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Defector

Luis Paez-Pumar

Referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro arguing with Nico Elvedi of Switzerland, Breel Embolo of Switzerland after giving Breel Embolo of Switzerland a red card during the World Cup match between Argentina v Switzerland at the Kansas City Stadium on July 11, 2026 in Kansas City United States

Soccer

You Can’t Do That, Man

Mikel Merino #6 of Spain celebrates after scoring the second goal for Spain during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between Spain and Belgium at Los Angeles Stadium on July 10, 2026 in Inglewood, California.

Mikel Merino Is Spain’s Much-Needed Closer

Patrick Redford

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JULY 02: (L-R) Remco Evenepoel of Belgium and Florian Lipowitz of Germany and Team Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe during the team presentation prior to the 113th Tour de France 2026 / #UCIWT / on July 02, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

Cycling

The Inter-Red Bull Teammate Drama Is The Best Story Of The Tour de France So Far

Sohini Desai

A wide shot of the campus of Texas Tech University.

Politics

Here’s What Texas Tech’s Leadership Is Being Sued For Censoring

<p>Sam Mostow is a journalist and Virginia Tech alumnus. His work has appeared in The Roanoke Times, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, Tech Sideline, The Collegiate Times, and D1Softball. You can follow him on Twitter @<a href="https://x.com/bySamMostow" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://x.com/bySamMostow&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1783784639115000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0JiHzIJnQjbiLC9STuP4jx">bySamMostow</a>.</p>


Sam Mostow

OKC Spark infielder Sydney Romero (2) runs home after a home run during the AUSL game between the Chicago Bandit

Pro Softball

The AUSL Plans To Do What Other Pro Softball Leagues Couldn’t

Barry Petchesky

METLIFE STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES - 2026/07/05: Erling Haaland of Norway beats the drum as players and staff of Norway perform the 'Viking Row' to celebrate the victory at the end of the FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 16 football match between Brazil and Norway. Norway won 2-1 over Brazil. (Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)

I Sit In Solidarity With The Norway Fan Who Refuses To Do The Viking Row

Interviews

An Interview With Three Italian Backpackers Who Crossed The Pyrenees And Accidentally Ran Into The Tour de France

Veronica de Souza

Make It Nice

Make It Nice: Do Not Put Contact Paper On Your Countertops

Tom Ley

The Kawhi Leonard Investigation Is Now Holding Up The Kawhi Leonard Trade

Kylian Mbappe (L) and Ousmane Dembele (R) of France reacts during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium on July 9, 2026 in Foxborough, United States.

France Feels Inevitable

Giri Nathan

Karolina Muchova of Czechia and Coco Gauff of United States interact at the net following their Ladies' Singles semifinal match on day eleven of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 09, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Tennis

Karolina Muchova And Coco Gauff Played A Tiebreak Neither Will Forget

Gambling

How Did Bryce Harper End Up Helping FanDuel Keep A Gambling Addict On The Hook?

Uno-X Mobility team's Norwegian rider Torstein Træen celebrates on the podium with the overall leader's yellow jersey after the 4th stage of the 113th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 182 km between Carcassonne and Foix in southwestern France, on July 7, 2026. (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP)

Meet Torstein Træen, The Stoic Norwegian Survivor Who Briefly Lit Up The Tour de France

Dave McKenna

A National Guard officer walks through an emptied out area of The Great American State Fair

Trump’s State Fair Was Ass In All The Ways I’d Been Warned 


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">charismatic megafauna (they/them)</p>


Sabrina Imbler

Patty, an Asian elephant kept in captivity at the Bronx Zoo stands in her enclosure alone after being separated from the zoo's other remaining elephant

Creaturefector

The Other Elephant

Lauren Theisen

view of a mostly empty ballpark, from low on the third base side, at the FerryHawks play the Rockers

A Front-Row Seat To The Worst Team In Pro Baseball

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 14: CEO, owner and governor Tom Dundon of the Carolina Hurricanes hoists the Stanley Cup after the team's 3-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Six of the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Hurricanes won the series four games to two. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

I’m Not Sure There Are Enough Dundons On The Stanley Cup

<p>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 <em>Point B</em>. Handsomest man in the world.</p>


Drew Magary

Switzerland supporters celebrate their team's victory with flares

Podcasts

The World Cup Quarterfinals Are Here. Pick A Team Or DIE

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<p class="sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY">Vince Guerrieri is an award-winning journalist and author in the Cleveland area. He likes Lake Erie perch sandwiches, Jim Traficant and long walks on the field at League Park. His website is <a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="http://vinceguerrieri.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;http://vinceguerrieri.com/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]">vinceguerrieri.com</a>, and you can follow him on Twitter <a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="https://twitter.com/vinceguerrieri" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https://twitter.com/vinceguerrieri&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]">@vinceguerrieri</a>.</p>
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Vince Guerrieri

The Bears Wouldn’t Be The First NFL Team In Hammond, Indiana

Billy Haisley

Minor Dilemmas

Am I The Asshole For Judging The Screen Time Habits Of Other People’s Kids?

Sarah Borus

Pitcher Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch

Hell Hath No Fury Like A Pitcher Scorned

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Skylar Diggins #4 of the Chicago Sky warms up prior to the game against the Portland Fire at Wintrust Arena on June 26, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois

WNBA

The Long-Awaited Blowup Between Skylar Diggins And The Sky Has Finally Arrived

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19</p>


Chris Thompson

Brad Stevens, Celtics president of basketball operations.

What Do The Boston Celtics Intend To Be?

Media Meltdowns

Dana White Stars In History’s Worst Truck Ad

<p>Jae Towle Vieira [they/them] works as a producer for Normal Gossip. Their fiction has been published in <i data-stringify-type="italic">The Normal School</i>, <i data-stringify-type="italic">New England Review, Carve Magazine, Passages North, Fairy Tale Review</i>, and elsewhere.</p>


Jae Towle Vieira

a classroom with desks and chairs piled on top of each other in a corner