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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

Ray Ratto

Soccer

Portugal Belongs To Cristiano Ronaldo For A Little Bit Longer

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and U.S. President Donald Trump on the red carpet prior the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw

Border Security Theatrics Are Rising At History’s Stupidest World Cup

Billy Haisley

Bilal El Khannouss of Morocco celebrates scoring his team's first goal with teammate Achraf Hakimi during the international friendly match between Morocco and Paraguay.

Forget A Generation, Morocco Is Simply Golden

Maitreyi Anantharaman

A'ja Wilson and Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat chat during a delay of a game between the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat game on January 8, 2026 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois

Crosswords

The Crossword, June 8: Double Teams

Dave McKenna

The White house behind a hideous UFC stage

Politics

Donald Trump’s Birthday Plans Have Made Washington D.C. Hideous And Depressing

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Interviews

Cat Fitzpatrick On Writing Transsexuals Into Iambic Pentameter

Tom Ley

Bari Weiss Even Worse At Her Job Than Previously Imagined

Justin Ellis

Knicks fans crowd around each other at a NBA playoffs watch party outside Madison Square Garden in spring 2026

The President Has Arrived To Fuck Up The Hottest Party In New York

Israel Daramola

WNBA

I Have Been Olivia Miles-Pilled

Vegas Golden Knights players William Karlsson, and Mitch Marner celebrate in front of the opposing goal after the the game-winning the goal in double overtime to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in game three of the Stanley Cup Final.

The Hurricanes Took Vegas To The Brink And The Rest Of Us Got Hockey Nirvana

The Knicks Know Something About Pressure

Kelsey McKinney

fan holds a cape reading "I just hope Seth Jarvis has fun" after game two of the Stanley Cup Finals on June 4, 2026 at Lenovo Arena

Six Grown Men Can Be WAGs, Too!

Report: Stupid Asshole Headed To New York To Ruin Everything

Sohini Desai

Detainees gesture at windows from inside Delaney Hall Immigration Detention Center

Prisoners At Private ICE Jail In New Jersey Collectively Refuse Conditions Of Death

Luis Paez-Pumar

Teammates of Netherland celebrate the teams own goal from Mert Müldür of Türkiye to the 2:1 on the top of the grape Virgil van Dijk of Netherlands during the UEFA EURO 2024 quarter-final match between Netherlands and Türkiye at Olympiastadion on July 6, 2024 in Berlin, Germany

The Netherlands Has To Get Over The Hump At Some Point, Right?

Aaron Timms

A big inflatable soccer ball fills with air at the houston world cup fan zone.

The World Cup For Nobody Is Almost Here

Seth Jarvis (number 24) of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates toward the home crowd after scoring during game two of the NHL Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes on June 4, 2026.

Carolina Refused To Die, And The Stanley Cup Final Has New Life

Sarah Borus

Why Did The Brewers’ VP Of Communications Retweet This Racist Crap?

David Roth

Senegal Men's Soccer Team centre-forward Nicolas Jackson (11) defends as United States Men's National Soccer Team defender Tyler Adams (4) works the ball during a FIFA soccer match between Senegal and the USA on May 31, 2026.

Podcasts

The Dutch Style Of Pickup Soccer And A Dog Named Jeff, With Leander Schaerlaeckens

Veronica de Souza

Make It Nice

Make It Nice: Bathrooms, Backyards, And DIY Ambitions

Giri Nathan

N ANTONIO, TEXAS - JUNE 03: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots the ball against Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks during the first quarter in Game One of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 03, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. 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 Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Karl-Anthony Towns Was Calm

Kathryn Xu

Cristopher Sánchez #61 of the Philadelphia Phillies smiles after a strike out in the sixth inning during a game against the San Diego Padres.

Cristopher Sánchez Gave Up A Run

Patrick Redford

Belgium's Romelu Lukaku and Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne pictured during a training session of Belgian national soccer team.

Belgium’s Old Dogs Are Back For One Last Trick

Lauren Theisen

Starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after pitching out of the sixth inning

Shohei Ohtani Is Illogical

Florian Wirtz of Germany runs with the ball during the international friendly match between Germany and Ghana at MHP Arena on March 30, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany.