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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

Luis Paez-Pumar

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrates after scoring the fourth Liverpool goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Newcastle United at Anfield on January 01, 2024 in Liverpool, England.

Soccer

Mohamed Salah’s AFCON Absence Will Be Liverpool’s Biggest Test

Alex Sujong Laughlin

A black Coach purse alongside purse restoration tools on a table.

Life Lessons

A Purse For Whatever Woman You Want To Be

Lauren Theisen

Alex Ovechkin’s Hand Rises From The Mud

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Jordan Clarkson is congratulated by a teammate for recording a triple-double.

Congratulations To The Utah Jazz For Finally Recording One Damn Triple-Double

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

Dan McQuade

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 31: Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) looks on during the game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Philadelphia Eagles on December 31, 2023 at Lincoln Financial Field.

At Least The Eagles Will Play More 1:00 P.M. Games Next Season

Barry Petchesky

Defector At The Movies

Harold Lloyd Terrifying Babe Ruth With Bad Driving Is Now In The Public Domain

Tom Ley

Media Meltdowns

Aaron Rodgers And ESPN Are A Match Made In Desperation

Ray Ratto

A page from a 1939 mens clothing catalog for Fred Mueller with illustrations of men wearing colorful western-style shirts.

The One Easy Trick For Adding Color To Your Wardrobe

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

a grid of ultrasound images of my (now former) breasts may they RIP!

Even Good Health Insurance Is Bad; Or, How I Got Top Surgery With A Family History Of Breast Cancer

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

Funbag

I Have It On Good Authority

Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines walks on the field after winning the Big Ten Championship against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 02, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

College Football

One Player Still Has The Power To End The Year Of Harbaugh

Defector Staff

This video grab taken from a video posted on the Twitter account of billionaire Tesla chief Elon Musk on October 26, 2022 shows himself carrying a sink as he enters the Twitter headquarters in San Francisco. Elon Musk changed his Twitter profile to "Chief Twit" and posted video of himself walking into the social network's California headquarters carrying a sink, days before his contentious takeover of the company must be finalized.

Year In Review

The Worst Of 2023

David Tepper of the Carolina Panthers looks on against the New York Giants prior to the game at MetLife Stadium on Friday, August 18, 2023, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

David Tepper Throws Drink At Fans, Becomes NFL’s Chief Jagoff

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Peyton Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts meets with brother Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants in the middle of the field on September 10, 2006 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Crosswords

The Crossword, Jan. 1: Leading Question

Pr?paration de g?teaux, d?coupe d'une banane. (Photo by Bettina BRINKMANN/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

What Horrible Things Did We Do To Our Penises Last Year?

The graceful winding arms of the grand-design spiral galaxy M51 stretch across this image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Unlike the menagerie of weird and wonderful spiral galaxies with ragged or disrupted spiral arms, grand-design spiral galaxies boast prominent, well-developed spiral arms like the ones showcased in this image. This galactic portrait was captured by Webb’s Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI). In this image the reprocessed stellar light by dust grains and molecules in the medium of the galaxy illuminate a dramatic filamentary medium. Empty cavities and bright filaments alternate and give the impression of ripples propagating from the spiral arms. The yellow compact regions indicate the newly formed star clusters in the galaxy. M51 — also known as NGC 5194 — lies about 27 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici, and is trapped in a tumultuous relationship with its near neighbour, the dwarf galaxy NGC 5195. The interaction between these two galaxies has made these galactic neighbours one of the better-studied galaxy pairs in the night sky. The gravitational influence of M51’s smaller companion is thought to be partially responsible for the stately nature of the galaxy’s prominent and distinct spiral arms. If you would like to learn more about this squabbling pair of galactic neighbours, you can explore earlier observations of M51 by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope here.  This Webb observation of M51 is one of a series of observations collectively titled Feedback in Emerging extrAgalactic Star clusTers, or FEAST. The FEAST observations were designed to shed light on the interplay between stellar feedback and star formation in environments outside of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. Stellar feedback is the term used to describe the outpouring of energy from stars into the environments which form them, and is a crucial process in determining the rates at which stars form. Understanding stellar feedback is vital to building accurate universal models of star formation. The aim of the FEAST observations is to discover and study stellar nurseries in galaxies beyond our own Milky Way. Before Webb became operative, other observatories such as the Atacama Large Millimetre Array in the Chilean desert and Hubble have given us a glimpse of star formation either at the onset (tracing the dense gas and dust clouds where stars will form) or after the stars have destroyed with their energy their natal gas and dust clouds. Webb is opening a new window into the early stages of star formation and stellar light, as well as the energy reprocessing of gas and dust. Scientists are seeing star clusters emerging from their natal cloud in galaxies beyond our local group for the first time. They will also be able to measure how long it takes for these stars to pollute with newly formed metals and to clean out the gas (these time scales are different from galaxy to galaxy). By studying these processes, we will better understand how the star formation cycle and metal enrichment are regulated within galaxies as well as what are the time scales for planets and brown dwarfs to form. Once dust and gas is removed from the newly formed stars, there is no material left to form planets. [Image Description: A large spiral galaxy takes up the entirety of the image. The core is mostly bright white, but there are also swirling, detailed structures that resemble water circling a drain. There is white and pale blue light that emanates from stars and dust at the core’s centre, but it is tightly limited to the core. The detailed rings feature bands of deep orange and cloudy grey, which are interspersed by darker empty regions throughout.]

Science

Fall Into The Whirlpool Galaxy

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 08: Owner James Dolan (L) and head coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks attend the 2022 NBA Summer League at the Thomas &amp; Mack Center on July 08, 2022 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. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

James Dolan Grudges Aren’t What They Used To Be

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - DECEMBER 30: Georgia Bulldogs running back Kendall Milton (2) tosses oranges to teammates following the Capital One Orange Bowl game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, December 30, 2023 at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Everyone Got The Orange Bowl They Deserved

DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 30: Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons smiles after the game against the Toronto Raptors on December 30, 2023 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 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 Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Pistons Are On A Winning Streak

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions reacts to a penalty during a two point conversion attempt against the Dallas Cowboys during the fourth quarter in the game at AT&amp;T Stadium on December 30, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

Dan Campbell Can’t Help Himself

A blue-green iridescent wasp with a pointy pointy rear

Creaturefector

The Year In Parasitic Wasps

The Holy Family. Found in the collection of Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona.

What Our Families Thought Of Defector In 2023

CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 28: Joe Flacco #15 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New York Jets at Cleveland Browns Stadium on December 28, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Joe Flacco Went From His Couch To The Playoffs

Kelsey McKinney

A photo of the painting Lady at the Piano' by Felix Valloton, from 1904.

Learning To Play Piano When There Is No Recital

DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 19: The Detroit Pistons mascot, Hooper, walks the stands during the game against the Miami Heat on December 19, 2021 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 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 2021 NBAE (Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images)