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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

Giri Nathan

An illustration of a tennis player holding a skull-shaped ball

Tennis

Has The Tennis Ball Gotten Worse?

Maitreyi Anantharaman

UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) huddles up with her team during a women's basketball game against the Indiana Hoosiers on January 4, 2025, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana.

College Basketball

The Growing Pains Are Over For UCLA

Patrick Redford

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 7: Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a home on January 7, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

Climate

The Future Of Fire Cannot Look Like Its Present

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


Chris Thompson

Bradley Beal And The Suns Are Stuck Heavin’ In Hell

Ray Ratto

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) is seen on the bench during the second half of his NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat in San Francisco, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. The Heat defeated the Wariors 114-98.

There’s No Magic To Be Found In Golden State


<p>Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.</p>


Dan McQuade

Washington Crossing the Delaware but it's Joe Paterno

College Football

Becoming A Penn State Fan Again Means Remembering How To Hate Notre Dame

Head coach Antonio Pierce of the Las Vegas Raiders looks on against the Los Angeles Chargers during a home game in Week 17 of the 2024 season.

Antonio Pierce Got What Every Raiders Coach Gets

Tom Ley

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 22: A general view of the DraftKings logo in the outfield during the Major League baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals on June 22, 2021 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphis, PA.

Gambling

DraftKings Determined To See How Much It Can Squeeze Out Of Problem Bettors

Kathryn Xu

San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler and GM A.J. Preller pose for a photo at the home ballpark.

Peter Seidler’s Padres Are A Family Business

A black-and-white image of some nerds doing computing and codebreaking at an IBM 7090 Data Processing System in the early 1960s.

Journalismism

One Weird And Unusual Trick To Deciphering And Decoding A Josina Anderson Report Or News Item

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Fashionable women's bags hang along the sidewalk storefronts on Canal Street in New York City.

Under The Influence

What’s In A Knockoff?

<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

LAS VEGAS, USA - JANUARY 06: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivers a keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025, showcasing the company's latest innovations in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on January 6, 2025. At the event, Huang unveiled advanced AI for training robots and cars, enhanced gaming chips, and Nvidia's first desktop computer, while also detailing how the company was expanding its data center AI technology to consumer PCs and laptops.

Funbag

AI Learned It By Watching You

David Roth

Congestion pricing, or Congestion Relief Zone, car toll sign on the westbound Long Island Expressway approaching Van Dam Street in Queens, New York on Jan. 5, 2025.

Democracy Dies As Awful Man No Longer Able To Freely Drive 18 Blocks In Manhattan

Life's Rich Pageant

A Comprehensive And Maddening History Of Color Star, Would-Be Titans Of Just About Anything

LiAngelo Ball #18 of the Charlotte Hornets stands on the court in the fourth quarter during a preseason game at Spectrum Center on October 05, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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 Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Middle Ball Brother Finds Basketball-Free Success

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Mike Evans (13) makes a catch on the last play of the game to get his 11th 1000 yard receiving season during the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 05, 2025 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

The Bucs Risked It All For Mike Evans

Dave McKenna

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Skip Bayless is seen on October 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, CA.

Media Meltdowns

Lawsuit Claims Skip Bayless Tried To Pay FS1 Hairstylist For Sex

Capital

The Logic Of Private Equity Explains The Park City Ski Patrol Strike


<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

<p>Lesley Ryder is a writer and a host covering the Chicago Red Stars. She co-created <a href="https://galpalsports.com/">Gal Pal Sports</a>, a platform that lives to make women’s sports fun for everyone.</p>


Lesley Ryder

San Diego Wave FC signage is displayed before the game between San Diego Wave FC and North Carolina Courage at Snapdragon Stadium on September 08, 2024 in San Diego, California.

Soccer

Sixth Ex-Wave Employee Joins Lawsuit, Alleges Supervisor Sent Her Dick Pics

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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

First responders wearing Hazmat gear investigate a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of the entrance to the Trump International Hotel & Tower Las Vegas on Jan. 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Margin Of Error

How Crazy Was The Las Vegas Cybertruck Bomber?

Barry Petchesky

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 08: Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets looks on prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on December 08, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Everything Aaron Rodgers Has Blamed This Year

Angel Reese #10 of the LSU Tigers reacts in a game against the UCLA Bruins during the first half in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on March 30, 2024 in Albany, New York.

Crosswords

The Crossword, Jan. 6: Miss Me

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 05: Jahmyr Gibbs #26 of the Detroit Lions celebrates a touchdown with teammates during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field on January 05, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan.

The Lions Are For Everyone

Kelsey McKinney

Underexplained Lists

Discourses We Can Stop Having, Ranked

A wide-angle view of the total eclipse of the Moon of November 8, 2022, with the red Moon at right amid the stars of the northern winter sky and Milky Way, plus with bright red Mars at top. Above and left of the Moon is the blue Pleiades star cluster, while below it and to the left is the larger Hyades cluster with reddish Aldebaran in Taurus. The stars of Orion are left of centre, including reddish Betelgeuse, while at far left are the two Dog Stars: Procyon, at top, in Canis Minor, and Sirius, at bottom, in Canis Major. So this is a gathering of many red stars, planets and the rare red Moon. I shot the frames for this scene beginning at 3:50 am MST, 10 minutes before mid-totality during this 1h25m-long total eclipse. . (Photo by: Alan Dyer/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)