without Turning Myself Into A Vile Sports Parent?

Funbag

Look How Fanatics Massacred This Simple Trading Card

Minor Dilemmas

Should I Hold My Kid Back From School For A Year?

Funbag

What’s The Best Time To Start A Concert?

Minor Dilemmas

Should I Be Worried That My Kid Hasn’t Found A Best Friend?

Subscribe to skip adsAdvertisement