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Defector

Tom Ley

Hensley Meulens #31 of the Colorado Rockies poses for a photo during the Colorado Rockies Photo Day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Friday, February 24, 2023 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

There Are Several Reasons Not To Let Anyone From The Colorado Rockies Into An Airplane Cockpit

Dave McKenna

Ryan Garcia speaks to reporters during a media workout at World Class Boxing Gym on April 9, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.

Boxing

Ryan Garcia Is Promoting His Title Fight By Having A Mental Breakdown

Ray Ratto

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - FEBRUARY 18: New York Rangers fans cheer on after the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series game between the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders at MetLife Stadium on February 18, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Rangers defeated the Islanders 6-5 in overtime. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)

Dear Long-Suffering Fans: Keep It To Yourself

<p>Columnist. Author of many <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Drew-Magary/e/B001JS8R52/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1">fine works of literature</a>, including <em>Point B</em>. Handsomest man in the world.</p>


Drew Magary

Atmosphere at the Nike Air Innovation Summit held at the Palais Brongniart on April 11, 2024 in Paris, France.

Capital

The Fanatics Disaster Is Also A Nike Disaster

Kathryn Xu

Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees reacts after a call made by home plate umpire umpire Angel Hernandez #5 during the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium.

This May Be Hard To Believe, But It Gets Even Worse Than Ángel Hernández

Lauren Theisen

Arts And Culture

PEN America Chooses The Most Cowardly Words

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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

A big outdoor sign reading USC University of Southern California, with a student riding a skateboard in the background.

Margin Of Error

The Speech-Free Campus

Israel Daramola

Organized Noize members, Raymond Murray (L), Rico Wade (C), and Sleepy Brown (R)

Rico Wade And Organized Noize Were The Architects Of Southern Rap

David Roth

Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets looks on during the first half against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center on April 9, 2024. I put the little Distraction logo at upper right so it looks like he's glowering at it.

Podcasts

We’re All Lifelong Nuggets Fans Here, With Patrick Redford

Patrick Redford

New York Times Managing Editor Joseph Kahn gives the keynote speech at the Andrew Olle lecture 2017 at ICC darling Harbour on October 27, 2017 in Sydney, Australia.

Journalismism

The New York Times Ignores Reality In Pursuit Of Objectivity

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<div>Victoria Zeller is a trans writer born and raised in Buffalo, New York, where she still proudly resides. Her debut novel, <i><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/one-of-the-boys-victoria-zeller/21775251" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bookshop.org/p/books/one-of-the-boys-victoria-zeller/21775251&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1735306610555000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0sXpgNMmxpIwmIZOFd-Pnw">One of the Boys</a></i>, is out now. Her personal website can be found <a href="http://victoria.monster/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://victoria.monster&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1735306610555000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0PrZ7PkO1IykxAodWoMLI_">here</a>.</div>
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Victoria Zeller

Stefon Diggs #14 of the Buffalo Bills warms up prior to a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Highmark Stadium on September 17, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York.

Stefon Diggs Fixed Buffalo Before We Could Fix Him

Billy Haisley

Kylian Mbappé of PSG react during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match between FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on April 16, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.

Soccer

PSG And Barcelona Turned A Champions League Feast Into A Soggy Appetizer

Animals

I Have Become A Crazy Dog Person

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


Sabrina Imbler

a tiny gall midge pollinating a tiny orchid

Creaturefector

The Secret Life Of A Tiny Flower

Arizona Coyotes arena in 1996, with a big coyote inflatable

Let’s Look Back On The Great Moments In Arizona Coyotes History

Luis Paez-Pumar

Nicolas Batum #40 of the Philadelphia 76ers smiles during the game against the Miami Heat during the 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament on April 17, 2024 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Nicolas Batum Ruined My Night

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Cathy Engelbert and the draftees pose for a photo during the 2024 WNBA Draft on April 14, 2024 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York.

WNBA

Caitlin Clark And The Two-Way Street

Jontay Porter Is The NBA’s Collateral Damage

Dortmund's players celebrate scoring their forth goal 4:2 during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg football match between Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid in Dortmund, western Germany on April 16, 2024.

Borussia Dortmund Broke Atlético Madrid’s Spirit

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<div>Casey Taylor is a writer living and working in Pittsburgh. He is currently writing a book for St. Martin&#8217;s Press about cannabis religions, Haile Selassie I, and the Cold War in the Caribbean. He also writes a free newsletter called <a href="https://weedchurch.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://weedchurch.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1709306863919000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1mVH2xiID6S0zvlyj6yHco">Weed Church</a> covering foolish spiritual things that occur to him. His work has appeared in The New Republic, WIRED, New York Magazine, and a sports blog he can’t currently recall the name of. You can <a href="mailto:caseyt7@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email</a> him if you’d like.</div>
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Casey Taylor

Having escaped a raging war at home, Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia face more conflict and insecurity as the border region of Amhara is plagued by unrest and clashes that sees the Ethiopian National Defense Force battling an ethnic Amhara militia known as 'Fano'. According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) over 100,000 people have crossed into Ethiopia from Sudan since April 2023. Sudanese and other refugees in the border camps in Amhara lament a lack of security, difficult communication with the outside world - the Ethiopian government has disrupted access to mobile internet in the region since August 2023 - and a general sense of abandonment, raising the question if they fled a dire situation to end up in similar one. (Photo by )

How Do You Get Americans To Care About A War?

Alex Ovechkin leaves the ice after warmups

There’s Not Always Next Year

Justin Ellis

Normal Gossip logo with cartoon characters gossiping

The Passion Of The Familiar Stranger

The scoreboard at Martin Stadium prior to the start between the Oregon State Beavers and the Washington State Cougars

College Football

The College Football “Super League” Salesmen Bring You The Past Disguised As The Future

Cole Palmer of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's third goal, his hat-trick, during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Everton FC at Stamford Bridge on April 15, 2024 in London, England.

Cole Palmer Is Right Where He Needs To Be

Klay Thompson reacts after missing a shot

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