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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

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Nicole Gosling #61 of the Montréal Victoire celebrates her goal with teammates on the bench during the third period against the Ottawa Charge in Game One of the PWHL Walter Cup Final at Place Bell on May 14, 2026 in Laval, Quebec, Canada.

Crosswords

The Crossword, Aug. 31:  Prepare For Trouble, And Make It Double (Themeless)

Tom Ley

Life's Rich Pageant

Daejon Love Will Go Down As A Scammer For The Ages

Rachelle Hampton

Dolly Parton stands alone on stage holding a microphone. She's wearing a flowy red top and black bottoms.

Arts And Culture

Dolly Parton Prepared Us For The End

Brandy Jensen

Don’t Forget The Nails

<p>Peter Coviello is Professor of English at UIC. He writes about normal things: Walt Whitman, Mormon polygamy, stepparenthood, Prince.</p>


Peter Coviello

Dolly, Josephine, And Me

Mr. Redlegs dressed as a communist general

Reds Week

It’s No Longer Reds Week

David Roth

Aristides Aquino of the Cincinnati Reds looks on from the dugout in the eighth inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on September 28, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Aristides Aquino Thumped While The Thumping Was Good

Kate Wagner

There Is Only One Lesson Of Red Vienna


<p>charismatic megafauna (they/them)</p>


Sabrina Imbler

a strange-looking fish called the red-lipped batfish with the reds week logo

Why Does The Red-Lipped Batfish Look Like That?

Dave McKenna

Close view of gloved hands priming a fine syringe for local anesthesia during surgery in a modern sterile clinic

I’m A Redhead, So Hit Me With Your Best Shot (Of Lidocaine)

<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

Why Your Team Sucks

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: San Francisco 49ers

Israel Daramola

Ray Ratto

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 30: The UNLV Rebels celebrate on the field after the team's 38-14 victory over the Nevada Wolf Pack at Allegiant Stadium on November 30, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

College Football

We Caught These Teams Playing Imaginary Football Redhanded


<p><a href="mailto:tara@taraariano.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tara Ariano</a> co-hosts the podcasts <a href="https://www.extrahotgreat.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Extra Hot Great</a>, <a href="https://listentosassy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Listen To Sassy</a>, and <a href="https://www.againwiththis90210.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Again With This</a>. She is also the co-author, with Sarah D. Bunting, of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Very-Special-90210-Book-Absolutely/dp/1419747460?tag=decider08-20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>A Very Special 90210 Book: 93 Absolutely Essential Episodes From TV’s Most Notorious Zip Code</em></a>. Her byline has appeared in the <em>New York Times Magazine</em>, <em>GQ</em>, <em>Vanity Fair</em>, <em>New York</em>, <em>Slate</em>, Vulture, Salon, and The Awl, among many others. She lives in Austin.</p>
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It's a photo of Tara Ariano. She has big sunglasses on.

Tara Ariano

The Cozy-Looking Sweaters In ‘Reds,’ Ranked

Patrick Redford

Who Needs Life On Mars When It Has Glacial Spiders?

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


Chris Thompson

Let’s Make Some Romesco, Not Only Because It’s Red, But Because It Rules

Lauren Theisen

Storm clouds blanket the sky over Great American Ball Park as Starlin Castro #13 of the Chicago Cubs fields a ground ball in the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds as on July 7, 2014 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati defeated Chicago 9-3.

I Went To A Reds Game And The Sky Was Red

Luis Paez-Pumar

Red from Red Dead Revolver standing just outside of Brimstone, the main city in the game. The Reds Week logo is on the bottom left.

Before ‘Red Dead Redemption,’ There Was ‘Red Dead Revolver’

Kelsey McKinney

four actors in bad Beatles wigs pose for a photo

Possible Red Card: The Beatles Movie Wigs

A still from the Sherlock Holmes episode "The Red-Headed League"

“The Red-Headed League” Is A Sherlock Holmes Mystery That Can Laugh At Itself


<p>Amy Schneider is a software engineer, cat owner, and Jeopardy champion who posts about her experiences on Twitter @Jeopardamy. She used to have a podcast, and odds are she will again some day.</p>


Amy Schneider

13 Short Blogs About The Cincinnati Reds

Rich Dotson of the Chicago White Sox pitches during an MLB game at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois during the 1986 season.

Podcasts

Just A Minute More, With Tim Marchman

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<div>Abigail Segel is a contributing writer at Defector. She is also an editor for The IX Soccer and the Equalizer. Her work has been published in the Guardian and the Montreal Gazette.</div>
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Abigail Segel

Soccer

The NWSL’s Golden Boot Race Is Red Hot

Rock Layers in Lower Mound in Gale Crater on the surface of Mars, with the Reds Week logo at the center on a mound

Let’s Remember Some Publications That Said We Would Get To Mars By 2026

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Buffalo Bills

Eugenio Suarez of the Cincinnati Reds hugs teammate Elly de la Cruz #44 after hitting a grand slam home run in the ninth inning during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.