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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

Leah Finnegan is the former editor-in-chief of Gawker and the Outline. She has written and edited for the New York Times, New York magazine, the New Republic, the Baffler, and others.

Leah Finnegan

Arts And Culture

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s ‘Dream Count’ Is Stuck In The Past

David Roth

Bruce Pearl yelling with his hand cupped around his mouth, looking pretty insane, during a game against Texas A&M on March 4, 2025.

Podcasts

Through The Transfer Portal, With Ken Pomeroy

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

a photo of Kate Wheeler, a former USDA farm to school specialist. Kate has short brown hair and is smiling in front of several painted planks

Interviews

An Interview With A Fired USDA Specialist

Patrick Redford

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 17: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver hands majority owner Wyc Grousbeck of the Boston Celtics the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after Boston's 106-88 win against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 17, 2024 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. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Group Led By Private Equity Ghoul Buys Boston Celtics For $6.1 Billion

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Cade Cunningham celebrates a game-winner.

Cade Cunningham Is In Dude Mode

Ray Ratto

Sandro Mamukelashvili #54 of the San Antonio Spurs is joined by teammate Stephon Castle #5 and Flavor Fav at the end of the game against the New York Knicks at Frost Bank Center on March 19, 2025.

It’s The Damn Sandro Mamukelashvili Game

Barry Petchesky

I’m Having Trouble Thinking Of A Funnier Goal

Kelsey McKinney

Food

The Not-So-Great Defector Bake Off Goes Rogue For Tarte Soleil

<a href="https://twitter.com/kenpomeroy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ken</a> has been cranking out college basketball statistics at <a href="http://kenpom.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">kenpom.com</a> since 2004. He’s written at The Athletic, Slate, the late ESPN The Magazine, and the late Basketball Prospectus. He hopes to live long enough to see the men&#8217;s game start using quarters, like every other basketball league in the world.

Ken Pomeroy

Head coach Rick Pitino of the St. John's Red Storm speaks with Deivon Smith #5 of the St. John's Red Storm during the first half of the game against the Connecticut Huskies on February 23, 2025.

College Basketball

Tom Izzo And Rick Pitino Are Up Against One Of March’s Weirdest Curses

Luis Paez-Pumar

Jackie Robinson, in military uniform, becomes the first African American to sign with a white professional baseball team. He signs a contract with the minor league club in Montreal, a farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Department Of Defense Backtracks After Deleting Jackie Robinson Article For “Woke DEI”

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

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) talks with former teammate Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) after the professional NFL football game between the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings on October 6, 2024 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.

I Am Asking Aaron Rodgers, Once And For All, To Leave My Team The Fuck Alone

Maitreyi Anantharaman

JuJu Watkins #12 of the USC Trojans is defended by Paige Bueckers #5 of the Connecticut Huskies during the second half of an NCAA women's basketball game at the XL Center on December 21, 2024 in Hartford, Connecticut.

The Case For And Against Every Contender In The Women’s Tournament

Soraya Roberts

What The Beads Can Tell You

Lauren Theisen

Devin the dugong with meatloaf glaze on his face

This Is So Stupid

Fans Everywhere Are Slobbering At The Chance To Try Devin The Dugong’s Algorithmically Generated Sandwich

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 14: Novak Djokovic of Serbia waits for the trophy presentation after his defeat by Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the final of the men's singles, during day fourteen of The Championships Wimbledon 2024 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 14, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Frey/TPN/Getty Images)

Tennis

Novak Djokovic’s Loose Players Union Files Huge Lawsuit Against Tennis Power Structure

Hmm, What About The Clippers?

Gun Assembly Required

Tom Ley

A person holds a sign calling for the release of Mahmoud Khalil as pro-Palestine demonstrators rally for Gaza in Times Square on March 18, 2025 in New York City. Israeli forces carried out renewed airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, killing over 400 people, according to Gaza officials. The attacks broke a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, heightening fears of a return to full-scale conflict.

Politics

Read Mahmoud Khalil’s Letter From An ICE Detention Facility

Mitch Voit pretending to snort a line of cocaine

Defector Up All Night

Michigan Baseball Player Sorry For Doing The Cocaine Thing

Demonstrators hold signs as they protest the deportation of Assistant Professor of Medicine Dr. Rasha Alawieh of Brown University at the State House in Providence, Rhode Island

We’re All We’ve Got Left

Announcements

Enjoy A Defector Subscription For The Cost Of Two Large Eggs

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 03: Quentin Grimes #5 of the Philadelphia 76ers smiles during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Wells Fargo Center on March 03, 2025 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 Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Quentin Grimes Is The Tragicomic Protagonist Of The Terminal NBA Season

a selfie of Sarah Cooley, the former director of NOAA's ocean acidification program, with an orange life vest on a river

An Interview With A Fired NOAA Director

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Kathryn Xu

Woman holding her hand over a crystal ball and gazing into the future. Seated 1/2 length photograph.