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Defector

Luis Paez-Pumar

MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 12: Salvador Perez #13 of Venezuela celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run in the second inning against Puerto Rico at loanDepot park on March 12, 2023 in Miami, Florida.

Nobody Is Having More Fun At The WBC Than Venezuela

Ray Ratto

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 13: BBC sports presenter and former England international football player Garry Lineker returns home on March 13, 2023 in London, England. The BBC will review its social media guidelines and how they apply to freelance talent outside of news following Mr Lineker's suspension for comments he made on twitter appearing to criticise the UK government's new asylum policy. Gary Lineker will return to host BBC sports shows this weekend after reaching a deal with the corporation.

Media Meltdowns

Gary Lineker Routs BBC

Giri Nathan

Tennis

Peak Jelena Ostapenko Nearly Achieved

Justin Ellis

Alabama Crimson Tide players celebrate winning the SEC Mens Basketball Tournament championship game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas A&amp;M Aggies on March 12, 2023 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

College Basketball

The 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Bracket Is Set

Patrick Redford

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 10: A Brinks armored truck sits parked in front of the shuttered Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) headquarters on March 10, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. Silicon Valley Bank was shut down on Friday morning by California regulators and was put in control of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Prior to being shut down by regulators, shares of SVB were halted Friday morning after falling more than 60% in premarket trading following a 60% declined on Thursday when the bank sold off a portfolio of US Treasuries and $1.75 billion in shares to cover declining customer deposits. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Capital

The Collapse Of Silicon Valley Bank Is Testing Tech’s Loudest Evangelists

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

Dan McQuade

Right: Patrick Gardner in number 15. Left: Patrick Gardner in number 33.

Patrick Gardner Was Great, No Matter His Number

BELGRADE, SERBIA - AUGUST 25: Nikola Jokic (L) of Serbia in action against Giannis Antetokounmpo (R) of Greece during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifier game between Serbia and Greece at Stark Arena on August 25, 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)

The Knowable Unknown Of The 2023 NBA MVP Discourse Is Breaking Our Brains

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Gary Lineker looks on from the stands during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Chelsea FC at The King Power Stadium on March 11, 2023 in Leicester, England.

Soccer

How Gary Lineker Brought the BBC To Its Knees

Kelsey McKinney

Zillowing Out

A $600,000 Home That Will Trap Us Forever

Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker leaves his home in London following reports that the BBC is to have a "frank conversation" with the ex-England striker after Home Secretary Suella Braverman branded as "irresponsible" the TV presenter's comments in which he compared the language used to launch the Government's new asylum policy to 1930s Germany. Picture date: Thursday March 9, 2023.

‘Match Of The Day’ Pundits Boycott Show In Support Of Gary Lineker [Update]

Report: Ja Morant Showed Up To High School Gym With Parents, Baby Daughter, And “A Group Of” Men After Sister’s Volleyball Beef

Soraya Roberts

Defector At The Movies

How 1995’s ‘Party Girl’ Became The First Movie To Premiere Online

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson looking very sad after making an out against the Royals in July of 2022.

The Detroit Tigers Flipped The Switch And Nothing Happened

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 13: Mike Brown, head coach of the Sacramento Kings, looks on during the game against the Golden State Warriors at Golden 1 Center on November 13, 2022 in Sacramento, 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. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Can The Sacramento Kings Be Bigger Than The Beam?

Alex Sujong Laughlin

circa 1960: Child actor Johnny Crawford looks forward to eating a pile of pancakes in an International House of Pancakes, a chain of eateries in the USA started in 1958 by Californian brothers Al and Jerome Lapin. (Photo by Keystone Features/Getty Images)

Life Lessons

I Don’t Want Brain By Seventeen, I Want Body By Pancake

TORONTO, CANADA - JULY 11: A CFL logo on an official Canadian CFL league ball during warm-ups before the Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL game against the Toronto Argonauts on July 11, 2013 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

After 41 Years, Nonexistent CFL Team Slightly Closer To End Of Nonexistence

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks nearly smooch.

Draymond Green And Dillon Brooks Are The Most Annoying People In Sports

Laura Wagner

ROTHERHAM, ENGLAND - JULY 23: Corinne Diacre Head coach of France reacts prior to kick off in the UEFA Women's Euro England 2022 Quarter Final match between France and Netherlands at The New York Stadium on July 23, 2022 in Rotherham, England.

French National Team Coach Fired Because Players Hated Her So Much They Quit The Team

Alex Pareene

Sarah Mody (C), Senior Product Marketing Manager, Global Search and AI, gives demonstrations in the Bing Experience Lounge with during an event introducing a new AI-powered Microsoft Bing and Edge at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington on February 7, 2023. - Microsoft's long-struggling Bing search engine will integrate the powerful capabilities of language-based artificial intelligence, CEO Satya Nadella said, declaring what he called a new era for online search.

The Machines

I Have Seen The Future Of User-Determined AI Bias

David Roth

Shohei Ohtani looking swole as hell during Samurai Japan's training before the 2023 World Baseball Classic, with The Distraction logo at upper left.

Podcasts

My Fabulous Vacation Home On Naboo, With Michael Schur

Kevin Durant’s Home Debut Ends During Warmups

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JANUARY 30: Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors reacts after being called for a foul during the game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on January 30, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns beat the Raptors 114-106. 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.

Fred VanVleet Can Afford To Roast As Many Referees As He Wants

Lauren Theisen

Nobody Scores In Minnesota

Aaron Rodgers takes a hit from a Jets defender.

Aaron Rodgers Could Be A Jet All The Way

Maryland Terrapins head coach Brenda Frese talks to Maryland Terrapins guard Diamond Miller (1) during the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship sweet sixteen round game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Maryland Terrapins on March 25, 2022, at Spokane Veterans Memorial Stadium in Spokane, WA.