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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

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - OCTOBER 10: Owner Mark Davis of the Las Vegas Raiders walks onto the field prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on October 10, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Las Vegas Is Where Billionaires Go To Feud

Tom Ley

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - APRIL 23: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur reacts during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur at St. James Park on April 23, 2023 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Soccer

Tottenham Gave Up

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Russell Westbrook Is Just The Man To Salvage Dignity In Defeat

BROOKLYN, NY - APRIL 20: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers is helped up during Round One Game Three of the 2023 NBA Playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets on April 20, 2023 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 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 2023 NBAE

The Sixers And Joel Embiid Are Back Where They Always End Up

Dillon Brooks pulls a face after being ejected.

Dillon Brooks Was Humiliating Himself Well Before He Made Contact With The Balls

Kelsey McKinney

Zillowing Out

A $389,000 House Where We Can Feel Perplexed

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - APRIL 21: Fans of the New York Knicks are seen during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden, New York City, United States. Filmmaker Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee watches the game with a Knicks jersey at Madison Square Garden.

Defector Up All Night

Let’s Have An NBA And NHL Playoffs Open Thread

Patrick Redford

Ding Liren of China reacts while playing against Dommaraju Gukesh of India during the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2023 in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands, Jan. 14, 2023. (Photo by Sylvia Lederer/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Chess

Ding Liren’s Preparation Oopsie Throws World Chess Championship Into Chaos

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Jameson Williams #9 of the Detroit Lions reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field on December 11, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan.

The Lions Have A Gambling Problem

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.

Nicholas Russell

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 15: Cherry Jones attends the "Downton Abbey: A New Era" New York Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House on May 15, 2022 in New York City.

Hey It's That Guy

Cherry Jones Makes Acting A Breeze

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

A prehistoric tully monster, looks like a squid with stalked eyes and a jointed trunk with a toothy pincer mouth at the end.

Creaturefector

The Mystery Of The Tully Monster Will Never Be Solved

Los Angeles, - April 20: Kawhi Leonard, center, of the LA Clippers looks on from the bench in street clothes against of the Phoenix Suns in the first half of game 3 of a first round NBA playoff basketball game at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 20, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

It’s About Star Power

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 20: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts toward referee Nick Buchert #3 against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half of Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Barclays Center on April 20, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The 76ers won 102-97. 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.

It’s About Contact With The Balls

Barry Petchesky

NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 20: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers celebrates his goal during the second period of Game Two of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on April 20, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images)

Maybe Put A Body On Chris Kreider In Front

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 20: Kevon Looney #5 of the Golden State Warriors and Domantas Sabonis #10 of the Sacramento Kings go for a rebound during Game Three of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Chase Center on April 20, 2023 in San Francisco, California. 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 Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Draymond Who?

Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99

Diana Moskovitz

A BuzzFeed News logo adorns a wall inside BuzzFeed headquarters, December 11, 2018 in New York City.

Journalismism

Greed Is Still The Problem

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) dumps Boston Bruins left wing Taylor Hall (71) during Game 2 of an Eastern Conference First Round playoff contest between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers on April 19, 2023, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Panthers Are No Fun For The Bruins

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

Dan McQuade

Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Bernd Wiesberger and Richard Bland sitting at a wine tasting

Golf

Cleeks GC Will Make You Never Want To Drink Again

David Roth

Jeremy Swayman #1 of the Boston Bruins and teammate Linus Ullmark #35 share a hug after Game One of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Podcasts

Please Like Her Sports, With Lauren Theisen

John Semley is a writer and researcher based in Philadelphia.

John Semley

Clint Eastwood at a podium, it's an animated GIF, and different Clint Eastwood fake twitter accounts slowly fill the screen

This Is So Stupid

A Fistful Of Eastwoos: Inside The Battle For Clint Twitter

Lauren Theisen

Shayne Gostisbehere leaps onto the back of an Islanders player

The Hurricanes Won Themselves Some Wiggle Room

Los Angeles, CA - April 19: Mets starter Max Max Scherzer (21) reacts after being ejected in the fourth inning of the game against the Dodgers on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

Max Scherzer Is In A Sticky, Not Tacky, Situation

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - MAY 17: A general view during a game between the Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics on May 17, 2022 at RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***

The A’s Are A Poison Pill

DALLAS, TX APRIL 19: Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Minnesota Wild tends goal against the Dallas Stars in Game Two of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center on April 19, 2023, in Dallas, Texas (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Wild’s Goalie Platoon Didn’t Pay Off

Joasia Zakrzweski runs in the Taipei 48-Hour Run, holding a UK flag