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Defector


<p>charismatic megafauna (they/them)</p>


Sabrina Imbler

A fossilized piece of amber preserving two termites in the act of mating

Creaturefector

If Romeo And Juliet Were Ancient Termites They Wood Look Like This

Patrick Redford

PORTLAND, OREGON - MARCH 09: Jontay Porter #34 of the Toronto Raptors warms up before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center on March 09, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Feeling Left Out, NBA Announces Its Own Betting Scandal

David Roth

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 16: Actor Paul Rudd speaks about his latest movie "Ant Man" at the Apple Store Soho on July 16, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Debra L Rothenberg/FilmMagic)

Funbag

Who’s On The List Of Universally Liked People?

Lauren Theisen

Our 18,000 Jaromir Jagr Bobbleheads Are No Longer For Sale

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Tom Scocca is the editor of <a href="http://indignity.net">Indignity</a>, a subscription-supported newsletter of news, essays, and commentary.</div>
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Tom Scocca

Attorney Peter Angelos talks about his law practice and his hopes about buying the Orioles.

Peter Angelos Was The Ultimate Team Owner

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Hannah Hidalgo #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates at the half with a 17 point lead over the Ole Miss Rebels during the second round of the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at Purcell Pavilion on March 25, 2024 in South Bend, Indiana.

College Basketball

Notre Dame’s 16 Good Knees Make For One Impressive Team

Giri Nathan

Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans celebrates during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on March 19, 2024 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Zion Williamson Has Been Lean And Lively In March

Kiki Iriafen #44 of the Stanford Cardinal drives to the basket on Audi Crooks #55 of the Iowa State Cyclones during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Stanford Maples Pavilion on March 24, 2024 in Palo Alto, California.

Kiki Iriafen Saves Stanford From An Early Exit

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MARCH 24: Gio Reyna #7 of United States celebrates after scoring the second goal of his team during Final - Concacaf Nations League match between Mexico and United States at AT&amp;T Stadium on March 24, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)

Soccer

Gio Reyna Has His Swagger Back

Soraya Roberts

Still image of actress Katy O'Brian using gym equipment, taken from the movie Love Lies Bleeding.

Defector At The Movies

In ‘Love Lies Bleeding,’ The Body Scores

DJ Burns celebrates with Casey Morsell after a basket

It’s NC State And Everybody Else

Luis Paez-Pumar

Race winner Carlos Sainz of Spain and Ferrari celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Circuit on March 24, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia.

Racing

Carlos Sainz Has No Appendix, No Job, And One More Race Win

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19</p>


Chris Thompson

Max Verstappen's Red Bull car sends off a lot of smoke.

Set Max Verstappen’s Car On Fire More Often, For Morale

Ray Ratto

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 24: Kiki Iriafen #44 and Nunu Agara #3 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates after they defeated the Iowa State Cyclones 87-81 in overtime in the second round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Stanford Maples Pavilion on March 24, 2024 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

After The Binge, The Basketball

Bad Bunny performs during a stop of the Most Wanted Tour at T-Mobile Arena on February 23, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Crosswords

The Crossword, March 25: Love All (Themeless)

<p>Dan Gentile is a writer, editor, and DJ based in San Francisco by way of Austin, TX. He works as the culture editor at SFGATE and has freelanced for publications like The Ringer, Rolling Stone, Texas Monthly, Wax Poetics, and more. Find more of his work at <a href="http://dangentile.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://dangentile.net&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1711040620694000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3XTZa73tUKo0JIWhdqylUa">dangentile.net</a> and on that <a href="https://twitter.com/Dannosphere" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/Dannosphere&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1711040620694000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3jvqFxajyG27FDs81Ssg-S">terrible social media site</a>.</p>


Dan Gentile

Arts And Culture

Partying With The U.S. Army At South By Southwest


<p>Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99</p>


Diana Moskovitz

The view of the F1 race from the Bellagio Fountain Club on the Las Vegas Strip. The club can hold 3,600 people and three-day tickets sell for $12,000. You can also see the Paris casino and its recreation of the Eiffel Tower.

In Las Vegas, It’s Not Who’s Your Team But What’s Your Parlay

Ilia Malinin of the United States competes in the Men's Free Program during the ISU World Figure Skating Championships at the Bell Centre on March 23, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Figure Skating

Quad God Strikes Gold

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<div>Abigail Segel is a contributing writer at Defector. She is also an editor for The IX Soccer and the Equalizer. Her work has been published in the Guardian and the Montreal Gazette.</div>
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Abigail Segel

Mallory Swanson poses with her arms in the air during a USWNT portrait studio session on February 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Mal Swanson Is Back! And So Are The Red Stars

Head Coach Kim Mulkey of the LSU Tigers answers a question at the press conference during the first round of the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 22, 2024 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Like Bob Knight Before Her, Kim Mulkey Made It All About Herself

Lyon's French midfielder #34 Mahamadou Diawara (C) leads the ball during the French L1 football match between Olympique Lyonnais (OL) and FC Lorient (FCL) at The Groupama Stadium in Decines-Charpieu, central-eastern France on October 8, 2023. (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP) (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images)

Mahamadou Diawara Leaves French Youth National Team Over Anti-Ramadan Rules

a silhouette of a semi truck in front of a starry sky

Science

Vibrations From “Interstellar Meteor” Actually From Local Truck; Or, Fact-Checking The Celebrity Scientist

Kelsey McKinney

photo of brick building with missing brick

This Is So Stupid

BREAKING/EXCLUSIVE/MUST CREDIT KELSEY: They Cut The Wire

Israel Daramola

A screenshot of Nick Nolte facing a giant canvas in his loft in Martin Scorsese's segment of "New York Stories."