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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.

Defector

Culture Writer

Israel Daramola

Rich Homie Quan performs onstage at The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre on September 01, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan.

Arts And Culture

Rich Homie Quan Got To The Top Of The Mountain

Rachelle Hampton

Portrait of professional road racing cyclist David Millar taken on May 16, 2011. (Photo by Joby Sessions/Procycling Magazine via Getty Images)

Writing Is An Act, Not An Aesthetic

Soraya Roberts

Adam Sandler: Love You. Adam Sandler at the Nocturne Theater in Glendale. Cr.

Adam Sandler Lets Us Love Him

Ray Ratto

Isaiah Likely of the Baltimore Ravens stretches for a pass he can't quite catch near the end of the fourth quarter of the 2024 NFL season opener in Kansas City.

Who’ll Stop The Reign?

Giri Nathan

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 04: Jessica Pegula (R) of the United States shakes hands after defeating Iga Swiatek of Poland during their Women's Singles Quarterfinal match on Day Ten of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 04, 2024 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Tennis

Iga Swiatek Came Up With No Answers Against Jessica Pegula

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Kelsey Mitchell #0 of the Indiana Fever is congratulated by Caitlin Clark #22 after scoring during the second half against the Dallas Wings at College Park Center on September 01, 2024 in Arlington, Texas.

WNBA

Caitlin Clark Is Contagious On The Court

David Roth

Head coach Antonio Pierce of the Las Vegas Raiders stands on the sidelines during the national anthem prior to an NFL preseason football game against the San Francisco 49ers, at Allegiant Stadium on August 23, 2024.

Podcasts

The Good, The Bad, And The Kalyn, With Kalyn Kahler

Luis Paez-Pumar

Presentation by two secretaries of the typing robot at the exhibition 'Happiness in the office', in Paris, France, on October 13, 1960.

The Machines

ESPN Masks Cynical AI Pivot As Benevolent Coverage Of “Underserved” Sports

T.J. McFarland #48 of the Oakland Athletics pitches in the top of the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Oakland Coliseum.

What Defector Saw At “The Janson Junk Game”

Patrick Redford

US Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann speaks to the press in the run-up to the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk Aan Zee, on January 11, 2024. Niemann was previously accused of cheating by former world champion Norway's Magnus Carlsen, but the two have now ended their feud. (Photo by Olaf KRAAK / ANP / AFP) / Netherlands OUT

Chess

Hans Niemann And Magnus Carlsen Are, Somehow, Going At It Again

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 Point B. Handsomest man in the world.

Drew Magary

CLEVELAND - 1987: Defensive backs Hanford Dixon #29 and Frank Minnifield #31 of the Cleveland Browns draw plays in the dirt on the field before a game at Municipal Stadium circa 1987 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)

Jamboroo

A Well-Executed Day

Barry Petchesky

A man waves the Russian national flag as he arrives at the patriotic concert at the Red square in downtown Moscow ahead the Russia Day on June 11, 2023. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

Media Meltdowns

Dimwitted Right-Wing Influencers Accused Of Being Unwitting Russian Assets

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 13: Head coach Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs talk prior to a preseason game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on August 13, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Why Your Team Sucks

Why Your Team Sucks 2024: Kansas City Chiefs

Michael Rosen is a transportation planner and author of the <a href="https://pitchplots.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pitchplots.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1725119706246000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3LfT9S-qtmoiPwAXtsicWT">&#8220;Pitch Plots&#8221;</a> Substack. He lives in Los Angeles.

Michael Rosen

An umpire mediates between two people networking

Looking For Friends Among Baseball’s Most Passionate Nerds

LUGO, SPAIN - AUGUST 30: (EDITORS NOTE: Multiple exposures were combined in camera to produce this image.) Primoz Roglic of Slovenia and Team Red Bull Bora - hansgrohe prior to the La Vuelta - 79th Tour of Spain 2024 - Stage 13 a 176km stage from Lugo to Puerto de Ancares 1659m / #UCIWT / on August 30, 2024 in Lugo, Spain. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)

Cycling

Primoz Roglic Shows He’s Up For The Fight

Taylor Fritz of the United States celebrates a point against Alexander Zverev of Germany during their Men's Singles Quarterfinal match on Day Nine of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 03, 2024 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Taylor Fritz Gets Over The Hump

Kathryn Xu

A picture of youtiao, or fried dough sticks, in a tray.

Food

No Breakfast But A Chinese Breakfast

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

a close-up of a green skink with its tongue out

Creaturefector

Skink Outside The Box

Billy Haisley

Raphinha of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring his team's fifth goal during the LaLiga EA Sports match between FC Barcelona and Real Valladolid CF at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on August 31, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.

Soccer

Barcelona Finally Figured Out Raphinha

Samer Kalaf

White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore argues with umpire and gets ejected from the game

The White Sox Can Always Find A Way To Get Lower

Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after hitting a three run home run in the tenth inning against the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels Walked Shohei Ohtani To Face Mookie Betts. What Happened Next Will Shock You.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 15: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after beating the Seattle Seahawks 21-13 at Lumen Field on December 15, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Why Your Team Sucks 2024: San Francisco 49ers

two small brown hexapods called globular springtails jump. off a white surface and spin into the air, against a purple background.

Meet The Round Little Gymnasts In Your Backyard

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

A Troubleshooting Paul Skenes Is Somehow Even More Frightening

Race winner Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari poses for a picture on the podium, with the fans down on the track during the F1 Grand Prix of Italy.