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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

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Fernando Tatis Jr. rounds the bases for the Padres, during spring training.

El Niño Is Approaching

A photo with added illustration of Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder, with his tongue sticking waaaaay out to the side. As in, it almost reaches his jacket collar.

SnyderWatch: Dan Snyder Comes One Big Step Closer To Selling The Commanders

Israel Daramola

Arts And Culture

How Did Hip-Hop Media Get So Bad?

Tom Ley

Illustration: ChatGPT, Suqian City, Jiangsu Province, China, 12 April 2023. ChatGPT stocks fell as a group, with Microsoft down more than 5 percent, Amazon down more than 2 percent, Nvidia (NVDA.US) and Baidu down more than 1 percent. Amid concerns over AI security, companies such as OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Nvidia gathered to discuss standards for the development and use of AI technology.

Journalismism

Insider Boss To Employees: Please Make Good Use Of This Lying Plagiarism Machine

Giri Nathan

Zion Williamson looks on from the sidelines

Where Was Zion Williamson, And Where Will He Be?

David Roth

White Sox infielder Lenyn Sosa upends Twins outfielder Byron Buxton in a collision near second base on April 12, 2023.

The White Sox Are The Most Dangerous Team In Baseball*

Laura Wagner

Elder Wisdom

What Can A Hoop Do?

Luka Doncic smiling, kind of, for the camera before an early April Mavericks game against the Bulls in which he did not play.

Podcasts

Scuffing Up The Gossip, With Kelsey McKinney

Lauren Theisen

Ryan Mountcastle celebrates with teammates

Every Orioles Game Is An Adventure

Luis Paez-Pumar

Frank Lampard, Caretaker Manager of Chelsea, looks dejected during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg match between Real Madrid and Chelsea FC at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 12, 2023 in Madrid, Spain.

Soccer

Frank Lampard Is Just Here To Eat Chelsea’s Shit

Patrick Redford

Diar forcing a miss out of Scottie Barnes

DeMar DeRozan’s Screaming Daughter Carries Bulls To Play-In Victory

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

A dung-rolling weevil in the genus Tentegia props up a piece of marsupial dung

Creaturefector

Rookie Dung-Roller Is Learning On The Job

Split image: Spencer Dinwiddie on the left, dribbling a basketball; on the right, Kyle Kuzma, in street clothes on an NBA bench, pointing

Kyle Kuzma Docks His Boat On “Dinshittie Island”

Shaquille O'Neal performs as a DJ at a party.

Florida Court Rules That Shaquille O’Neal May Continue To Juke Process Servers In The Physical World

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 11: Dayot Upamecano of Bayern Muenchen looks dejected during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg match between Manchester City and FC Bayern München at Etihad Stadium on April 11, 2023 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Zemanek/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Dayot Upamecano Lived A Defender’s Worst Nightmare

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

Corey Atad

Defector At The Movies

‘How To Blow Up A Pipeline’ Is A Film About Action

Jason Zucker sprays ice as he stops in front of Petr Mrazek

The Penguins And Islanders Are Having A Mid-Off

Annie Rauwerda is a writer and comedian from Michigan. She loves Wikipedia, digital archives, and her cat.

Annie Rauwerda

Life's Rich Pageant

In Search Of Wikipedia’s Shrug Guy

Kelsey McKinney

Normal Gossip logo with cartoon characters gossiping

Please Be Careful Who You Are Texting

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 11: Dennis Schroder #17 of the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James #6 interviews after the 2023 Play-In Tournament on April 11, 2023 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (

Lakers Redeem Cursed Season By Falling Backwards Into Playoffs

Defector Staff

The title card for "Roth and Roth: A Cardboard Cutout's Journey"

Announcements

We Turned David Roth And Cardboard Roth’s Journey Into A Short Film

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Draftee Diamond Miller talks to the media before the 2023 WNBA Draft on April 10, 2023 at Spring Studios in New York City, New York.

WNBA

Turning Pro In Women’s Basketball Is Not A Zero-Sum Game

Russell A. Carleton is an author at Baseball Prospectus and of the forthcoming book <a href="https://www.triumphbooks.com/the-new-ballgame-products-9781637272268.php?page_id=30&amp;cid=434862" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.triumphbooks.com/the-new-ballgame-products-9781637272268.php?page_id%3D30%26cid%3D434862&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1680985638870000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0_Ie5IAhP6DgMCeMB7in79">The New Ballgame: The Not-So-Hidden Forces Shaping Baseball</a> from Triumph Books, available in June 2023.

Russell Carleton

Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres' high-fiving after a Yankees win on April 2, 2023.

Welcome To Nowhere

Two firefighters attempt to free a red squirrel, whose head is stuck inside a manhole cover

History Repeats: Red Squirrel Gets STUCK In Manhole Cover In Germany, Just Four Years After Similar Squirrel’s Manhole Stranding

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.