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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

Patrick Redford

Members of the Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) held a parade through Chinatown to protest against the Communist Party of China in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on August 19, 2023. The Communist Party of China has allegedly tried to wipe out Falun Gong with torture and violence because of their beliefs. Falun Gong is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline that brings together meditation, energy exercises and moral teachings as a means to cultivating the mind and body towards enlightenment. (Photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto)

Media Meltdowns

Feds Accuse America’s Weirdest Media Company Of Being A Money-Laundering Front For The Falun Gong

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


Chris Thompson

MLB Makes A Convenient Example Of Several Gambling Bozos

<div dir="auto">
<div dir="auto">Corbin Smith is a writer and photographer from Vancouver, Washington. His work has appeared in Deadspin, The Daily Beast, and <em>Rolling Stone</em>. He is also the host of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pacific-northwest-insurance-corporation-moviefilm/id1712416222"><em>The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm Podcast,</em></a> a podcast about movies.</div>
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Corbin Smith

People riding bikes around in a very small loop at the Ladd's 500 relay in Portland, Oregon.

Life's Rich Pageant

The Beauty And Boredom Of 500 Laps Around The Same .148-Mile Loop

<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

06/08/12 - Midland Park, NJ - A supermarket shelf at a Kings Food Market in Midland Park, New Jersey filled mostly with Frito-Lay brands of chips.

Funbag

Mixing Chip Flavors Is A Dangerous Game

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


Sabrina Imbler

Creaturefector

Why The Matador Bug Is A Walking Red Flag

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Elizabeth Cambage of Sichuan reacts during Game 5 of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association WCBA league Finals between Sichuan and Inner Mongolia in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 22, 2024.

WNBA

Only One Person Can Save Us From Terrible WNBA Takes

<p>Heather Chen is a former Defector intern and the managing editor at the <em>Columbia Daily Spectator</em>. She loves hockey, photography, and the good ol’ state of Michigan.</p>


Heather Wei-Xi Chen

Jake Oettinger during pregame introductions

The Stars Crashed Down To Earth


<p>Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99</p>


Diana Moskovitz

A photo of the baseball field and the scoreboard at Meji Jingu Baseball Stadium stadium in Tokyo. The night sky is a dark blue and, despite the rain, the outfield seats still hold a good number of fans. There's also a runner on second base.

The Key To Having Fun At A Baseball Game Is Flying To The Other Side Of The World

Giri Nathan

<p>Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and has written for The Guardian, The Second Serve, The Athletic, n+1, Texas Monthly, Air Mail, and other publications.</p>


Owen Lewis

Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka are competing during Roland Garros 2024 in Paris, France, on May 29, 2024. (Photo by Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto)

Tennis

Let Us Consider The French Open’s Thrilling, Waterlogged First Week

Lauren Theisen

A Sunday Night With The Caitlin Casuals

Albert Burneko

The Great Outdoors

Garden Check!

The White Sox Are Ready To Kick Someone’s Ass, Just Not At Baseball

Ruairí McCann

Still image from the movie The Canticle of the Stones.

Defector At The Movies

‘Canticle Of The Stones’ Grapples With The Difficulty Of Artistic Representation Inside Occupied Palestine

Ha-Seong Kim #7 of the San Diego Padres bunts during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Petco Park on May 26, 2024 in San Diego, California

Crosswords

The Crossword, June 3: Tight Ends

Lorenzo Musetti stretches to play a backhand

Don’t Cry For Lorenzo Musetti

Barry Petchesky

EDMONTON, CANADA - JUNE 02: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates his first-period goal against the Dallas Stars in Game Six of the Western Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on June 2, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Connor McDavid What In The Actual Hell

Ray Ratto

EDMONTON, CANADA - JUNE 02: Fans cheer on the Edmonton Oilers in Game Six of the Western Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars at Rogers Place on June 2, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Edmonton At The End

Tom Ley

Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter (7) is whistled for a flagrant foul for knocking Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) to the ground on June 1, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Caitlin Clark And The Fever Are Going Through It

Luis Paez-Pumar

Real Madrid's Spanish defender Nacho Fernandez (C) and Real Madrid's players lift the trophy to celebrate their victory at the end of the UEFA Champions League final football match between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom on June 01, 2024.

Soccer

Real Madrid Is Bulletproof

MOVIE GAG: CHILD ACTOR BOBBY 'WHEEZER' HUTCHINS OF THE OUR GANG TROUPE HITTING A MAN OVER THE HEAD WITH A HAMMER.UNDATED PHOTOGRAPH, CIRCA 1920s.

Announcements

The Baby Photo Takeover Continues

Israel Daramola

Talk show host Conan O'Brien appears on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC Studios on September 5, 2003 in Burbank, California.

Mods Asleep

The Late-Night Television Wars Are Worth Reliving

Rafael Nadal is playing against Alexander Zverev in the first round of the men's singles at the Roland Garros French Open tennis tournament in Paris, France, on May 27, 2024.

There Are No Tidy Endings In Rafael Nadal’s Clay Temple

<p>Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.</p>


Nicholas Russell

End of life petrol and diesel cars and vans are piled on top of one another as they wait to be recycled in a car scrapyard on November 29, 2022 in Glastonbury, England. The UK scraps over one million cars a year and many more petrol and diesel cars will need to be taken off the road if the Government is to reach its target for the number of electric cars to be reached.

I Will Drive This Fucked-Up Car Until One Of Us Dies

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Tom Scocca is the editor of <a href="http://indignity.net">Indignity</a>, a subscription-supported newsletter of news, essays, and commentary.</div>
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Tom Scocca

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, 2024 in Concord, North Carolina. He is wearing a make American Great Again hat.

Margin Of Error

The Doubts Were Not Reasonable

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MAY 30: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals at Target Center on May 30, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 David Berding/Getty Images)