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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.

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Defector

The Defector Crewneck Sweatshirt Is Back In Stock

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Merch v3

Normal Gossip: portraits

Alex Sujong Laughlin

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Ray Ratto

image

Kathryn Xu

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Typing

Sabrina Imbler

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.09

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Chris Thompson

Black-and-white photo of a writer scrawling on paper.

Writing A Postcard

Defector Reads A Book

‘The Artist’s Way’ Week 3: Synchronicities And Faith

Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard look discouraged.

Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard

The Celtics Can Afford To Wait For Math To Come Back Around

a hummingbird visiting a flower with itty-bitty white mites on its beak

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Creaturefector

A Mite’s Leap Of Electric Faith Into A Hummingbird Nostril

A distraught-looking Kyle Kuzma ards looks on against the Sacramento Kings in the third quarter at Golden 1 Center on January 19, 2025 in Sacramento.

Washington Wizards v Sacramento Kings

The Washington Wizards Are Going All The Way Down

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.

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Heather Wei-Xi Chen

DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 14: A worker cleans a RAM truck at the 2022 North American International Auto Show on September 14, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan.The NAIAS opens to the public on September 17 and features the latest state of the art electric vehicles, vehicle rides, the world’s first battery-powered Monster Truck, an Air Mobility Experience featuring flight demonstrations of jet suits, hoverboards, and vertical take-off and landing aircraft, a Dinosaur Encounter featuring 80 life-like and life-size dinosaurs, and the world’s largest rubber duck. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

North American International Auto Show Begins In Detroit

Arts And Culture

The Detroit Auto Show Used To Be The Future

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Kelsey McKinney

travis kelce and jalen hurts in tan suits

tansuit

Let Us Compare These Two Men In Tan Suits

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David Roth

An Ai Me robot from Chinese company TCL is displayed during the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show CES in Las Vegas.

U.S.-LAS VEGAS-CES-ROBOTS

Capital

The Future Is Too Easy

2019-01-01 00:15:14.989

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Kelsey Plum #10 of the Las Vegas Aces and Jewell Loyd #24 of the Seattle Storm look on during the fourth quarter at Climate Pledge Arena on July 10, 2024 in Seattle, Washington.

Las Vegas Aces v Seattle Storm

WNBA

We Got A Real WNBA Trade, With Stars And Everything

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Tom Ley

MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 01: Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat looks on prior to a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Kaseya Center on January 01, 2025 in Miami, Florida. 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.

New Orleans Pelicans v Miami Heat

Jimmy Butler Suspended Again, If You Even Care

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Giri Nathan

During Day 14 of the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 25, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)

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Tennis

Madison Keys Won Her First Major By Changing Her Racquet And Mind

Visual Editor. Runs <a href="http://defectorstore.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">defectorstore.com</a>. Philadelphia-based, if you couldn’t tell.

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Dan McQuade

PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES - JANUARY 26: A Philadelphia Eagles fan in a mask at Xfinity Live during the NFL NFC Championship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States on January 26, 2025. The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders to advance to the Super Bowl.

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Eagles Fans Are Happiest At The Brink Of Agony

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Luis Paez-Pumar

Ange Postecoglou, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, reacts during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Leicester City FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 26, 2025 in London, England.

Tottenham Hotspur FC v Leicester City FC – Premier League

Soccer

Tottenham Inches Towards Implosion

Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and co-founded the website <a href="http://popcorntennis.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://popcorntennis.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726234676777000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0PFWw6PL-FUqaCMME5TLqP">popcorntennis.com</a>. He wrote 63,000 words about the Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal rivalry that can be accessed for free at <a href="https://thegoldenrivalry.substack.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://thegoldenrivalry.substack.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726234676777000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2OjAHpo4PVIhkx8Xd21lRJ">thegoldenrivalry.substack.com</a>.

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Owen Lewis

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The Australian Open Is Happy And Hot

Michael Taaffe #16 of the Texas Longhorns looks at the Peach Bowl trophy at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – Texas v Arizona State

Crosswords

The Crossword, Jan. 27: Bursting With Pride (Themeless)

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.

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Drew Magary

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 26: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 32-29 to win the AFC Championship Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 26, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri.

AFC Championship Game: Buffalo Bills v Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes Will Always Make You Pay

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Why Did Adam Schefter Write “Composite Matchups” Like This?

Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on from the field during warmups prior to an NFL football AFC divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans.

Andy Reid

Super Bowl 59: Same Shit, Different Day, Brought To You By Fumble-A-Rooskie-Doo

Investigations Editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99

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Diana Moskovitz

Ilia Malinin skates in the Championship Men Free Skate during the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Intrust Bank Arena on January 26, 2025 in Wichita, Kansas. The photos shows him leaping and spinning off the ice.

Ilia Malinin

Figure Skating

So! Many! Quads!

Florida coach Todd Golden standing in front of a basketball hoop.

Todd Golden Florida

College Basketball

Two Florida Hoops Coaches Are The Subject Of University Investigations; Both Are Still Coaching [Updated]

Jordan Davis #90 of the Philadelphia Eagles sacks Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders during the third quarter in the NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field on January 26, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jayden Daniels

Chaos Is Fun But It’s Not The Way To Bet

Greg Maffei, CEO of Liberty Media, Mohammed ben Sulayem, FIA President, and Stefano Domenicali, CEO of the Formula One Group, walk on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Italy.

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Racing

Who Benefits From Formula 1’s New Rules?

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Media Meltdowns

Oratorical Uncles Bond Over Increasingly Reactionary Views

Dave McKenna

Japan’s Naoya Inoue poses during the official weigh-in in Tokyo on May 5, 2024 ahead of his super-bantamweight title boxing match against Mexico’s Luis Nery.

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The Fights

The Big Stage Calls For Naoya Inoue

a gif of a little frog called a cricket frog leaping across the surface of the water, but becoming entirely submerged when it lands

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This Frog Is In Its Belly Flop Era

Offensive coordinator Liam Coen of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks on during pregame warmups prior to facing the Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta Falcons v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Liam Coen Couldn’t Have Set The Bar Any Higher

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