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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

Ray Ratto

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 15: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers walks off the field after defeating the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on December 15, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Brock Purdy Is Probably Not The Second Coming

<a href="https://twitter.com/petesegall?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pete Segall</a> lives in Chicago. His fiction has appeared in The Bennington Review, Conjunctions, The Drift, and elsewhere.

Pete Segall

The eponymous hospital in Lars Von Trier's supernatural soap "Kingdom"

Arts And Culture

After Two Decades Of Chaos, Lars Von Trier’s Supernatural Soap Opera ‘Kingdom’ Returns

Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.

Dan McQuade

Split image: My cat on a t-shirt; next to the same shirt in the 1995 film Hackers (with a different cat)

I Put My Cat On A T-Shirt That References The Movie ‘Hackers’ And You Can’t Stop Me

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

An illustration of the absolute unit of a wombat, the extinct Ramsayia, standing next to a puny modern wombat.

Creaturefector

This Ancient Wombat Was An Absolute Unit

Maitreyi Anantharaman

HARRISON, NJ - JULY 31: The digital signage shows the NWSL logo on it before the National Women's Soccer League match between NJ/NY Gotham FC and the Houston Dash at Red Bull Arena on July 31, 2022 in Harrison, New Jersey.

NWSL

NWSL Report: With Great Power Came No Responsibility

Laura Wagner

Sam Bankman-Fried speaks onstage during the first annual Moonlight Gala benefitting CARE - Children With Special Needs - hosted by Michael Cayre, Roy Nachum and MegaMoon Museum at Casa Cipriani on June 23, 2022 in New York City.

Media Meltdowns

Sam Bankman-Fried Is Where Media Patronage Was Always Headed

David Roth

Shannon Sharpe, Skip Bayless, and The Distraction logo, not necessarily in that order.

Podcasts

Real Housewives For Boys, With Jemele Hill

Politics

“Major Announcement” From Donald Trump Turns Out To Be NFTs Of His Head Photoshopped Onto A Skinny Man In A Tuxedo

Tom Ley

The Mookie Betts Trade Just Keeps Getting Worse

Patrick Redford

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 10: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets smiles during the game against the Utah Jazz on December 10, 2022 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)

It’s Denver Nuggets Time

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

LOS ANGELES - NOVEMBER 22: ***U.S. TABLOIDS OUT*** Actor Bob Odenkirk farts during Comedy Central's First Ever Awards Show "The Commies" at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California. "The Commies" will air December 7, 2003 at 9pm pst on Comedy Central. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Jamboroo

Comedians Don’t Have To Hate Their Audience

Soraya Roberts

Defector At The Movies

Please Remove Me From This List

Billy Haisley

France's players celebrate their victory in the Qatar 2022 World Cup semi-final football match between France and Morocco at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, north of Doha on December 14, 2022.

Soccer

Farewell To Morocco, The Winners Of The World Cup

The ‘Trainwreck Tonight’ Podcast Regrets That Comments Were Made By A Guest

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Science

What’s All This Nuclear Fusion Business? Allow Me, A True Expert, To Explain

Samer Kalaf

Grant Wahl with a world cup replica trophy, in recognition of their achievement of covering 8 or more FIFA World Cups, during an AIPS / FIFA Journalist on the Podium ceremony at the Main Media Centre on November 29, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.

Grant Wahl Died Of A Ruptured Artery

Albert Burneko

FRANCE - CIRCA 1890: La Sorbonne : chemistry laboratory. Paris, about 1900. (Photo by ND/Roger Viollet via Getty Images)

Journalismism

Any Worthwhile Player Ranking Will Make You So Mad

Elon Musk wearing his stupid Halloween costume.

The Eternal Mystery Of A Rich Man’s Politics

Lauren Theisen

Naoya Inoue taunts Paul Butler during their fight

Boxing

Fear Won’t Save You From Naoya Inoue

Kelsey McKinney

Two Fans Of ‘The Mole’ Discuss How To Properly Be The Mole

Barry Petchesky

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 13: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals poses for a photo after scoring a hat-trick and his 800th career goal, following the game against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on December 13, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)

Alex Ovechkin Is Vintage

BRISTOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 02: A King Cobra is displayed to the public at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm on August 2, 2016 in Bristol, England. Noah's Ark Zoo Farm has teamed up with the Reptile Zone in Bristol to bring a fortnight of educational shows which allows members of the public to see some of the world's most deadliest reptiles close up. The annual event showcases some of the world's most notorious snakes behind a specially constructed presentation room. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Happy Snake Clitoris Day To All Who Celebrate

Argentina's forward #10 Lionel Messi outpasses Croatia's defender #20 Josko Gvardiol during the Qatar 2022 World Cup football semi-final match between Argentina and Croatia at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, north of Doha on December 13, 2022.

Lionel Messi Makes The Difference

Defector Up All Night

Is ‘Dog Gone,’ Out January 13, About Whether Gonker Lives Or Dies, Or Is It About The Unique Ability Dogs Have To Bring Out The Very Best In Every Person They Meet?

Roger Ebert & Gene Siskel dinning at the Brown Derby Restaurant, Walt Disney World, Florida in 1990