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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

Coach Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets during the game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium.

Nobody Fails Like The New York Jets

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Italy's Jannik Sinner slips on the ground as he returns to Germany's Alexander Zverev during their men's singles final tennis match on the fourteenth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 12, 2026

Crosswords

The Crossword, Oct. 26: Putting Out Fires (Themeless)

Annie Berke

Arts And Culture

Is Less Bad Still Good Enough?

Tom Ley

Leave It To The Browns To Ruin The Post-Win Locker Room Video

Luis Paez-Pumar

Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27 match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou on October 25, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain.

Soccer

Real Madrid Isn’t Dead Just Yet

Kaila Charles #6 and Kiah Stokes #41 of the Golden State Valkyries reach for a rebound against Angel Reese #5 of the Atlanta Dream during the third quarter in game four of the 2026 WNBA Finals at State Farm Arena on October 24, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.

WNBA

The Valkyries Believe In Second Chances

Baylor Football head coach Dave Aranda adjusts his headset on the sideline during a game against the Kansas Jayhawks in October 2026.

College Football

Scapegoat Season Has Arrived For College Football

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Aaron Ashby pitching on the mound during game 2 of the 2026 World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Aaron Ashby Has Put The Brewers In Control

Culture Writer

Israel Daramola

Aaron Philo #12 of the Florida Gators and Daniel Pierre Louis #73 celebrate after defeating the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

Now Is The Time For Hysteria

Samer Kalaf

James Dolan at the Knicks' championship ceremony

James Dolan Finds Innovative New Way To Be Cruel And Cheap

Alex Sujong Laughlin

1950s woman at work. A young woman is standing on a ladder in an archive with shelfes filled with folders containing documents.

Life Lessons

How Can I Hang On To My Digital Life?

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Catapult Elizabeth Koch Into The Sun

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Paul's flatbreads, shown at the start of the technical challenge.

Food

The Not-So-Great Defector Bake Off Fails To Rise For Bread Week

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rubs his eye

Science

The U.S.-Funded Plan To Kill Infants In Africa By Withholding Vaccines Has Been Thwarted

Brandy Jensen

Martin Mull Was A Good Painter And A Great Documentary Subject

Detailed look at the mask worn by Connor Hellebuyck #37 of the Winnipeg Jets during the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets April 4, 2026.

The Connor Hellebuyck Showdown Is About To Get Expensive For The Jets

Rhyne Howard #10 of the Atlanta Dream steals the ball from Laeticia Amihere #3 of the Golden State Valkyries during the first half at Chase Center on June 26, 2026 in San Francisco, California.

These WNBA Finals Are Made Of Steal

Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run in the seventh inning during Game Six of the American League Championship Series. He's got his hand up to his ear.

Here Comes The Fun Part

Dave McKenna

Life's Rich Pageant

Let Us Know If You’ve Seen Sponge’s Stolen Guitars

Adam Fleming Petty

Books

Brian Evenson Will Mess With Your Head

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

Jamboroo

A Cool Night

Harry Krinsky is a producer and media consultant living in Brooklyn. He is the cohost of <a href="https://defector.com/tag/nothing-but-respect">Nothing But Respect</a>.

Harry Krinsky

Giri Nathan

Defector’s Completely Decentralized NBA Season Preview Has Now Been Recentralized

Guard Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reqacts after a foul by forward Yaxel Lendeborg #1 of the Golden State Warriors as guard Brandon Williams #12 of the Golden State Warriors tries seperate in the first half of a NBA playoff basketball game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Basketball Game Interrupts Shit-Talk Session Between Luka Doncic And Yaxel Lendeborg

Killer Mike on the Vic Mensa show talking all kinds of nonsense

Listening Habits

It’s Hard To Be A Rich Radical

David Roth

Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during a rally with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Covelli Centre on October 12, 2026 in Youngstown, Ohio. Trump's kind of looming in the background here.