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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

Matt Hardigree

Racing

The RC Car Racing Nationals Is Where Racing Gets Small

Albert Burneko

Animals

For Chop

Ray Ratto

Dan MacKinnon of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates by hoisting the Stanley Cup after his teams 3-1 victory to win the Stanley Cup in 2016. This is not a photo of him after trading his son to the Columbus Blue Jackets for future considerations.

Heartwarming: Hockey Executive Trades Son For Future Considerations

Billy Haisley

Real Madrid players celebrate at the end of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second-leg match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid at Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Spain on March 12, 2025. Real Madrid won in a penalty shootout.

Soccer

Real Madrid Is A Monster, And Every Derby Is Halloween

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<div><span id="m_-2092141782617832424gmail-docs-internal-guid-bb27737d-7fff-3697-05d8-6ce69444e1e4">Mike Sielski is the author of four books, including Magic in the Air: The Myth, the Mystery, and the Soul of the Slam Dunk and The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality. He has been a sports columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and Inquirer.com since 2013 and was formerly a reporter at The Wall Street Journal.</span></div>
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Mike Sielski

David Lattin (42) and a Texas Western teammate compete for control of a rebound as Kentucky's Tommy Kron, left, and Pat Riley , right, look on during the 1966 NCAA Photos via Getty Images Championship. Texas Western defeated Kentucky 72-65 for the championship title and was the first team to have an.. all-.black starting five compete in the NCAA final

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

How The Dunk Was Banned

Dave McKenna

College Basketball

John Feinstein Never Stopped Doing Everything

Kathryn Xu

Luis Paez-Pumar

Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari waves to the crowd from the stage during F1 75 Live at The O2 Arena on February 18, 2025 in London, England.

A Timely And Frankly Too Thorough 2025 Formula 1 Season Preview

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


Sabrina Imbler

1990s Single Male Anna Hummingbird Calypte Anna Western USA And Canada (Photo by T. Ulrich/Classicstock/Getty Images)

Creaturefector

The Hummingbirds Brought Me Around

David Roth

New York Jets running back Zonovan Knight (27) catches a pass from New York Jets quarterback Mike White (5) during the NFL game between the New York Jets and the Minnesota Vikings on December 4th, 2022.

Podcasts

Yearning For The Mike White Era, With Jasper Wang

Tom Ley

North Carolina Tar Heels football head coach Bill Belichick and his girlfriend Jordon Hudson look on during the first half of the game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils at Dean E. Smith Center on March 08, 2025 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Life's Rich Pageant

Bill Belichick: Please Email My Girlfriend

Barry Petchesky

WASHINGTON - APRIL 20: A worker looks for defective bills in the sheets of newly printed twenty dollar bills as they are prepared for distribution to financial institutions April 20, 2005 at the Department of the Treasury Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, DC. Regardless of its denomination, a bill, or banknote, costs 6 cents to produce. A dollar bill lasts about 22 months. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Overexplained Lists

United States Dollar Bills, Ranked

<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

Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets reacts after throwing an interception against the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium on January 05, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Report: Aaron Rodgers “Open” To Possessing God-Like Dominion Over Earth, Sea

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Diana Taurasi #3 of the Phoenix Mercury reacts during the first quarter against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on June 04, 2024 in Seattle, Washington

WNBA

Who Had Diana?

Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona runs with the ball during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg match between FC Barcelona and SL Benfica at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on March 11, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain.

Lamine Yamal Wows On Accident And On Purpose

Patrick Redford

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 08: Cooper Flagg #2 of the Duke Blue Devils looks over the court during the first half of the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Dean E. Smith Center on March 08, 2025 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Where Should Cooper Flagg End Up?

Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals in January of 2025.

The San Francisco 49ers Are Closing The Window

Kelsey McKinney

Politics

There Should Be Consequences For Filming A Tesla Ad At The White House

(L-R) Bari Weiss, The Free Press Founder, Peter Thiel, and Matt Danzeisen attend Inauguration Eve hosted by Uber, X and The Free Press at Cafe Riggs on January 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Journalismism

They Should Call It The Free Piss

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


Chris Thompson

Tyrese Haliburton rises up for the game-winner.

The Pacers Drew Up A Beauty And Were Rewarded With A Miracle

A giant of a moon appears before a giant of a planet undergoing seasonal changes in this natural color view of Titan and Saturn from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Science

Saturn Has 274 Moons Now; Jupiter Is Crying Itself To Sleep; It Literally Cannot Believe It

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<p>Charles P. Pierce is a writer at <em>Esquire</em> and the author of four books, most recently <em>Idiot America</em>, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston with his wife but no longer his three children.</p>
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Charles P. Pierce

Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics attempts a three-point basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second quarter at the TD Garden on January 12, 2025 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.

Payton Pritchard Brings The Hush

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Providence-based band The Whelks, which is composed of at least two Defector subscribers.

Defector Reads A Book

‘The Artist’s Way’ Week 9: We Are Annoyed

Samer Kalaf

A protestor with a sign that reads "Release Mahmoud Khalil."

Mahmoud Khalil Is The Target Of A Desperate Agenda

Pre rolled joints and gummy infused candy are sold on 4/20 on World Weed Day in Washington Square Park on April 20, 2022 in New York City. Hundreds of people flocked to Washington Square Park where vendors set up tables selling cannabis flowers, as well as other cannabis-infused products. Laws across the U.S. vary by state, but in New York City, it is legal for adults 21 and older to possess up to three ounces of cannabis and up to 24 grams of concentrated cannabis for personal use.

Funbag

Thank God For Weed Gummies

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 10: Simon Benoit #2 of the Toronto Maple Leafs fights against Michael Kesselring #7 of the Utah Hockey Club during the second period of a game on March 10, 2025 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)