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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

Billy Haisley

Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi and NY Red Bulls' Colombian defender #04 Andres Reyes (R) vie for the ball during the Major League Soccer 2023 match between Inter Miami and New York Red Bulls at the Red Bull arena in Harrison, New Jersey, August 26, 2023.

Soccer

Everyone Wants To Watch Lionel Messi

David Roth

Elder Wisdom

My Dumb Little Book

Lauren Theisen

Pro Wrestling

AEW Is Bringing 80,000 People To Wembley Stadium At The Weirdest Possible Time

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

Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts while being hit during a passing attempt against the Washington Commanders during the second half of the game at FedExField on November 6, 2022 in Landover, Maryland.

Why Your Team Sucks

Why Your Team Sucks 2023: Minnesota Vikings

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

Dan McQuade

The new Saint Joseph’s Hawk, flapping his wings next to a statue of a real Hawk, with the slogan THE HAWK WILL NEVER DIE

Birdfector

St. Joe’s Just Couldn’t Get Any More Hawk Feathers

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty plays defense during the game against the Connecticut Sun on August 24, 2023 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

WNBA

There’s No Shame In Losing To The Liberty, Unless You Lose Like This

Luis Paez-Pumar

Bray Wyatt Was Wrestling’s Most Irrepressible Star

Albert Burneko

RFEF president Luis Rubiales pumps his fists in celebration during the 2023 Women's World Cup

Luis Rubiales Shows The Whole World Spain’s Entire Ass

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

A smiling Stephen Strasburg is enveloped in an involuntary group hug during the 2019 season.

Let’s Remember A Time When Stephen Strasburg Enjoyed Playing Baseball

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Jonquel Jones #35 of the New York Liberty accepts the MVP trophy after the team's 82-63 victory over the Las Vegas Aces in the 2023 Commissioner's Cup Championship game at Michelob ULTRA Arena on August 15, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Life Lessons

How A Fat Baseball Ass And Four Lesbians Turned Me Into A Sports Fan

Giri Nathan

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic smile together after their Cincinnati Masters final

Tennis

The Rivalry Between Carlos Alcaraz And Novak Djokovic Won’t Be Long, But It Will Be Legendary

Soraya Roberts

Arts And Culture

Have You Seen Skyler Gisondo?

Vita Vea #50 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sacks Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium on October 27, 2022 in Tampa, Florida.

Why Your Team Sucks 2023: Baltimore Ravens

Ray Ratto

Trey Lance #5 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up during pregame warm ups prior to playing the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium on August 19, 2023 in Santa Clara, California.

Trey Lance’s Draft Position Never Meant Anything

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and his team react incredulously to a call during the 2023 College Football Championship Game.

Podcasts

The Kings Of Shrimp Country, With Spencer Hall

Katharine Trendacosta writes about tech policy, the entertainment industry, pop culture, and where those things intersect. In her day job, she&#8217;s the Associate Director of Policy and Activism for the digital civil liberties nonprofit the Electronic Frontier Foundation. (Her writing here reflects her views alone and not those of EFF.) In her spare time, she writes things like this.

A photo of the author, Katharine Trendacosta

Katharine Trendacosta

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 19: Striking SAG-AFTRA members picket with striking WGA (Writers Guild of America) workers outside Netflix offices on July 19, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Members of SAG-AFTRA, Hollywood's largest union which represents actors and other media professionals, have joined striking WGA (Writers Guild of America) workers in the first joint walkout against the studios since 1960. The strike could shut down Hollywood productions completely with writers in the third month of their strike against the Hollywood studios. Netflix reported second quarter earnings after the closing bell today.

The Hollywood Strike Forces A Reckoning For The Trades

Shohei Ohtani stands in the dugout before game two of a Wednesday doubleheader.

Shohei Ohtani’s Arm Kerploded And The Angels Are In Hell

Kathryn Xu

Tim Anderson scores the game winning run on a throwing error by the Seattle Mariners.

New Era Of White Sox Baseball Begins With Helmet-Bonk Walk-Off

Atlético Madrid forward João Félix, looking perplexed or perhaps disgusted from the bench.

What The Hell Is Going On With João Félix?

Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga (57) lays on the turf as Jacksonville Jaguars place kicker Riley Patterson (10) is mobbed by teammates after hitting a game winning field goal in an AFC Wild Card game at TIAA Bank Field.

Why Your Team Sucks 2023: Los Angeles Chargers

Dave McKenna

Moron Pushing Petition To Rename Commanders Has Long History Of Being A Moron

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright throws what looks like a circle-change against the Kansas City Royals

Chasing A Round Number In A Zero-Sum Season

A drawn still from Diana's Piano. It looks hand drawn, maybe even even pencil marks. A red-headed girl with a white cat next to her plays a grand piano in a pink-ish void.

Animals

“Diana’s Piano” And All The Cats I’ve Loved And Lost

Screenshot from tripleS LOVElution's "Girls' Capitalism" music video, with text reading, "Rule No. 1 Don't Cry Be Rich."

Music

TripleS And The Rise Of K-Pop Girls’ Crypto-Capitalism

Patrick Redford

The table with the chess board appears ready for the game between Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi on the first day of competition at the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament on June 17, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (Miguel Pereira/Getty Images)