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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

Tom Ley

Derik Queen #25 of the Maryland Terrapins makes a shot against Ethan Morton #25 of the Colorado State Rams to win the game 72-71 in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena on March 23, 2025 in Seattle, Washington.

College Basketball

One Good Shot Deserves A Great One

Albert Burneko

Chefector

I Have Been Defeated And Humbled By A Shortage Of Ketchup

Kathryn Xu

Vintage engraving of Army officers playing a game of Kriegsspiel, 1870s, 19th century. Kriegsspiel is a genre of wargaming developed by the Prussian army in the 19th century to teach battlefield tactics to officers.

Life's Rich Pageant

‘Pandemic Legacy’ Has Destroyed My Life

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari walks on track during the F1 Grand Prix of China.

Racing

Ferrari Pioneers New Modes Of Disaster At The Chinese Grand Prix

Arts And Culture

KiiiKiii And The Dawn Of K-Pop’s Process Era

The McNeese Cowboys celebrate their win over the Clemson University Tigers during the first round of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament held at Amica Mutual Pavillion on March 20, 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island.

Defector Up All Night

Have A Ball In The March Madness Open Thread

Samer Kalaf

Journalismism

Local Man Has Far More Opinions On Fast Casual Dining Chains Than You’d Think Possible

Israel Daramola

Music

What Is An Industry Plant Anyway?

AI Anthony Davis points a gun at his head

The Mavericks Don’t Want To Talk About Their Creepy AI Video In Which Anthony Davis Points A Gun At His Head

Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.

Dan McQuade

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND - MARCH 20: The McNeese Cowboys celebrate their win over the Clemson University Tigers during the first round of the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Amica Mutual Pavillion on March 20, 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island. A player is sticking his tongue out while being mobbed by teammates.

All You Have To Do Is Hold On

Leah Finnegan is the former editor-in-chief of Gawker and the Outline. She has written and edited for the New York Times, New York magazine, the New Republic, the Baffler, and others.

Leah Finnegan

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s ‘Dream Count’ Is Stuck In The Past

David Roth

Bruce Pearl yelling with his hand cupped around his mouth, looking pretty insane, during a game against Texas A&M on March 4, 2025.

Podcasts

Through The Transfer Portal, With Ken Pomeroy

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

a photo of Kate Wheeler, a former USDA farm to school specialist. Kate has short brown hair and is smiling in front of several painted planks

Interviews

An Interview With A Fired USDA Specialist

Patrick Redford

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 17: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver hands majority owner Wyc Grousbeck of the Boston Celtics the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after Boston's 106-88 win against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 17, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Elsa/Getty Images)

Group Led By Private Equity Ghoul Buys Boston Celtics For $6.1 Billion

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Cade Cunningham celebrates a game-winner.

Cade Cunningham Is In Dude Mode

Ray Ratto

Sandro Mamukelashvili #54 of the San Antonio Spurs is joined by teammate Stephon Castle #5 and Flavor Fav at the end of the game against the New York Knicks at Frost Bank Center on March 19, 2025.

It’s The Damn Sandro Mamukelashvili Game

Barry Petchesky

I’m Having Trouble Thinking Of A Funnier Goal

Kelsey McKinney

Food

The Not-So-Great Defector Bake Off Goes Rogue For Tarte Soleil

<a href="https://twitter.com/kenpomeroy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ken</a> has been cranking out college basketball statistics at <a href="http://kenpom.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">kenpom.com</a> since 2004. He’s written at The Athletic, Slate, the late ESPN The Magazine, and the late Basketball Prospectus. He hopes to live long enough to see the men&#8217;s game start using quarters, like every other basketball league in the world.

Ken Pomeroy

Head coach Rick Pitino of the St. John's Red Storm speaks with Deivon Smith #5 of the St. John's Red Storm during the first half of the game against the Connecticut Huskies on February 23, 2025.

Tom Izzo And Rick Pitino Are Up Against One Of March’s Weirdest Curses

Luis Paez-Pumar

Jackie Robinson, in military uniform, becomes the first African American to sign with a white professional baseball team. He signs a contract with the minor league club in Montreal, a farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Department Of Defense Backtracks After Deleting Jackie Robinson Article For “Woke DEI”

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

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) talks with former teammate Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) after the professional NFL football game between the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings on October 6, 2024 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.

I Am Asking Aaron Rodgers, Once And For All, To Leave My Team The Fuck Alone

Maitreyi Anantharaman

JuJu Watkins #12 of the USC Trojans is defended by Paige Bueckers #5 of the Connecticut Huskies during the second half of an NCAA women's basketball game at the XL Center on December 21, 2024 in Hartford, Connecticut.

The Case For And Against Every Contender In The Women’s Tournament

Soraya Roberts

What The Beads Can Tell You

Lauren Theisen

Devin the dugong with meatloaf glaze on his face

This Is So Stupid

Fans Everywhere Are Slobbering At The Chance To Try Devin The Dugong’s Algorithmically Generated Sandwich

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 14: Novak Djokovic of Serbia waits for the trophy presentation after his defeat by Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the final of the men's singles, during day fourteen of The Championships Wimbledon 2024 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 14, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Frey/TPN/Getty Images)