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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

Barry Petchesky

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - JUNE 24: Aleksander Barkov #16 of the Florida Panthers enters the dressing room with the Stanley Cup ready to celebrate with teammates after beating the Edmonton Oilers in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Final at the Amerant Bank Arena on June 24, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

Momentum Or The Moment?

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Close up of Tiger leech hanging off the edge of a leaf in Danum Valley rain forest

Creaturefector

A Slimy New Contender For The Olympic Diving Team?

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

Heather Wei-Xi Chen

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - JUNE 21: Aleksander Barkov #16 of the Florida Panthers falls into goaltender falls into goaltender Stuart Skinner #74 of the Edmonton Oilers during the second period of Game Six of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final between Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on June 21, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta.

Game 7 Is For Haters, Too

Ray Ratto

TEMPE, ARIZONA - APRIL 17: The Arizona Coyotes mascot, "Howler" holds up a sign reading "thank you fans" following the NHL game against the Edmonton Oilers at Mullett Arena on April 17, 2024 in Tempe, Arizona. Tonight's game likely marks the end of 28 years for the franchise, playing in the NHL's smallest arena, with an anticipated move to Utah with the team's expected sale to the NBA's Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Go Ahead And Start Shoveling Dirt On Alex Meruelo’s Coyotes

Alex Sujong Laughlin

The words "girl's girl" appear in the Charli XCX Brat font, on a Brat-green background.

Arts And Culture

Charli XCX, Lorde, And The Trap Of The “Girl’s Girl”

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Pitcher NiJaree Canady #24 of the Stanford Cardinals winds up for a pitch to the Texas Longhorns in the first inning during the 2024 NCAA Women's College World Series at OGE Energy Field at Devon Park on June 3, 2024 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Texas won 1-0 to advance to the finals.

Crosswords

The Crossword, June 24: Nine Lives (Themeless)

Tom Ley

Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky and NaLyssa Smith #1 of the Indiana Fever react during the second half on June 23, 2024 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.

WNBA

Angel Reese Is Not, In Fact, Too Small

a yellow and blue striped joro spider in a web

The “It Girl” Spiders That May Or May Not Be Taking Over The East Coast, At Some Point, Eventually

Kathryn Xu

George Russell of Mercedes defends against Lando Norris of McLaren during the F1 Grand Prix of Spain.

Racing

The Spanish Grand Prix Evolved From A Procession Into A Spectacle

Albert Burneko

Appalling Errors In Vulture’s Ranked List Of Muppets Movies, Ranked

Israel Daramola

God Help Me, I Can’t Stop Watching ‘Clipped’

Kelsey McKinney

Zillowing Out

A €12.3 Million Estate Where We Can Become Wine Barons

Lauren Theisen

The Oilers Are Astonishing

Dave McKenna

Gervonta "Tank" Davis clobbers Frank Martin with a huge left hook.

Boxing

Who On Earth Wants To Fight Tank Davis Now?

Kenny Moll rips through an impromptu finish line to mark the end of his seventh marathon. Michael-Luca is running to his right, with a crowd of runners behind them. There are trees in the background, and the area is both shaded and sunny.

The Great Outdoors

If You Run Seven Marathons In Seven Days In Central Park, Does It Make A Difference?

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.

Owen Lewis

Tennis

Official Tennis Highlight Reels Could Be So Much Better

Women sit under hair dryers in a Paris beauty shop, smoking and reading magazines while their hair dries.

Life Lessons

You Should Cut Your Own Hair

Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky grabs the rebound during he first half of a WNBA game against the Connecticut Sun

Angel Reese Has Genius In Her Fingertips

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 27: Ty Dellandrea #10 of the Dallas Stars is congratulated by Max Domi #18 after scoring a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period in Game Five of the Western Conference Final of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on May 27, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

My Child Has Been Taken By The Sharks

Berry Thief, My Enemy; Berry Thief, My Friend

Billy Haisley

Luis Paez-Pumar

Patrick Redford

A general view of pregame ceremonies before the CONMEBOL Copa America match between Argentina and Canada on June 20, 2024 at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Soccer

A Comprehensive And Tastefully Belated Guide To The 2024 Copa América

, FLORIDA - JUNE 18: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers skates between teammates Aleksander Barkov #16 and Gustav Forsling #42 of the Florida Panthers in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final at the Amerant Bank Arena on June 18, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

It’s Connor McDavid’s Playoffs

Declan Rice of England shows dejection after a draw ing the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Denmark and England at Frankfurt Arena on June 20, 2024 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

This Can’t Be The Sum Of All Of England’s Parts

Defector Up All Night

It’s A Lovely Day In The Pleistocene And You Are A Horrible Giga-Goose

JJ Redick looks on before the game between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers on March 2, 2024 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)