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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

Kathryn Xu

Interior Of Empty Subway Train, Photo Taken In Shanghai, China

Transit

All The Trains I Rode In China

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Alyssa Thomas #25 of the Connecticut Sun at Crypto.com Arena on September 10, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

WNBA

The Sun And Mercury Join The WNBA Trade Fun

<div dir="ltr">
<div>Jen Golbeck is a writer, scientist, and professor at the University of Maryland. Her Substack, The <a href="http://magareport.news/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://magareport.news&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1738242090561000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1v7CItRYSjo8F2e4vcdTQy">MAGAReport</a>, tracks what&#8217;s happening on far-right pro-Trump social media. She splits her time between Washington, D.C. and Key West.</div>
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Jen Golbeck

Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Kharkiv. ( Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Arts And Culture

What’s Wrong With War Tourism?

Billy Haisley

Naomi Girma of Chelsea waves to the crowd as she is unveiled as a Chelsea player prior to the Barclays Women's Super League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on January 26, 2025 in London, England.

Soccer

Naomi Girma’s Move To Chelsea Is Ambition Incarnate

Barry Petchesky

ROBLEDO DE CHAVELA, MADRID, SPAIN - 2020/08/19: A meteor crossing the night sky over the Milky way and a large antenna of the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex of NASA and JPL, used for for tracking vehicles and spacecraft as well as for radioastronomy research. (Photo by Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Science

What To Know About The Newest Asteroid That Probably Won’t Obliterate You

Israel Daramola

Politics

We Need To Get Off The Internet

<p>Elizabeth Hawes is a poet, playwright, and essayist from Minneapolis. A recipient of the Keeley Schenwar Memorial Essay Prize, she has contributed to multiple pedagogical journals and books. Her quotes have been projected onto the Rockefeller Center during PEN America&#8217;s Centennial Art Installation Celebration: Speech Itself.</p>


Elizabeth Hawes

An illustration of a steel toilet with blue water, in an empty room.

Stories

What Happens In Prison When You Can’t Pee On Command

<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

Members of the far-right militia group, Patriot Front, participate in the 2025 March for Life in Washington D.C., Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.

Funbag

Nazism & Hitler: The Defector Explainer

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Ray Ratto

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


Sabrina Imbler

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


Chris Thompson

Black-and-white photo of a writer scrawling on paper.

Defector Reads A Book

‘The Artist’s Way’ Week 3: Synchronicities And Faith

Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard look discouraged.

The Celtics Can Afford To Wait For Math To Come Back Around

a hummingbird visiting a flower with itty-bitty white mites on its beak

Creaturefector

A Mite’s Leap Of Electric Faith Into A Hummingbird Nostril

A distraught-looking Kyle Kuzma ards looks on against the Sacramento Kings in the third quarter at Golden 1 Center on January 19, 2025 in Sacramento.

The Washington Wizards Are Going All The Way Down

<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>


Heather Wei-Xi Chen

DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 14: A worker cleans a RAM truck at the 2022 North American International Auto Show on September 14, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan.The NAIAS opens to the public on September 17 and features the latest state of the art electric vehicles, vehicle rides, the world’s first battery-powered Monster Truck, an Air Mobility Experience featuring flight demonstrations of jet suits, hoverboards, and vertical take-off and landing aircraft, a Dinosaur Encounter featuring 80 life-like and life-size dinosaurs, and the world’s largest rubber duck. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

The Detroit Auto Show Used To Be The Future

Kelsey McKinney

travis kelce and jalen hurts in tan suits

Let Us Compare These Two Men In Tan Suits

David Roth

An Ai Me robot from Chinese company TCL is displayed during the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show CES in Las Vegas.

Capital

The Future Is Too Easy

Kelsey Plum #10 of the Las Vegas Aces and Jewell Loyd #24 of the Seattle Storm look on during the fourth quarter at Climate Pledge Arena on July 10, 2024 in Seattle, Washington.

We Got A Real WNBA Trade, With Stars And Everything

Tom Ley

MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 01: Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat looks on prior to a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Kaseya Center on January 01, 2025 in Miami, Florida. 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.

Jimmy Butler Suspended Again, If You Even Care

Giri Nathan

During Day 14 of the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 25, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)

Tennis

Madison Keys Won Her First Major By Changing Her Racquet And Mind

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


Dan McQuade

PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES - JANUARY 26: A Philadelphia Eagles fan in a mask at Xfinity Live during the NFL NFC Championship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States on January 26, 2025. The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders to advance to the Super Bowl.

Eagles Fans Are Happiest At The Brink Of Agony

Luis Paez-Pumar

Ange Postecoglou, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, reacts during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Leicester City FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 26, 2025 in London, England.

Tottenham Inches Towards Implosion

<p>Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and has written for The Guardian, The Second Serve, The Athletic, n+1, Texas Monthly, Air Mail, and other publications.</p>


Owen Lewis

The Australian Open Is Happy And Hot

Michael Taaffe #16 of the Texas Longhorns looks at the Peach Bowl trophy at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Crosswords

The Crossword, Jan. 27: Bursting With Pride (Themeless)

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 26: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 32-29 to win the AFC Championship Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 26, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Patrick Mahomes Will Always Make You Pay

Why Did Adam Schefter Write “Composite Matchups” Like This?

Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on from the field during warmups prior to an NFL football AFC divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans.