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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

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Defector

NYC: Come To Our WNBA Comedy Show On July 15

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Live Event

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Barry Petchesky

Set of keys on ring

This Is So Stupid

Where Are My Keys?

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.09</p>


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Chris Thompson

Kristaps Porzingis Rained Hellfire On The Hapless Mavericks

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Lauren Theisen

Godzilla standing and I guess yelling, as seen during the trailer to the film Godzilla Minus One.

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Defector Up All Night

An Observation About ‘Godzilla Minus One’

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David Roth

Luka Doncic making a very silly WHOOO face after the Mavericks defeated the Timberwolves in Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Western Conference Finals. He's got a hat on.

Dallas Mavericks v Minnesota Timberwolves – Game Five

Podcasts

Garlic Shrimp And Slovenian Timelords, With Ray Ratto

Alex Belth

Journalist Grant Wahl (right) works in the FIFA Media Center before a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between Wales and USMNT at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 21, 2022 in Al Rayyan, Qatar. He had been detained earlier by stadium security for wearing a rainbow-colored t-shirt before later being allowed to enter the stadium.

Grant Wahl – USA v Wales: Group B – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Soccer

Remembering Grant Wahl, America’s Greatest Soccer Writer

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Kathryn Xu

Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches to Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park on June 5, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Los Angeles Dodgers v Pittsburgh Pirates

Shohei Ohtani And Paul Skenes Had A Splendid Introduction

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Patrick Redford

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Giri Nathan

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Tom Ley

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Albert Burneko

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Luis Paez-Pumar

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Ray Ratto

BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 23: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics and Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks on November 23, 2022 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 2022 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Dallas Mavericks v Boston Celtics

Behold The Defector NBA Finals Mega-Preview

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Billy Haisley

Scarves of Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr.hang in a souvenir stall outside the stadium prior to the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 round of 16 second leg match between Real Madrid CF and RB Leipzig at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on March 06, 2024 in Madrid, Spain.

Real Madrid CF v RB Leipzig: Round of 16 Second Leg – UEFA Champions League 2023/24

Real Madrid Plays Itself

2019-01-01 00:15:14.989

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Napheesa Collier #24 of the Minnesota Lynx drives to the basket during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 5, 2024 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.

Minnesota Lynx v Los Angeles Sparks

WNBA

Napheesa Collier Grows In Every Direction

COMMERCE CITY, COLORADO - JUNE 01: Sam Coffey #17 and Lily Yohannes #6 of the United States enter the field for warmups prior to playing the Korea Republic at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on June 01, 2024 in Commerce City, Colorado. (Photo by Erin Chang/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

South Korea v United States

Lily Yohannes Is The Truth

Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies reacts in the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers during the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship game at State Farm Stadium on April 08, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona.

Purdue v Connecticut

Lakers’ Pursuit Of JJ Redick Gets Even Funnier, In That They Are Now Pursuing Dan Hurley

Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on after a crash during the first lap of the race during the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco.

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Racing

There Are No Easy Solutions For The Second-Driver Conundrum


<p>Michael is a writer who has worked with The Atlantic, The New Yorker, WIRED, Vox, The New York Times, and other publications. His first book, <em>The Other Olympians</em>, which uncovers the stories of several European athletes who transitioned gender in the 1930s, is now available for purchase.</p>


Michael Waters

Helen Stephens running in the 1936 Olympics

Olympische Spiele 1936 in Berlin – 2. Vorlauf 100-m Damen, Zieleinlauf

Olympics

Olympian Helen Stephens Suffered Through An Anti-Queer Panic That Still Reverberates

<p>Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and co-founded the website <a href="http://popcorntennis.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://popcorntennis.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726234676777000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0PFWw6PL-FUqaCMME5TLqP">popcorntennis.com</a>. He wrote 63,000 words about the Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal rivalry that can be accessed for free at <a href="https://thegoldenrivalry.substack.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://thegoldenrivalry.substack.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726234676777000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2OjAHpo4PVIhkx8Xd21lRJ">thegoldenrivalry.substack.com</a>.</p>


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Owen Lewis

2022 French Open – Day Nine

Tennis

Suffering Pigeons All Over At Roland-Garros

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 27: JJ Redick #17 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket against LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Wells Fargo Center on November 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Cleveland Cavaliers v Philadelphia 76ers

The Lakers’ Pursuit Of JJ Redick Keeps Getting Funnier

<p>Heather Chen is a former Defector intern and the managing editor at the <em>Columbia Daily Spectator</em>. She loves hockey, photography, and the good ol’ state of Michigan.</p>


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Heather Wei-Xi Chen

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 20: Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Florida Panthers looks on after a fight against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on May 20, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. He's kind of holding hands with the ref that's carting him away

Florida Panthers v Carolina Hurricanes – Game Two

Matthew Tkachuk Is My Beloved American Girl Doll

Television video and still camera lenses are seen in centerfield as the sun sets behind home plate

Detroit Tigers v New York Yankees – Game Two

Which Broadcast Has The Best View In Baseball?

<p>Jae Towle Vieira [they/them] works as a producer for Normal Gossip. Their fiction has been published in <i data-stringify-type="italic">The Normal School</i>, <i data-stringify-type="italic">New England Review, Carve Magazine, Passages North, Fairy Tale Review</i>, and elsewhere.</p>


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Jae Towle Vieira

Normal Gossip logo with cartoon characters gossiping

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Where There’s Smoke, There’s Horny

PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 7: Jontay Porter #34 of the Toronto Raptors arrives to the arena before the game against the Phoenix Suns on March 7, 2024 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images)

Toronto Raptors v Phoenix Suns

Gambling

How The Fix Gets In

Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during the Stanford Business, Government, and Society Forum at Stanford University in April of 2024.

Fed Chair Powell And Google CEO Sundar Pichai Speak At Stanford University

The Machines

Google’s Got Nothing But Wrong Answers

Members of the Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) held a parade through Chinatown to protest against the Communist Party of China in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on August 19, 2023. The Communist Party of China has allegedly tried to wipe out Falun Gong with torture and violence because of their beliefs. Falun Gong is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline that brings together meditation, energy exercises and moral teachings as a means to cultivating the mind and body towards enlightenment. (Photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto)

Members Of The Falun Gong Protest Against The Communist Party Of China

Media Meltdowns

Feds Accuse America’s Weirdest Media Company Of Being A Money-Laundering Front For The Falun Gong

MLB Makes A Convenient Example Of Several Gambling Bozos

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<div dir="auto">Corbin Smith is a writer and photographer from Vancouver, Washington. His work has appeared in Deadspin, The Daily Beast, and <em>Rolling Stone</em>. He is also the host of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pacific-northwest-insurance-corporation-moviefilm/id1712416222"><em>The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm Podcast</em></a> a podcast about movies.</div>
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Corbin Smith

People riding bikes around in a very small loop at the Ladd's 500 relay in Portland, Oregon.

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Life's Rich Pageant

The Beauty And Boredom Of 500 Laps Around The Same .148-Mile Loop

<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>


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Drew Magary

06/08/12 - Midland Park, NJ - A supermarket shelf at a Kings Food Market in Midland Park, New Jersey filled mostly with Frito-Lay brands of chips.

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