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Defector

Defector Staff

black and white photo of a woman reclining with book

Arts And Culture

Books You Can Read Tonight To Distract Yourself From Whatever Is To Come

Patrick Redford

Running

Influencer Guy Disqualified And Banned From NYC Marathon For Bringing Bikes Onto Course

Lauren Theisen

Macklin Celebrini #71 of the San Jose Sharks takes the ice through the Shark Head

Today’s The Big Day

Giri Nathan

Baylor's VJ Edgecombe dunks over Gonzaga's Joe Few

College Basketball

Mark Few Sends His Son To Slaughter

<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

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 15: San Diego Chicken (Ted Giannoulis) cooks up some chicken wings on his grill at his home nest, April 15, 1986 in San Diego, California.

Funbag

Don’t Sauce My Fried Chicken If You Suck At It

Ray Ratto

Head coach Nick Nurse of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts after a foul call during the first half against the Phoenix Suns on November 4, 2024.

The Eastern Conference Is 87 Percent Butt

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


Sabrina Imbler

Animals

Everything You Might Want To Know About Peanut, The Squirrel Star Turned MAGA Martyr

Rachelle Hampton

A cooking arena is divided into two sides: one black and one white. On each side there are ten chefs facing the other side.

‘Culinary Class Wars’ Is A Tribute To Getting Your Reps In

Dave McKenna

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 24: Jude McAtamney #99 of the New York Giants kicks against the New York Jets during a preseason game at MetLife Stadium on August 24, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Giants Loss Marked By Anti-Irish Playcalling

Luis Paez-Pumar

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 on track leads the field after the Safety Car restart, as Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes on track runs off the track in the background during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 3, 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Racing

The São Paulo Grand Prix Was A Wet And Wild Max Verstappen Masterclass

Head coach Antonio Pierce of the Las Vegas Raiders yells during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season.

Raiders Fire Three Coaches For Lack Of Anything Else To Do


<p>Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.</p>


Dan McQuade

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 03: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles hurdles Jarrian Jones #22 of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second quarter of a game at Lincoln Financial Field on November 03, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Eagles Take One Giant Leap Backwards In Win Over Jaguars

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Chappell Roan performs during 2024 Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park on October 06, 2024 in Austin, Texas.

Crosswords

The Crossword, Nov. 4: Rock Group

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Screenprinted black and white image of a woman looking at an older version of herself in fear.

Under The Influence

My Favorite Influencer Is In Her 60s

<p>Hamilton Nolan is a journalist based in New York City. Subscribe to his work at <a href="https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1687350200913000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0naFbUVOe-5ZgtPDtIM3gz">HamiltonNolan.com</a>.</p>


Hamilton Nolan

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 3: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars talks to Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles after the game at Lincoln Financial Field on November 3, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jaguars Junction: Week 9

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 03: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys walks off the field after a loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

The Cowboys Are In The Pain Zone

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 23: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 and Damian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks look on against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on October 23, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Bucks defeated the 76ers 124-109. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The Milwaukee Bucks Are Playing Like Milwaukee Butt

Billy Haisley

Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Rodri (L) receives the Ballon d'Or award from former President of Liberia and former Liberian football player George Weah (2L) as he wins in front of second-placed Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior and third-placed Real Madrid's English midfielder Jude Bellingham during the 2024 Ballon d'Or France Football award ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on October 28, 2024.

Soccer

The Best Isn’t Always Enough For The Ballon d’Or

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 23: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during a timeout against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half at the Wells Fargo Center on October 23, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Joel Embiid Shoves Author Of Weird Column About Him Shaming The Memory Of His Dead Brother

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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

A sign reading VOTING AHEAD at an Atlanta, Ga. early voting location.

Margin Of Error

It’s Time To Vote

Albert Burneko

Large bags of Halloween candy for sale in Walgreens pharmacy, Queens, New York.

Elder Wisdom

Bring Back Weird Halloween Candies

Kathryn Xu

Transit

A Tribute To PATCO, The Little Rail Line That Could


<p><a href="https://twitter.com/petesegall?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pete Segall</a> lives in Chicago. His fiction has appeared in <em>The Bennington Review</em>, <em>Conjunctions</em>, <em>The Drift</em>, and elsewhere.</p>


Pete Segall

Manchester United players Tommy Taylor, left, and Ken Morgans, line up before playing Arsenal at their Highbury Stadium, 1st February 1958. This was Taylor's last match, he died in the plane crash that killed 8 of the Busby Babes team in Munich less than a week later.

Defector Reads A Book

In David Peace’s ‘Munichs,’ The Dead Are Everywhere You Look

The party in Metaphor: ReFantazio admires the landscape

Video Games

‘Metaphor: ReFantazio’ Is The Bullshit-Free RPG I’ve Been Waiting For

An African giant pouched rat in a little red vest, yellow collar, and little silver bell sits on a person's lap