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Big Boy, the largest operating steam locomotive, arrives in Silver Springs, New York, on its only East Coast tour this month to celebrate its 250th anniversary. (Photo by John Whitney/NurPhoto)

Everybody Loves Big Boy

83
Todd Bowls and Jon Gruden talk at training camp

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

63

‘The Cruelest Game’ Examines Tennis As Torture

23

Blogs of Note

While Wearing An Orange Wig And A Big Red Foam Nose, Fabrizio Romano Insists He’s Not A Clown

Melon’s Odyssey On The Black Market For Life-Saving Cat Medicine

Two Scrabble Superstars Explain Their Unbelievable Championship Match

The “Ground Zero Mosque” Strategy Makes An Even More Pathetic Return

Don Nelson Followed His Bliss And Changed Basketball

Studious robot on an ocean liner cruising the North Sea.
The Machines

With The Power Of AI, Information Can Pour Straight Through Your Skull And Onto The Ground Without Ever Slowing

157
Lamar Jackson
Why Your Team Sucks

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Baltimore Ravens

238
US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (R) looks on as President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order
Science

Three Vaccines Is Less Vaccine Than One Vaccine, According To Donald Trump

200
Umpires explain a rule review to manager John Schneider of the Toronto Blue Jays during the seventh inning of their MLB game against the Boston Red Sox.
MLB

Red Sox Stumble Into Rules Review Hell, Emerge With Inconsequential Run

79

The last good website.

Why Your Team Sucks

FLOWERY BRANCH, GEORGIA - MAY 27: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Atlanta Falcons runs through drills alongside Tua Tagovailoa #1 as head coach Kevin Stefanski looks on during OTA’s at IBM Performance Field on May 27, 2026 in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Michael Penix Jr.; Tua Tagovailoa; Kevin Stefanski

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Atlanta Falcons

303
Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Dallas Cowboys

320
Jeff Hafley

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Miami Dolphins

274

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow poses at the Met Gala

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Andy Reid

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: New Orleans Saints

290
Tyler Shough

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Washington Commanders

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (L) speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump as Commanders team owner Josh Harris looks on at the NFL football game between the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium
Various hip-hop magazines
Arts And Culture

Lost Recipes

82

Arts And Culture

Three photos of Charli XCX

Charli XCX Made A Beautiful Monument To Impermanence

19
Mike Kinsella of American Football performs onstage during a concert at O2 Academy Leeds.

American Football Is Still Making Magic

36

The Sports Idiot Is Dead, Long Live The Sports Idiot

Let’s Unpack LaMelo Ball’s Sugary Abode

LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets attends a 2025 NBA Summer League game

Podcasts

Here is the logo of the Normal Gossip podcast

Normal Gossip

The Distraction podcast

The Distraction

Try Hard

Only If You Get Caught

Nothing But Respect

Science

a still of ESPN reporter Lindsey Thiry batting away a big bug

What Big Bug “Attacked” An ESPN Reporter At Rams Camp?

We Wouldn’t Be Here Without Poop

an ichthyosaur eats a pterosaur, all above the gaping maw of a pliosaur

Would You Eat This Cretaceous Turducken?

English: Tufted gray langur (Semnopithecus priam) stroking a Grizzled giant squirrel (Ratufa macroura) caringly at Yala National Park - Sri Lanka.

Can A Monkey Have A Pet?

WNBA

MLB

Sportscaster Mike Krukow watches from the broadcast center between the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park on October 1, 2021 in San Francisco, California.

Mike Krukow, One Of Baseball’s Greatest Hangs, Is Ready To Go

152
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Miami Heat speaks to the media during an introductory press conference at Kaseya Center on July 16, 2026. The Distraction logo is at upper right.

Mugged By Seagulls, With Rohan Nadkarni

124
Jefry Yan #84 of the New York Mets celebrates after striking out Angel Martínez #1 of the Cleveland Guardians for his first career strikeout during the sixth inning of his major league debut on August 5, 2026.

It’s Jefry Yan Time

66
Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Oh No: Dodgers In Unrecoverable Tailspin After Sixth Straight Loss

103

Advice

Cathy Engelbert playing golf.

Cathy Engelbert Is Doing The Job She Was Hired To Do

473
A little boy walks among the tombstones at Arlington National Cemetary in Washington D.C.

How Do I Talk To My Kid About Death?

104
Kristaps Porzingis with blood on his forehead from a collision.

Concussion Protocols Are A Sham

484
A man carries his child sideways in his arms as he walks up a road

Is It Even Possible To Discipline A Two-Year-Old?

115

Crosswords

Passengers arrive on an Amtrak train at Union Station on December 04, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Amtrak carried a record 32.8 million passengers in their 2024 fiscal year, a 15 percent increase over the same period in 2023.

The Crossword, Aug. 10: Midpoint

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JR Ritchie #60 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the second inning during the game against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on August 2, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Crossword, Aug. 3: Lucky Stars

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Serena Williams of United States prepares to serve against Maya Joint of Australia during their Ladies' Singles first round match on day two of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 30, 2026 in London, England.

The Crossword, July 27: Way Downtown (Themeless)

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ABC/ESPN sideline reporter Katie George interviews head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs after the Friday afternoon college football game between the UGA Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on November 28, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

The Crossword, July 20: No Half Measures

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More

Announcements

Transactions, August 10

163
printing press
Cycling

The Tour de France Femmes Was A Contentious, Hypercompetitive Classic

56
NICE, FRANCE - AUGUST 09: Demi Vollering of Netherlands and Team FDJ United - SUEZ - Yellow Leader Jersey celebrates at finish line as stage and final overall race winner during the 5th Tour de France Femmes 2026, Stage 9 a 99.2km stage from Nice to Nice / #UCIWWT / on August 09, 2026 in Nice, France. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Podcasts

What Does It Take To Make Big City Dreams Work?

12
A picture I took from the Brooklyn Bridge the first week I lived in New York, almost a decade ago.
Politics

Alligator Alcatraz Isn’t Just An American Fantasy

52
Asylum seekers, who entered Israel illegally via Egypt, lean at the fence of the Holot detention centre in Israel's southern Negev Desert, on February 17, 2014.
Staff Chat

Staff Chat Starts Now? Staff Chat Starts Now

934
Undated group photo of the original "Our Gang."
Announcements

The Defector Interns Say Fogo de “Ciao”

78
Sarah and Sohini eat dinner
This Is So Stupid

CarJitsu Is Precisely As Dumb As It Sounds

142
This Is So Stupid

Defector Also Investigating How Our Super Powerful AI Tool Broke Contain

171
ILLUSTRATION - 17 May 2024, North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne: A person works at a computer with an illustrative image generated by artificial intelligence on the screen, showing code from various programming languages and a neural network diagram. At the meeting of telecommunications ministers on May 21, the EU countries are expected to finally adopt the AI law in the EU. The European Parliament had already given the green light for the project beforehand. Photo: Oliver Berg/dpa (Photo by Oliver Berg/picture alliance via Getty Images)

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Interviews

Life's Rich Pageant

Let Me And A Food Scientist Sample The Abandoned Fish Sauce Terrorizing A Small Canadian Town

Interviews

Colson Whitehead Talks About Embracing Change, Pulling Off A Heist, And Finding A Good Coffee Table

Interviews

An Interview With Three Italian Backpackers Who Crossed The Pyrenees And Accidentally Ran Into The Tour de France

Arts And Culture

Meet The Broadway Actor Teaching Public Defenders How To Win In Court

Interviews

John Early’s Secret Is Total Commitment