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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

Lauren Theisen

Joshua Dobbs Has Renewed My Faith In Mediocre Quarterbacks

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

Head coach Josh McDaniels of the Las Vegas Raiders looks on in the second half of a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on October 30, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan.

Do Not Disrespect The Patriots In Front Of The Man Who No Longer Works For Them

Tyreek Hill of Miami Dolphins and Trent McDuffie of Kansas City Chiefs battle for the ball during the NFL match between Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs at Deutsche Bank Park on November 5, 2023 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Ach! Tyreek Hill Machen Ze Fumble! Is Choker, Ja?

Washington Huskies running back Dillon Johnson (7) scores on a 52-yard-run against USC Trojans safety Calen Bullock (7) in the second quarter at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum November 4, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

College Football

Dillon Johnson Just Did Some Serious Video Game Shit To USC

Kelsey McKinney

Zillowing Out

A $675,000 Home Where We Can Panic Together

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

Dan McQuade

Conor Stalions stands on the sidelines at a Michigan game last year. He's in all blue, holding a big piece of paper. It's a split image, because on the right is a watermarked Photobucket photo asking God to "please make it stop" with a child praying. Stalions responds that someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

It Appears Connor Stalions Was A Teenage Michigan Football Blogger

<div>Nate Jackson is a former NFL tight end and author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/slow-getting-up-a-story-of-nfl-survival-from-the-bottom-of-the-pile-nate-jackson/6430451?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote9JzWMngZDpSjF2eoL1_JlyPm2QhDfkNgOzqvaB4n9ic0qqUNQ4iCwaAsasEALw_wcB">Slow Getting Up</a>. He lives in Denver.</div>
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Nate Jackson

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels stands there looking like a stupid asshole in his visor and headset.

The Problem Was Always Josh McDaniels

Ray Ratto

SAN JOSE, CA - NOVEMBER 2: An overhead view as Luke Kunin #11 of the San Jose Sharks fights against Phillip Di Giuseppe #34 of the Vancouver Canucks at SAP Center on November 2, 2023 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Kavin Mistry/NHLI via Getty Images)

How Bad Can The Sharks Get?

Emile is a freelance writer, originally from the U.S., now living in Barcelona. He writes about Spanish soccer, namely FC Barcelona and Barça Femeni, on Substack, at <a href="https://barcafemeni.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://barcafemeni.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753084000&amp;usg=AOvVaw14bYDiXeApFrdtb0hLPnFE">La Barça Soc Supporter</a> and appears regularly on <a href="https://twitter.com/TheBarcelonaPod" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/TheBarcelonaPod&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753084000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3pyv2PojdPBZ1Gkv3_aN-S">The Barcelona Podcast</a>. His work has previously featured at outlets including The Blizzard, <a href="https://urbanpitch.com/author/eavanessian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urbanpitch.com/author/eavanessian/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753084000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0I4zygG7AmIDTzwXlPE2u_">Urban Pitch</a>, The Squall, Barça Blaugranes, and <a href="https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/author/emile-avanessian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/author/emile-avanessian/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753084000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3g0kv0jxafpvL520xVCsVU">Sports Collectors Daily</a>.
Emile also writes about the NBA, at his new outpost League Pass in L’Eixample. His previous work can be found at Forum Blue and Gold and his own site, a living relic of the basketblog era, <a href="https://hardwoodhype.com/the-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://hardwoodhype.com/the-work&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753085000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2U949Uf-KXcPwkDPCbW129">Hardwood Hype</a>.

Emile Avanessian

Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Aitana Bonmati receives the Women's Ballon d'Or award during the 2023 Ballon d'Or France Football award ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on October 30, 2023.

Soccer

The Moments That Made Aitana Bonmatí The Best In The World

Defector Staff

a woman in a dress sits on a library ladder

Arts And Culture

How The Defector Staff Organizes Their Books

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

LAKE FOREST, CA - JULY 16: Dr. Scott Weldy of the Orange County Bird of Prey Center holds a Cooper"u2019s hawk just prior to releasing it near Lake Forest on Thursday, July 16, 2020. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

Birdfector

North American Birds Will No Longer Be Named After People

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Victor Wembanyama is guarded in the post by Kevin Durant.

Victor Wembanyama Is Way Ahead Of Schedule

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 29: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings runs onto the field before a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on October 29, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Jamboroo

The End Of Kirk Cousins

Kathryn Xu

Pitching coach Brent Strom meets with Zac Gallen during Game Five of the World Series.

I Hate The Third Time Through The Order!

PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 01: Kevin Ginkel #37 of the Arizona Diamondbacks reacts during Game 5 of the 2023 World Series between the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. Edits by Defector; The Gink is surrounded by various colors.

The Defector World Series MVP Is The Gink

Barry Petchesky

Illustration of the giant impact hypothesis, with the hypothetical planet Theia colliding with Earth 4.5 billion years ago, created on July 19, 2015. This impact is suggested to be the source of material that created the Moon. (Illustration by Tobias Roetsch/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Science

Curious Earth Lumps Might Be Leftovers From Another Planet It Ate

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 8: Sphere displays the In Season Tournament visuals on its exterior, the largest LED screen on Earth, during the 2023 Las Vegas Summer League on July 8, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

Podcasts

The NBA In-Season Tourney Is A Recipe For Blindness, With Ray Ratto

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Charles P. Pierce is a writer at Esquire and the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston with his wife but no longer his three children.
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Charles P. Pierce

College Basketball

The Life Of That Unhappy Bobby Knight Is Brought To An End

OTTAWA, CANADA - OCTOBER 14: Michael Andlauer new owner of the Ottawa Senators salutes the crowd as he walks out to give a face-off prior to a game against the Philadelphia Flyers at Canadian Tire Centre on October 14, 2023 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

It’s Really Been A Week For The Senators

The Texas Rangers celebrate on the field after winning the World Series.

The Rangers Are The Big-Spending Heroes Of The 2023 Season

Justin Ellis

Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets stands under the Jumbotron, which says "Howl-o-meter" during a stop in the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 1, 2023 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Nikola Jokic’s Shoddy Work Ethic And Horse-Gazing Tendencies Have Clearly Cost Him A Shot At Greatness

A perfectly made pithivier, from Paul Hollywood.

Chefector

The Not-So-Great Defector Bake Off Rises Beautifully For Pastry Week

Giri Nathan

Kevin Durant is swarmed by the Spurs defense

The Spurs Stole A Win From Kevin Durant

David Roth

Split image. Roth stands outside the Stroud Mall holding a CD he purchased. Dan stands inside the Stroud Mall in front of the "Pennsylvania Skill" machine parlor.

Dan And Dave Explore Another Mall

A Rod reacts in semi-horror as a Cookie Monster drone flies toward him