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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

A football and helmet set up outside the Pac-12's media days in Las Vegas, which were held just a few weeks before the conference ceased to exist.

Death To The NCAA

The Market Made A Meal Out Of The Pac-12

David Roth

Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians is restrained by White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech after landing a heavy right hook to White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson's jaw during a game on August 5.

José Ramirez And Tim Anderson Had A Real Fight, Not A Baseball Fight

Luis Paez-Pumar

Kelley O'Hara, Alyssa Thompson, Megan Rapinoe, and Alyssa Naeher of the USA are dejected after their team was defeated in the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia &amp; New Zealand 2023 Round of 16 match between Sweden and USA at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on August 06, 2023 in Melbourne / Naarm, Australia.

Soccer

The USWNT Lived By An Inch And Died By A Millimeter

Tom Ley

Still from a police body camera showing Rally Runner at the Jan. 6 riot

Life's Rich Pageant

Rally Runner Has Fallen

Manuela Vanegas of Colombia celebrates after scoring her team's second goal during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia &amp; New Zealand 2023 Group H match between Germany and Colombia at Sydney Football Stadium on July 30, 2023 in Sydney, Australia.

The 16 Teams Left In The Women’s World Cup, Ranked By Coolness

<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

Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers attends Carolina Panthers Training Camp at Wofford College on July 27, 2023 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. (

Why Your Team Sucks

Why Your Team Sucks 2023: Carolina Panthers


<p>Corey Atad is a freelancer writer based in Toronto with an unhealthy Air Bud obsession.</p>


Corey Atad

Interviews

Steven Soderbergh Says It’s Time To Tear The Streaming Model Down To The Studs

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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

A photo of Christen Press and Tobin Heath as they sit on the set of their show, the RE-CAP show, and discuss the USWNT tie with Portugal.

Tobin Heath And Christen Press Offer A Dose Of Sanity This World Cup

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


Chris Thompson

Anthony Rizzo of the New York Yankees plays first base against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 30, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Anthony Rizzo Played For Two Months With A Brain Injury And Only He Noticed

Dave McKenna

Somali sprinter Nasro Abukar Ali jogs to the finish line.

Sprinter’s Slothful Stroll Scandalizes Somalia


<p>Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.</p>


Dan McQuade

Things We Actually Like

Forget The Elam Ending, TBT’s Dunk Contest Is The Real Game-Changer

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


Sabrina Imbler

English: Bronze statue of Henrietta Lacks by sculptor Helen Wilson-Roe located at Royal Fort House, Bristol. The plaque at the foot of the statue reads: Henrietta Lacks 1920-1951. more than a cell. To all the unrecognized Black Women who have contributed to humanity, you will never be forgotten.

Science

The Settlement For Henrietta Lacks’s Family Is Momentous, But It’s Just One Step

A stock photo of sausages cooking on a barbecue grill.

Podcasts

The Bib Does Nothing!

Desmond Ridder #4 of the Atlanta Falcons carries the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half of the game at M&amp;T Bank Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Why Your Team Sucks 2023: Atlanta Falcons

Patrick Redford

A project engineer makes measurements on the coil form for the Baseball II superconducting magnet while his secretary records the measurements, 1972. (Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).

A Normal Person’s Guide To The Room-Temperature Superconductor Drama

Custom painted Pac-12 University of Colorado Buffaloes football on display at Zouk Nightclub at Resorts World Las Vegas on July 21, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

College Football

In Realignment, It’s Survival Of The Fattest

Kathryn Xu

This Is So Stupid

The Ballad Of The Austin Weirdos’ Only Win

BOSTON, MA - November 11: City Hall plaza under construction on November 11, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Boston Cop Slide Fail Video Has Been Investigated Thoroughly, But I Have More Questions

Sofia Bouftini and Morocco players celebrate advancing to the knock out stage after the 1-0 victory in the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia &amp; New Zealand 2023 Group H match between Morocco and Colombia at Perth Rectangular Stadium on August 03, 2023 in Perth, Australia.

Group H Gave This Group Stage The Astonishing Send-Off It Deserved

(Original Caption) 8/27/1951-St. Louis, MO-: Bill Veeck, new owner of the St. Louis Browns, who believes that a zany atmosphere in baseball is good "box office," carried his idea to a new high when he staged a "grandstand managers" night when the Brownies played the Philadelphia Athletics. Fans who always know what the managers of the opposing teams "shouldda done" were given the opportunity to vote on decisions. Here, Jay Edson, of the Browns publicity staff, is asking the Board of Managers to decide on a pitcher.

History

The Best Team Is One That Can’t Hurt You Anymore

Billy Haisley

The players of Jamaica celebrate after winning the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia &amp; New Zealand 2023 Group F match between Jamaica and Brazil at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on August 2, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia.

Jamaica Showed How Much Not Losing Can Mean

Samer Kalaf

Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom walks past a photo of the 2007 Red Sox after they won the World Series.

At A Crossroads, The Red Sox Just Stood There

Israel Daramola

Quarterback Hunter Dekkers #12 of the Iowa State Cyclones throws the ball in the second half of play at Jack Trice Stadium on September 24, 2022 in Ames, Iowa. The Baylor Bears won 31-24 over the Iowa State Cyclones.

Gambling

Iowa State QB Charged With Being A Normal 21st-Century Sports Fan

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels speaks with owner Mark Davis prior to the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on November 27, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.

Why Your Team Sucks 2023: Las Vegas Raiders

Soraya Roberts

Writers on strike march with signs on the picket line on day four of the strike by the Writers Guild of America in front of Netflix in Hollywood, California on May 5, 2023. - More than 11,000 Hollywood television and movie writers are on their first strike since 2007 after talks with studios and streamers over pay and working conditions failed to clinch a deal.