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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

Dave McKenna

Black and white photo of a basketball court

Ex-NBA Scout Pete Philo Convicted Of Sexual Assault Charges In North Carolina

Billy Haisley

Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint Germain during the UEFA Champions League match between Borussia Dortmund v Paris Saint Germain at the Signal Iduna Park on December 13, 2023 in Dortmund Germany

Soccer

Will Kylian Mbappé’s PSG Have Enough Time?

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

Dan McQuade

The logo for Wondery's THE LEAD: STARTING FIVE

Journalismism

Wondery Sports Podcast Now Has An AI Host Named Striker

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.

Nicholas Russell

Antique print of whalers harpooning a sperm whale off New Bedford, Massachusetts. The print is from 1910.

Arts And Culture

A Year In Pursuit Of Moby Dick

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, believed to be the oldest reptile living on earth with and alleged age of 185 years, opens his mouth in a kind of yawn as he stands on grass

This Is So Stupid

This Week In Turtles

Kelsey McKinney

black and white photo of a man photographing a family

What Can Another Photo App Give Us?

Ray Ratto

This picture taken on November 18, 2016 shows a worker checking parts of a toilet bowl on the production line in a factory of Taiwan's largest toilet maker HCG in Taoyuan. According to the United Nations, there are 2.4 billion people living without a toilet in the world. (Photo by SAM YEH / AFP) (Photo by SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images)

College Football

Bowling For Dollars

Inglewood, CA - December 10: Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley watches from the sideline during the second half against the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

This Is Not The Face Of A Man With Job Security [Update]

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 screenshot of Matt Araiza speaking at a press conference.

Ex-NFL Punter Matt Araiza Will Be Dropped From Rape Lawsuit

David Roth

Shohei Ohtani smiling in the dugout during an Angels game on September 17 of 2023.

Podcasts

Infinite Bonilla Mode

Dennis Young is the news editor at Front Office Sports.

Dennis Young

Nick Bawden's cleats advertising Operation Underground Railroad

Which NFL Players Are Supporting Sketchy Anti-Trafficking Organizations With Their Shoes?

Albert Burneko

FC Barcelona manager Xavi gesticulates during the UEFA Champions League match against Royal Antwerp.

Barcelona Loses Match, Wins UCL Group, Possibly Dooms Xavi

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

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 30: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys coaches from the sidelines during the 2nd quarter of the game against the Seattle Seahawks at AT&amp;T Stadium on November 30, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

Jamboroo

I Don’t Want To Live In A World Where Mike McCarthy Has His Shit Together

A female Tasmanian Devil yawns in an enclosure at the Night Safari Singapore nocturnal zoo in Singapore o

Creaturefector

What If You Kept Your Baby Teeth Your Entire Life?

San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi speaks during a news conference at Oracle Park in the Nick Peters interview room on Tuesday, October 1, 2019 in San Francisco, CA.

The Giants Have A Problem And It’s Not San Francisco

black and white photo of a building under construction

Hmmm … Something Is Not Right Here.

Tom Ley

Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks exchanges words with Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers following a game at Fiserv Forum on December 13, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Fellas Got In A Big Fight Over A Ball

Luis Paez-Pumar

AC Milan's Samuel Chukwueze celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the UEFA Champions League match between Newcastle United FC and AC Milan at St. James Park on December 13, 2023 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Group F’s Final Matchday Was A Chaotic Grindhouse

YES announcer Michael Kay before the New York Yankees MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays on August 12, 2012 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Defector Up All Night

Michael Kay Finally Consumed Eggs

Tommy DeVito looking right, his mouth pretty wide open, after leading the Giants to a Monday Night Football win in New Jersey.

Never Count Out Touchdown Tommy

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

1638, English poet John Milton (1608 - 1674) pays a visit to Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642) at the Villa D'Arcetri near Florence. Original Artwork: A painting after Lessi.

Overexplained Lists

State Capitals Should Be Small And Weird

Jae Towle Vieira [they/them] works as a producer for Normal Gossip. Their fiction has been published in The Normal School, New England Review, Carve Magazine, Passages North, Fairy Tale Review, and elsewhere.

Jae Towle Vieira

Normal Gossip logo with cartoon characters gossiping

Romancing The Bellhop

Patrick Redford

Whale stranded at Winterton, 1857. 'This fine specimen of the whale tribe was driven ashore at Winterton by the gales which visited the coast of Norfolk...When the whale found himself upon land he roared loudly, and he struggled most lustily to regain the deep...The colour of the outer coat is dark brown on the back, vanishing off towards the body of a bluish grey. The body is white; also about two feet of the nose and baleen is white; the rest of the outer part is black. We understand that the skin, head, and tail were removed from the carcase for exhibition. The whale is stated to weigh about 25 tons'. From &quot;Illustrated London News&quot;, 1857.

Defector Reads A Book

Defector Reads A Book Is Gonna Kiss That White Whale

Dante Exum #0 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 12, 2023 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas,

The Dream Of Dante Exum Is Alive Once Again

Giri Nathan

Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after being ejected for a flagrant foul during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on December 12, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona.