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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

Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and has written for The Guardian, The Second Serve, The Athletic, and other publications.

Owen Lewis

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates on the court after winning the Australian Open.

Tennis

A Pure Tennis Boy

Mychal Denzel Smith is the author of Stakes Is High, winner of the Kirkus Prize for Non-Fiction.

Mychal Denzel Smith

I Thoroughly Enjoyed Watching Michael Rapaport Eat Shit On ‘The Traitors’

Patrick Redford

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 19: James Harden #1 of the LA Clippers looks on against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Capital One Arena on January 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. 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)

James Harden’s Latest Trade Demand Isn’t About Basketball

Samer Kalaf

Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin during Fanatics Fest 2025

Fanatics Makes More Excuses Than Sellable Jerseys

Ray Ratto

Robert Kraft puts his arm around former Patriots coach Bill Belichick at the end of a media availability on January 11, 2024.

Two Sourpusses Missing Out On The Hall Of Fame Is The Most Uplifting Story Of Super Bowl Week

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

Funbag

The NFL Doesn’t Have To Pretend It’s Not An Old Boys’ Club Anymore

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Artist impression of what Prototaxites would have look like in life

Creaturefector

Who The Hell Was This?

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 28: Raymond Felton #20 and Gerald Wallace #3 of the Charlotte Bobcats react during a game with the Boston Celtics at the TD Banknorth Garden on October 28, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Podcasts

Into The Research Triangle Of Sadness, With Jacob Rosenberg

Kathryn Xu

A Boston Terrier is examined in the judging area during day one of the 150th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City on February 2, 2026.

Interviews

A Westminster Dog Show Judge Tells Us What They’re Looking For

Giri Nathan

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain acknowledges fans with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after the presentation ceremony following the Men's Singles Final against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during day 15 of the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on February 01, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Carlos Alcaraz Has Conquered All Terrain

Eli Cugini

Arts And Culture

Fanfiction’s Total Cultural Victory

Dave McKenna

Jarrell Miller reacts to his toupee falling off in a heavyweight bout against Kingsley Ibeh during the Ring 6 fight at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2026 in New York City.

The Fights

Jarrell Miller Got His Hair Punched Off And Became A Hero

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Pittsburgh Penguins v Tampa Bay Lightning

Crosswords

The Crossword, Feb. 2: Hard Act To Follow

Owner Zygi Wilf, left, and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, of the Minnesota Vikings talk on the sideline prior to an NFL football game sideline prior an NFL football game on November 27, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Vikings Wait Until Worst Possible Moment To Implode

Barry Petchesky

Francisco Lindor #12 of Team Puerto Rico celebrates with teammates after scoring in the fifth inning of Game 10 of Pool D between Team Puerto Rico and Team Dominican Republic at loanDepot Park on Wednesday, March 15, 2023 in Miami, Florida.

The World Baseball Classic Has An Insurance Problem

Tom Ley

Peter Attia at the Featured Session "Peter Attia: The Science and Art of Longevity" during SXSW Conference &amp; Festivals in the Hilton Austin Downtown on March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (

Media Meltdowns

Bari Weiss’s Handpicked CBS Contributor Peter Attia Sent Jeffrey Epstein Gross Emails

Hamilton Nolan is a journalist based in New York City. Subscribe to his work at <a href="https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1687350200913000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0naFbUVOe-5ZgtPDtIM3gz">HamiltonNolan.com</a>.

Hamilton Nolan

Boxing

Look On The Bright Side

Israel Daramola

Photos of Nicole Good (L) and Alex Pretti are placed among flowers at a makeshift memorial in the area where Pretti was shot and killed by Federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Politics

How Much Longer Can The Politics Of Grievance Sustain Itself?

Steve Tisch at "An Unforgettable Evening" 2025 Gala held at The Beverly Hilton on April 28, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Giants Co-Owner Steve Tisch Says His Creepy Emails With Jeffrey Epstein Were About “Adult Women”

Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts after the game against the Sacramento Kings at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 29, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Kings 113-111.

Sixers Enact Intentional, Then Unintentional Tribute To The Late Great Dan McQuade

Dan McQuade sits in a blue chair, which is big and fake leather-ish, and has big arms on it. He has his head resting on his left arm, which is on the left arm of the chair. He has long light brown hair, a beard cropped to his face, and I dunno I'd say he's pretty handsome, but I am biased as I am the subject of the photo. Dan is wearing a red shirt with a grey and white tabby cat's face on it, with a rose under (and patially covering) the cat. Under that it says DEFECTOR with the 4 degrees slant logo. He has on blue shorts or pants (they're shorts, I know they're shorts), they're not jeans but they're not sweats, like a sort of inbetween situation. There's a hospital admit bracelet on his left arm. His right arm is on the other arm of the couch.

Announcements

Dan McQuade, 1983–2026

The peloton rides past a kangaroo road sign during the Tour Down Under UCI Men's Cycling in Adelaide on January 25, 2026.

Cycling

Double Kangaroo Chaos Will Reverberate Across The Cycling Season

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

How Do You Make A Podcast When The World Is On Fire?

Head coach Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels gives a thumbs up during the ACC Football Kickoff at Hilton Charlotte Uptown on July 24, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He looks real weird doing it.

Bill Belichick Becomes The Target Of Someone Else’s Pettiness, For A Change

David Roth

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick announces he is leaving the team during a press conference at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on January 11, 2024.