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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

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


Dan McQuade

An image of a jumbotron at Michigan State university before a football game. It has a giant photo of Hitler on it, as part of a trivia video.

College Football

Michigan State: Sorry For Putting Hitler On Our Jumbotron

Tom Ley

Jose Leclerc #25 of the Texas Rangers celebrates after striking out Jon Singleton #28 of the Houston Astros to end the eighth inning in Game Six of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 22, 2023 in Houston, Texas.

José Leclerc Stepped Away From The Void

Dave McKenna

George Harrison and Eric Clapton, playing their guitars, in a black-and-white concert photo from the 1970s

Music

You Too Can Score Cheap On The Open Market For Dead People’s (Hammond) Organs

Albert Burneko

Arizona's Zac Gallen and Philadelphia's Bryce Harper watch Harper's sixth-inning home run soar into the night during Philadelphia's 6-1 win in Game 5 of the NLCS.

Never Make Zac Gallen Face Kyle Schwarber And Bryce Harper In The Same Inning Ever Again

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


Chris Thompson

Signage during the LIV Golf Invitational -Miami at Trump National Doral Miami on October 20, 2023 in Doral, Florida.

Golf

39,000 Steps At A LIV Golf Party In Trumpland

A UFC referee cradles the head of Alexander Volkanovski, crumpled against the fencing at the end of his match against Islam Makhachev

The Fights

UFC Fave Volkanovski Takes Bad And Unnecessary Beating In Abu Dhabi

Defector Up All Night

Oh What The Heck, Here’s A Weekend Open Thread

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<p>Robert Rubsam writes fiction and nonfiction. His work has appeared in the NYT Magazine, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Baffler, and Liberties. He is a contributing writer for Commonweal Magazine.</p>
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Robert Rubsam

Arts And Culture

Charles Bissell Has Finally Moved On From The Wrens

Lauren Theisen

Connor Stalions Implicated In Latest Alleged Scheme Carried Out By Jim Harbaugh


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


Corey Atad

A scene from eddie alcaraz's new film, Divinity

Defector At The Movies

The Survival Of Independent Cinema Begins With The Belief Of Those Who Make It

Luis Paez-Pumar

Into The Woods

In ‘Under The Skin’, The Woods Are The Final Isolation

Barry Petchesky

Dare You Traverse The Tricky Trail?

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


Sabrina Imbler

An orange caterpillar with five distinctive eyeposts and a some tinier legs by the head

Creaturefector

When The Legs Are A Lie

David Roth

Onterrio Smith of the Minnesota Vikings diving for some extra yards in a NFL Playoff Game against the Eagles in January of 2005.

Podcasts

Holiday In Onterrio

<p>Mark Dent is a writer at The Hustle. His work has appeared in <em>The New York Times</em>, <em>Texas Monthly</em>, Vox, <em>Wired</em>, <em>The Kansas City Star</em>, and elsewhere. He lives in Dallas.</p>


Mark Dent

<p>Rustin Dodd is a writer at The Athletic and a 2023-24 Knight-Wallace fellow at the University of Michigan. He previously worked as a sportswriter at <em>The Kansas City Star</em> from 2010 to 2017. He lives in Brooklyn.</p>


Rustin Dodd

Mike Garrett of the Kansas City Chiefs rushing against the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I, on Jan. 15, 1967.

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

The Scout Who Integrated The Kansas City Chiefs

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Alysha Clark #7 of the Las Vegas Aces helps teammate Jackie Young #0 up off the court in the second quater against the New York Liberty during Game Four of the 2023 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center on October 18, 2023 in New York City.

WNBA

The Aces Are The Aces Are The Aces

<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

JAPAN, TOKYO - MARCH 17 : Sumo Wrestler Training in Sumida. Sumo wrestlers training in the Azumazeki-beya, located at Higashi–Komagata, Sumida. The sumo-beya, aka heya ('room') is an organization of sumo wrestlers where they train and live. All wrestlers in professional sumo must belong to one. There are currently 43 heya on MARCH 17, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Frédéric Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images)

Jamboroo

Life With Manboobs

Israel Daramola

Giri Nathan

Patrick Redford

Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss and Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney perform at Barnsdall Art Park as part of ArthurFest on September 4, 2005.

Defector Music Club

Defector Music Club Gets Lost In Sleater-Kinney’s ‘The Woods’

The cover of Esther Yi's novel Y/N, featuring a woman dancing near a mirror.

Defector Reads A Book

Defector Reads A Book Is Getting Low-Key Parasocial With It

Max Scherzer of the Texas Rangers looks unhappy as he watches Jose Altuve's home run fly into the left-field stands.

More Like Min Scherzer

Cars and horseback riders share a packed country road in 1935.

Life's Rich Pageant

Freakin’ Traffic Is Ruining My Life!

A photo of a white tray full of 13 little syringes, which is sitting on top of an unseen white tray of even more syringes

I Resent My Accursed Allergy Shots, Unless They Work, In Which Case I Love Them!

P.J. Tucker#17 James Harden #1 and Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers during an open scrimmage on October 14, 2023 at Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware.

James Harden Has Made His Next Move

<div class="gmail_default">Timothy Faust is a healthcare writer and author of the book <i><a href="http://www.healthjusticenow.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.healthjusticenow.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1685593699820000&amp;usg=AOvVaw24V19Y2HTPgYkH_EpZ_lgj">Health Justice Now</a></i>. He and his long little dog, Ume, move around a lot.</div>
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