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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.

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Defector

The Defector Crewneck Sweatshirt Is Back In Stock

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Merch v3

2019-01-01 00:15:14.989

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Kelsey Mitchell #0 of the Indiana Fever speaks with ESPN reporter after the game three of the first round of WNBA Playoffs between the Indiana Fever and Atlanta Dream at Gateway Center Arena on September 18, 2025 in College Park, Georgia.

Indiana Fever v Atlanta Dream – Game Three

WNBA

Kelsey Mitchell Is Making Up For Lost Time In The Playoffs

VictorPortraitWClaw

David Roth

Holland Roden, Joe Pantoliano, and Matthew Daddario sitting on a very Hallmark movie coach, all admiring a little Buffalo Bills ornament that Pantoliano (in a Bills hat and goatee) has received from an anonymous benefactor. It's from the trailer of Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story.

HolidayTouchdownScreenshot

The Hallmark Channel And The Buffalo Bills Encourage You To “Go For Four”

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Patrick Redford

A'ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces reacts against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on September 16, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. 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 Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Las Vegas Aces v Seattle Storm – Game Two

A’ja Wilson Is The Smoothest Operator

Abigail Segel is a writer based in Montreal.

Screenshot 2023-06-14 at 10.34.24 AM

Abigail Segel

Sarah Puntigam #17 of Houston Dash shoots during the NWSL match between San Diego Wave and Houston Dash at Snapdragon Stadium on September 07, 2025 in San Diego, California.

San Diego Wave v Houston Dash

Soccer

In A Typically Chaotic NWSL Season, The Only Safe Place Is The Very Top

Sean Kuhn

An Immaculate Grid filled in with the most-remembered people from the Defector/Immaculate Grid collaboration week.

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Let's Remember Some Guys

Who Gets Remembered? Crunching The Numbers From 36,000 Immaculate Grids

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Israel Daramola

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Ray Ratto

Clemson v Georgia Tech

College Football

The College Coaches Are Going Through It

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Kathryn Xu

phillies-Karen

Never Try To Catch A Baseball

Veronica Burton #22 of the Golden State Valkyries reacts after making a three-point shot against the Minnesota Lynx during the second half of Game Two in the first round of WNBA Playoffs at Sap Center on September 17, 2025 in San Jose, California.

Minnesota Lynx v Golden State Valkyries – Game Two

Ballhalla Is A Mindset

Jalen Hurts looking thoughtful after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the game at Arrowhead Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Kansas City. The Distraction logo is at upper left.

Philadelphia Eagles v Kansas City Chiefs

Podcasts

Teaching Jalen Hurts How To Complain, With Dan McQuade

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks as he presents the new Meta Ray-Ban Display at the 2025 Meta Connect conference in Menlo Park, California, on September 17, 2025. (Photo by Benjamin LEGENDRE / AFP)

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The Machines

Mark Zuckerberg Demonstrates That His AI Smart Glasses Suck And Don’t Work

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Soraya Roberts

American actor Robert Redford wearing a grey tweed blazer over a matching waistcoat and a white shirt, with a diagonally striped tie, with a grey fedora, in a scene from 'The Sting', filmed in the United States, 1973.

‘The Sting’ Publicity Still

Arts And Culture

Robert Redford Made An Art Of The Double Take

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Luis Paez-Pumar

Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool FC celebrates after scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Liverpool FC and Atletico de Madrid at Anfield on September 17, 2025 in Liverpool, England.

Liverpool FC v Atletico de Madrid – UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1

Liverpool Can’t Keep Getting Away With This … Right?

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.

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Drew Magary

A blank high school scoreboard with a backdrop of the snow-covered Topatopa Mountains in Ventura County, California.

Game scoreboard

Jamboroo

Scoreboard!

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Barry Petchesky

TORONTO, ON - September 17 Head Coach Craig Berube chats to the media.

Toronto Maple Leafs held a media availability

The Maple Leafs Can’t Seem To Get Out Of The First Round Against Punctuation

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 04: Jimmy Kimmel is seen at 'Jimmy Kimmel Live" on November 04, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles – November 04, 2019

Politics

Charlie Kirk Is A Means To An End

Aliyah Boston #7 and Lexie Hull #10 of the Indiana Fever celebrate during the second half against the Atlanta Dream in game two of the first round of WNBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on September 16, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Atlanta Dream v Indiana Fever – Game Two

The WNBA Won Won Won With 1-1-1

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Albert Burneko

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump during a visit to St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on day one of their second state visit to the UK.

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This Is So Stupid

Nice Hat, Melania

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Typing

Sabrina Imbler

a wild octopus americanus, arms unspooled and curling

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Creaturefector

Unlike Our Stupid Human Arms, Octopus Arms Are All Equally Beautiful And Talented

Robert Weintraub is the author of four books, including The Divine Miss Marble, now <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Miss-Marble-Tennis-Mystery/dp/1524745367/ref=asc_df_1524745367/?tag=hyprod-20&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;hvadid=459515946640&amp;hvpos=&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=6202131795131082661&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvdvcmdl=&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=9010752&amp;hvtargid=pla-926582175995&amp;psc=1">out in paperback</a>. He has also written for the New York Times, ESPN/Grantland, Slate, Columbia Journalism Review, the Guardian, Football Outsiders, and many other outlets. Follow on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/robwein" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@robwein</a>.

Robert Weintraub

Bubblegum card (from the Bowman Gum Company) features baseball player Hank Thompson, of the New York Giants, 1955.

Gum Card Of Hank Thompson

Hank Thompson Lived A Wild, Tragic, Forgotten Life In Baseball

Hannah Smothers

areyoumyfirst

Reality TV Dating Enters Virgin Territory

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Kelsey McKinney

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

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Chris Thompson

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Food

The Not-So-Great Defector Bake Off Suffers Mightily For Biscuit Week

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller depart Union Station after meeting with federal law enforcement officers on August 20, 2025.

VP Vance And Defense Secretary Hegseth Visit Federal Law Enforcement Officers Patrolling At D.C.’s Union Station

The United States Of Snitches

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Giri Nathan

Washington Post Editor Karen Attiah leads a discussion on Saudi hacking techniques at the Oslo Freedom Forum 2019 on May 28, 2019 in Oslo, Norway. (Photo by Julia Reinhart/Getty Images)

Oslo Freedom Forum 2019

Media Meltdowns

Washington Post Opinion Columnist Fired For Social Media Posts On Charlie Kirk

A video feed is displayed in the White House Briefing Room as U.S. Vice President JD Vance hosts a podcast episode of 'The Charlie Kirk Show' following the assassination of the show's namesake, at the White House on September 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. Tyler Robinson is accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, while he was speaking at an event for his "American Comeback Tour" on the campus of Utah Valley University.

Vice President JD Vance Hosts The Charlie Kirk Show In Tribute To Kirk

Funbag

Everything Is Getting Lost In The Fog

Tom Brady speaks onstage at Fanatics Fest NYC 2025 at Javits Center on June 21, 2025 in New York City.

Fanatics Fest NYC 2025

Tom Brady Adds Sportswashing To His Impressive Résumé

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