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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

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

An extremely fluffy gray cat called the Pallas Cat snarling at the camera

Creaturefector

World’s Crankiest Cat Found On World’s Tallest Mountain

Laura Wagner

Capital

Sad: Steph And Ayesha Curry Are NIMBYs

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Getting To The Bottom Of Jaren Jackson Jr.’s So-Called “Blocks”

Patrick Redford

Boston, MA - January 28: Los Angeles Lakers SF LeBron James falls to his knees in frustration after the final play of regulation. The Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics, 125-121, in overtime. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

There’s No Sense In The Lakers Crying Over The Unavoidable

Lauren Theisen

Let’s Remember Some Darrens

Maitreyi Anantharaman

UNCASVILLE, CT - SEPTEMBER 6: Candace Parker #3 of the Chicago Sky looks on during the game against the Connecticut Sun during Round 2 Game 4 of the 2022 WNBA Playoffs on September 6, 2022 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

WNBA

Candace Parker Stacks The Deck

Barry Petchesky

(Original Caption) Chicago Black Hawk Bobby Hull skids to a stop on the ice.

Bobby Hull Was Not Complicated

Jonathan Ben-Menachem is a PhD student in Sociology at Columbia University, where he researches the politics of criminalization. He has written about similar topics for the Washington Post, Slate, The Appeal, and more.

Jonathan Ben-Menachem

Prison Abolition Is Pragmatic

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 1: during the second half of a game between the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium on January 1, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)

Trent Williams Flipping His Shit Was The Only Good Thing That Happened Sunday

Ray Ratto

Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers gives his teammates a hype-up speech before their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Conference Championship.

Someone Woke Up The 49ers Before The Eagles Put Them To Bed

Luis Paez-Pumar

Joseph Ossai hits Patrick Mahomes late in the AFC Championship game

The Bengals’ Season Came Down To One Late Hit

David Roth

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts runs past Dre Greenlaw of the 49ers in Philadelphia's 31-7 win in the NFC Conference Championship.

The Philadelphia Eagles Will Absolutely End You

Giri Nathan

Novak Djokovic celebrates winning the Australian Open

Tennis

Novak Djokovic Expanded “The Field Of Craziness”

Baltimore Orioles CEO John Angelos chuckling at a 2018 team event.

John Angelos Is Not On Your Timetable

Share With Us Your Cursed Sports Video

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

Dan McQuade

CLEMSON, SC - DECEMBER 30: Clemson Tigers guard Brevin Galloway (11) during a college basketball game between the N.C. State Wolfpack and the Clemson Tigers on December 30, 2022, at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C.

College Basketball

Clemson Basketball Player: My Balls And Nutsack Exploded

Aryna Sabalenka hits a backhand during her win in the women's final of the 2023 Australian Open.

Aryna Sabalenka Smashed It

Kelsey McKinney

Zillowing Out

An $18 Million Home Where We Can Hear Every Sound

NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 23: Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich coaches during the Tennessee Titans game versus the Indianapolis Colts on October 23, 2022, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN. (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire)

Steve Wilks, Lawyers Express Disappointment With Panthers Hiring Frank Reich

Moussa Diaby of Bayer 04 Leverkusen controls the ball during the Bundesliga match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart at BayArena on November 12, 2022 in Leverkusen, Germany.

Soccer

Window Shopping: Is Moussa Diaby Worth An Expensive Gamble?

Ben Simmons Has Stumped Another Coach

A screenshot of David Roth and Lauren Thiesen as they sit at a table to open up a pack of cards and remember some guys. Lauren is wearing a bright red graphic T-shirt. Roth, of course, is in flannel.

Let's Remember Some Guys

Remembering When The Toronto Blue Jays Logo Got Swole

Justin Ellis

In this photo illustration, pages are viewed from the government’s released version of the F.B.I. search warrant affidavit for former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on August 27, 2022 in California. The 32-page affidavit was heavily redacted for the protection of witnesses and law enforcement and to ensure the ‘integrity of the ongoing investigation’.

This Is So Stupid

Enough With The Fucking Secret Memos Already

Israel Daramola

ATLANTA, USA - JANUARY 21: Firefighters work to extinguish a fire after an Atlanta police vehicle was set on fire during a "Stop cop city" protest in Atlanta, Georgia, United States on January 21, 2023. Multiple buildings were vandalized and an Atlanta police vehicle was set on fire as multiple arrests were made. (Photo by Benjamin Hendren/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Policing

Cop City Is A Step Toward Cop Nation

Samer Kalaf

Head coach Bill OBrien of the Houston Texans speaks to the media at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana.