defector-orange-no-empty-space

lede_post_card_default

lede_post_card_stacked

lede_post_card_featured_post

lede_post_card_featured_posts_hero

lede_post_card_featured_posts_sidebar

lede_post_card_highlighted_post

lede_post_card_horizontal_a

lede_post_card_horizontal_c

lede_post_card_related_post

lede_post_card_square

lede_article_featured_16x9

lede_article_featured_3x2

lede_article_featured_1x1

lede_article_featured_flexible

lede_article_content

lede_article_content_wide_width

lede_article_content_full_width

lede_byline_avatar_post_card

lede_byline_avatar_highlight

lede_profile_coral_avatar

lede_logo

lede_logo_banner

lede_logo_footer_banner

lede_logo_simple_header

lede_sponsorship_logo

lede_sponsorship_logo_river_card

lede_sponsorship_homepage_card_logo

lede_sponsorship_homepage_card

Footer Legal

Header - Categories

Header Menu

The last good website.

Topics

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-no-empty-space

Defector

SF, Philly, DC: Meet Defector at the Ballpark

Vintage Baseball Stadium Postcard

Defector at the Ballpark

cropped-defector-circle_avatar512.png

Defector Staff

defector birthday 16-9 final real maybe

Announcements

Defector Is Celebrating Its Fifth Birthday By Giving You A Big Fat Discount

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


Typing

Sabrina Imbler

A photo of a green fla-necked chameleon posing against a swirly yellow and green background

DSC_2184

Creaturefector

Chameleons Endure Tiny Knock To Colorful Reputation

<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>


drewkid-1-e1599592436888

Drew Magary

Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers yells during warmups before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&amp;T Bank Stadium on December 21, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Pittsburgh Steelers v Baltimore Ravens

Why Your Team Sucks

Why Your Team Sucks 2025: Pittsburgh Steelers

<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div>Casey Taylor is a writer living and working in Pittsburgh. He is currently writing a book for St. Martin&#8217;s Press about cannabis religions, Haile Selassie I, and the Cold War in the Caribbean. He also writes a free newsletter called <a href="https://weedchurch.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://weedchurch.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1709306863919000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1mVH2xiID6S0zvlyj6yHco">Weed Church</a> covering foolish spiritual things that occur to him. His work has appeared in The New Republic, WIRED, New York Magazine, and a sports blog he can’t currently recall the name of. You can <a href="mailto:caseyt7@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email</a> him if you’d like.</div>
</div>
<div class="yj6qo ajU"></div>
</div>
<div></div>


casey

Casey Taylor

kimjongungirldad1

Politics

Kim Jong Un, Girl Dad

AJSfPYY9_400x400-1

Kelsey McKinney

Starving Palestinians including women and children holding pots wait to receive food distributed by a charity organization as Israel continue to block humanitarian aid from reaching the Gaza Strip on August 10, 2025.

famine in gaza

The Free Press Reports Gaza’s Starving Children Have Pre-Existing Condition Of Being Bombed By Israel

2019-01-01 00:15:14.989

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Sonia Citron #22 and Kiki Iriafen #44 of the Washington Mystics interact during the first half of the game against the Golden State Valkyries at CareFirst Arena on July 31, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Golden State Valkyries v Washington Mystics

WNBA

The Mystics’ Rookies Have Made The Team Better Than Intended

headshot1

Patrick Redford

Screenshot 2025-08-18 at 9.13.48 AM

Michael Porter Jr. Is The Incredibly Dumb Man For An Incredibly Dumb Moment

image

Kathryn Xu

Andruw Monasterio #14 of the Milwaukee Brewers doused with liquid after the game against the Cincinnati Reds.

brewCrewPartTwo

Milwaukee Brewers Weird (Nerd Version)

Image from iOS (36)

Luis Paez-Pumar

Players, match officials and fans take part in a minute's silence as a fan mosaic depicting "DJ20" is displayed in memory of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield on August 15, 2025 in Liverpool, England

Liverpool v Bournemouth – Premier League

Soccer

Diogo Jota Will Never Walk Alone

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.09</p>


Profile Pic

Chris Thompson

Ice Cube makes an angry face while lost in an emptied WeWork.

War of the Worlds 1

Defector At The Movies

Twelve Minutes Of Ice Cube Stumbling Around An Empty Office In An Escalating Panic Almost Redeems The Rest Of ‘War Of The Worlds’

Normal Gossip: portraits

Alex Sujong Laughlin

TRYHARD_ShowArtwork_png

Podcasts

Erika Learns To Sing

-b9trzb

Lauren Theisen

“Annie” Opening Night Celebration

Life Lessons

Seeking Closure At Planet Hollywood, Where My Life Once Exploded

Head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos shakes hands with Bo Nix #10 prior to an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Tampa, Florida.

Denver Broncos v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Why Your Team Sucks 2025: Denver Broncos

ratto-ray_400x400

Ray Ratto

William Contreras of the Milwaukee Brewers rounds first base after hitting a two run homer against the New York Mets at American Family Field on August 10, 2025 in Milwaukee.

New York Mets v Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers Are Baseball’s Weirdest Winners

Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates walks up the pitcher's mound in the fourth inning during a game against the Cleveland Guardians at PNC Park on April 19, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Cleveland Guardians v Pittsburgh Pirates

Crosswords

The Crossword, Aug. 18: Musical Arrangement


<p>Corey Atad is a freelancer writer based in Toronto with an unhealthy Air Bud obsession.</p>


IMG_7322

Corey Atad

Zohran Mamdani smiling with a megaphone in the park

New York Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani Campaigns In Brooklyn

Selling Zohran

VictorPortraitWClaw

David Roth

David Brooks making a surprised face while being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey on the OWN Netwrok.

DavidBrooksOWN

Journalismism

David Brooks: Wearing A Mets Hat Might Just Save Our Democracy

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


DFmBbTQF_400x400

Dan McQuade

ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 01: Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bears fumbles the ball as he is sacked by DeMarcus Ware #94 of the Dallas Cowboys in the third quarter at Cowboys Stadium on October 1, 2012 in Arlington, Texas.

cutler-sacked-ware

Life's Rich Pageant

Bears Fan Who Spent $12,107 On A Jay Cutler Card: “I Don’t Want To Spend $12,107 On A Jay Cutler Card”

<div id="message-list_1754580289.636299" class="c-virtual_list__item" role="listitem" data-qa="virtual-list-item" data-item-key="1754580289.636299">
<div class="c-message_kit__background c-message_kit__background--hovered p-message_pane_message__message c-message_kit__message" role="presentation" data-qa="message_container" data-qa-unprocessed="false" data-qa-placeholder="false">
<div class="c-message_kit__hover c-message_kit__hover--hovered" role="document" data-qa-hover="true">
<div class="c-message_kit__actions c-message_kit__actions--default">
<div class="c-message_kit__gutter">
<div class="c-message_kit__gutter__right" role="presentation" data-qa="message_content">
<div class="c-message_kit__blocks c-message_kit__blocks--rich_text">
<div class="c-message__message_blocks c-message__message_blocks--rich_text" data-qa="message-text">
<div class="p-block_kit_renderer" data-qa="block-kit-renderer">
<div class="p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper--first">
<div class="p-rich_text_block" dir="auto">
<div class="p-rich_text_section">Puja Patel is a writer, editor, and curator who has served as the Editor-in-Chief of Pitchfork and <em>Spin</em>, a culture editor for Deadspin, and a columnist for MTV and the <em>Village Voice</em>. Her work has appeared in publications such as the <em>New Yorker</em>, <em>Harper&#8217;s Bazaar</em>, and <em>Rolling Stone,</em> among others. She serves on the advisory board of NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and Building Beats, a nonprofit organization that provides music education to underserved youth across New York City and Los Angeles.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="message-list_1754580598.595269" class="c-virtual_list__item" role="listitem" data-qa="virtual-list-item" data-item-key="1754580598.595269">
<div class="c-message_kit__background p-message_pane_message__message c-message_kit__message" role="presentation" data-qa="message_container" data-qa-unprocessed="false" data-qa-placeholder="false">
<div class="c-message_kit__hover" role="document" data-qa-hover="true">
<div class="c-message_kit__actions c-message_kit__actions--default">
<div class="c-message_kit__gutter">
<div class="c-message_kit__gutter__left" role="presentation" data-stringify-ignore="true"></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>


Puja Patel

harry etc

Mods Asleep

Months, Ranked

brandy-jensen-headshot

Brandy Jensen

Joni Mitchell posed in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1972

Joni Mitchell

A Playlist For Being Chill About Your Crush

Children Sobbing at Concert

The Cringiest Love Songs That Make Us Cry

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: Washington Commanders v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Why Your Team Sucks 2025: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

<p>Amy Phillips is the former Executive Editor of Pitchfork. She has written for The New York Times Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Village Voice, and many other publications. A Philadelphia native, she currently lives in Brooklyn.</p>


amy-phillips-headshot

Amy Phillips

Amy at 14 in her childhood bedroom (L) / Amy's daughter as a baby in that same room (R).

amy-phillips-room

Living Through This, Again

<p>Bobby Finger is the co-host of Who? Weekly and the author of the novels <i>The Old Place</i> and <i>Four Squares</i>. His third novel will be released next summer.</p>


All Articles