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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

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Israel Daramola

College Football Playoff National Championship: Miami v Indiana

College Football

Indiana Is A Champion For College Football’s New Era

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Barry Petchesky

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - JANUARY 19: Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky #72 of the Florida Panthers fights with Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic #33 of the San Jose Sharks at the Amerant Bank Arena on January 19, 2026 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

San Jose Sharks v Florida Panthers

2026 Is For Fighting

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Samer Kalaf

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott looks on in the first half during the AFC Divisional Round game

NFL: JAN 17 AFC Divisional Round Bills at Broncos

Sean McDermott Stood Up For Buffalo, And Now He’ll Get Out

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Lauren Theisen

Jarrett Stidham #8 of the Denver Broncos looks on against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field At Mile High

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Broncos Fans Have Six Days To Talk Themselves Into Jarrett Stidham

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Maitreyi Anantharaman

Jeremy Swayman #1 of the Boston Bruins in the net against the Seattle Kraken at the TD Garden on January 15, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Seatle Kraken v Boston Bruins

Crosswords

The Crossword, Jan. 19: Sole Cycle

Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears throws the ball during an NFL divisional playoff football game on January 18, 2026 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.

NFL: JAN 18 NFC Divisional Round Rams at Bears

The Bears’ Final Magic Trick Was Almost Enough

K'lavon Chaisson #44 of the New England Patriots tackles C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans in the first half during an AFC Divisional Playoff game

AFC Divisional Playoffs: Houston Texans v New England Patriots

C.J. Stroud’s Nightmare First Half Dooms The Texans

College basketball betting odds on the video board at the Westgate SuperBook sports book on November 18, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sports Betting

Gambling

Rigging A College Basketball Game Seems Stressful

Rashid Shaheed #22 of the Seattle Seahawks returns the opening kickoff for a touchdown during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Lumen Field on January 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington.

NFC Divisional Playoffs: San Francisco 49ers v Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks Have A Need For Rashid Shaheed

Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens looks on from the sideline

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John Harbaugh Had The Giants Rework Their Org Chart For Him

Bo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos looks on at half-time of the NFL football divisional playoff game against the Buffalo Bills

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Broncos Win The Game, But Lose Their Quarterback

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David Roth

Kyle Tucker of the Chicago Cubs celebrates a hit in Game Four of the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field on October 9, 2025.

Division Series – Milwaukee Brewers v Chicago Cubs – Game Four

It’s Nice To Have A Process, But It’s Better To Have Money

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Veronica de Souza

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Make It Nice

Make It Nice: Gallery Wall Tutorial

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.

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Nicholas Russell

Interviews

Natan Last Has Thought A Lot About Crosswords

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Ray Ratto

Jonathan Kuminga, at left, of the Golden State Warriors sit with fans before their game against the New York Knicks at Chase Center on January 15, 2026 in San Francisco, California.

New York Knicks v Golden State Warriors

Jonathan Kuminga Is In Basketball Purgatory

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Sabrina Imbler

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 08: U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveils the department's new dietary guidelines food chart during a policy announcement event at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on January 8, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Trump administration announced new dietary guidelines on Wednesday including an emphasis on proteins and full-fat dairy, and limits on processed foods. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Secretaries Kennedy And Rollins Celebrate New Nutrition Guidelines At HHS Headquarters

Food

In The War On Protein, We Have Been Humiliatingly Defeated By Protein

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JANUARY 15: Tage Thompson #72 of the Buffalo Sabres celebrates during the third period of an NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens on January 15, 2026 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Ben Ludeman/NHLI via Getty Images)

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Nobody Loves An Ex-Loser Like Buffalo

Dave McKenna

JT Toppin #15 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders stands on the court for "The Matador Song" after the game against the Utah Utes at United Supermarkets Arena on January 14, 2026 in Lubbock, Texas.

Utah v Texas Tech

College Basketball

Texas Tech Is Rich And Good At Everything

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Kathryn Xu

A screenshot from 'Hades II': Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld, wonders whether she will have chances to correct her earlier mistakes.

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Video Games

‘Hades II’ Is At War With Itself

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Giri Nathan

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 04: Rich Paul talks with LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half at Crypto.com Arena on January 04, 2026 in Los Angeles, 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 Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Memphis Grizzlies v Los Angeles Lakers

Media Meltdowns

LeBron’s Agent Openly Suggests A Trade For The Lakers On His Podcast

Masked ICE agents and demonstrators face off as protests broke out following the shooting of a Venezuelan man by a Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 14, 2026.

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Podcasts

What It’s Like When ICE Invades Your City, With Arif Hasan

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Luis Paez-Pumar

Morocco players celebrating winning the semi-final on penalties during the Africa Cup Of Nations Semi-final match between Nigeria and Morocco at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on January 14, 2026 in Rabat, Morocco.

Nigeria v Morocco – Semi-final – Africa Cup Of Nations

Soccer

Morocco Outlasted Nigeria In A Battle Of Africa’s Finest

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

Aaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on at the line of scrimmage during the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 21, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan.

Pittsburgh Steelers v Detroit Lions – NFL 2025

Jamboroo

Fuck The Fourth-Down Bluff

The Ottawa Senators celebrate a goal during the first period of the National Hockey League game between the Ottawa Senators and the New York Rangers

NHL: JAN 14 Senators at Rangers

The Three Words That Best Describe The New York Rangers Are As Follows: Stink, Stank, Stunk

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Albert Burneko

A single bullet hole can be seen on the driver’s side of the windshield of a vehicle that a woman was shot and killed in by federal officers on Portland Ave. in Minneapolis, Minn. on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) killing, Minneapolis, January 2026

Journalismism

CBS News Is The Trump Administration’s New Laundromat

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