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Defector

Samer Kalaf

Aaron Gordon #32 of the Denver Nuggets dunks the game winning basket during the fourth quarter in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the LA Clippers

Aaron Gordon Bails Out Nuggets With Buzzer-Beating Dunk

Shedeur Sanders is selected at the NFL Draft

Shedeur Sanders’s Weekend Of Humiliation Ends With Him Going To The Browns

Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless on Undisputed

Media Meltdowns

Seal Up The Pit That Contains Fox Sports 1

Albert Burneko

The Machines

Only Kevin Roose’s Editors Despise Him More Than I Do

Dave McKenna

Turki Al-Sheikh and actor Jason Statham (left) at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Picture date: Saturday December 21, 2024.

The Fights

Saudi Arabia’s Latest Boxing Spectacle Is A Times Square Fight Card With No Start Time And No Tickets

Ray Ratto

of the Memphis Grizzlies walks off the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of Game Three of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2025.

For 20 Minutes, The Memphis Grizzlies Were Actually In It

Barry Petchesky

ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 24: Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) celebrates scoring a goal during the second period in Game Three of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild on April 24th, 2025, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Vegas Can’t Answer The Call Of The Wild

OTTAWA, CANADA - APRIL 24: Ridly Greig #71 of the Ottawa Senators battles for puck possession during a faceoff against Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period of Game Three of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre on April 24, 2025 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Leafs Are In Uncharted Territory

Israel Daramola

The Draft Tunnel Is Too Long

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Boston Fleet forward Hilary Knight (21) during the Boston Fleet versus the Montreal Victoire game on March 01, 2025, at Centre Bell in Montréal, QC

PWHL

Hilary Knight’s Not Rested, But She Is Ready

Tom Ley

Shannon Sharpe Stepping Away From ESPN Following Sexual Assault Lawsuit

David Roth

Shedeur Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes runs with the ball during the first half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field on November 29, 2024 in Boulder, Colorado.

Journey Within The Football Guy Brain, With Mike Tanier

Patrick Redford

HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 23: Jalen Green #4 of the Houston Rockets reacts in the first half against the Golden State Warriors in Game Two of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on April 23, 2025 in Houston, Texas. 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 Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Jalen Green Stops Killing The Rockets Long Enough To Kill The Warriors Instead

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<div>Abigail Segel is a contributing writer at Defector. She is also an editor for The IX Soccer and the Equalizer. Her work has been published in the Guardian and the Montreal Gazette.</div>
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Abigail Segel

The Vermillion Vanguard prepares to march

Soccer

The Vermilion Vanguard Is On The March

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


Sabrina Imbler

a photo of matt o'malley, a fired USDA agricultural engineer, smiling in front of mountains

Interviews

An Interview With A Fired USDA Agricultural Engineer

<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

Jamboroo

Secrets Of The World’s Foremost NFL YouTube Grinder

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 21: Adrian Kempe #9 of the Los Angeles Kings scores a goal against Stuart Skinner #74 of the Edmonton Oilers in the second period during Game One of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 21, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Nicole Vasquez /NHLI via Getty Images)

The Oilers Are Getting Carved Up Like A Moist And Tender Turkey

Kathryn Xu

Starling Marte #6 of the New York Mets celebrates with his team after driving in the winning run.

Mets Invincible, Phillies On Bullet-Train To Hell

Ian Happ #8 of the Chicago Cubs celebrates a walk-off hit in the bottom of the tenth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field on April 22, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.

The Cubs Love To Get Crooked 

<p>Alex Shultz is a journalist based in Brooklyn. He&#8217;s a writer for <a href="https://www.hardresetmedia.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hardresetmedia.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1763581679564000&amp;usg=AOvVaw07bi0TNndgTXDN2QH72s3J">Hard Reset,</a> a newsletter about tech, labor, and power.</p>


Alex Shultz

A tabloid style Sports Illustrated cover in the checkout line

Journalismism

Horny Sports Blogging Makes A Bewildering Return To Sports Illustrated

Luis Paez-Pumar

Agustin Ramirez #50 of the Miami Marlins in the game against the Cincinnati Reds at loanDepot park on April 21, 2025 in Miami, Florida.

Enjoy The Agustín Ramírez Show For As Long As It Lasts

<p>Jae Towle Vieira [they/them] works as a producer for Normal Gossip. Their fiction has been published in <i data-stringify-type="italic">The Normal School</i>, <i data-stringify-type="italic">New England Review, Carve Magazine, Passages North, Fairy Tale Review</i>, and elsewhere.</p>


Jae Towle Vieira

Normal Gossip logo with cartoon characters gossiping

Podcasts

The Fine Line Between A Prank And A Crime

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


Chris Thompson

James Wood Is A Special Case

<p>Jake Romm is a New York City-based writer and the Associate Editor of Protean Magazine.</p>


Jake Romm

Politics

The Paranoid Fantasies Of ‘October 8’

Painting of Science Fiction Scene with Robot Woman by Anton Brzezinski