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Defector

Billy Haisley

Xabi Alonso, Head Coach of Real Madrid, reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD6 match between Real Madrid C.F. and Manchester City at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on December 10, 2025 in Madrid, Spain.

Soccer

Real Madrid Is Stuck

Patrick Redford

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 1: Gabby Thomas, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, and Tamari Davis compete in the women's 100m race at Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania on June 1, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Track And Field

Michael Johnson’s Track Start-Up Declares Bankruptcy

Kathryn Xu

Daniel Craig as the detective Benoit Blanc in a still from 'Wake Up Dead Man'

Defector At The Movies

‘Wake Up Dead Man’ Defines Justice Differently

Tom Ley

Head coach Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels walks onto the field prior to the game against the NC State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

College Football

Bill Belichick’s Lackeys Have Become His Fall Guys

Becca Young

Arts And Culture

Maggie Nelson Sputters And Stalls In ‘The Slicks’

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Audi Crooks #55 of the Iowa State Cyclones takes a shot as Layla Hays #12 of the Iowa Hawkeyes blocks in the first half of play at Hilton Coliseum on December 10, 2025, in Ames, Iowa.

College Basketball

Audi Crooks Makes Every Minute Count

David Roth

Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears walks off the field after a loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 7, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Podcasts

All Things Must Pass, With Matthew Coller

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

Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills takes on the Cincinnati Bengals during the NFL 2025 game between Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York.

Jamboroo

Now We Must All Become Bills Fans

A general view of an NBA on NBC camera during the game between the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 25, 2025.

Let’s Check In On The State Of The NBA’s National Broadcasts

Israel Daramola

Somewhere Between Pettiness And Journalism Lies Netflix’s Diddy Documentary

Dave McKenna

Head coach Sherrone Moore of the Michigan Wolverines looks on before the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Michigan Coach Sherrone Moore Fired, Arrested On Same Day

Lauren Theisen

Pete Alonso #20 and Edwin Diaz #39 of the New York Mets celebrate after defeating the Washington Nationals

The Mets Are Going To Look A Lot Different Next Year

Piers Morgan, Nick Kyrgios, Aryna Sabalenka

Tennis

An Extended Conversation Between Piers Morgan, Nick Kyrgios, And Aryna Sabalenka Was Always Going To Turn Transphobic

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Kelsey McKinney

a photo of a woman dressed in drag as Santa Claus holding a flaming shot glass looking at a blurry man

Defector Watches A Christmas Movie: ‘My Secret Santa’

Ray Ratto

Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies in South Bend.

Notre Dame’s Ongoing Diaper Blowout Is Bringing College Football Together

A. Frog is a freelance writer living in Japan.

A. Frog

A screencap of a video showing the backside of a green frog and a hornet inside a plastic box

Creaturefector

I Shall Never Mess Up Again

Jae Towle Vieira [they/them] works as a producer for Normal Gossip. Their fiction has been published in The Normal School, New England Review, Carve Magazine, Passages North, Fairy Tale Review, and elsewhere.

Jae Towle Vieira

The Tulip Clause

Barry Petchesky

PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 9: Ville Husso #33 of the Anaheim Ducks protects the net against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 9, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)

If It Wins Like A Duck

Bryce Young hugs NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected first overall by the Carolina Panthers during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station on April 27, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Capital

Whose League Is It Anyway?

Giri Nathan

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 08: Derik Queen #22 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts after a play during the second half of a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Smoothie King Center on December 08, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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 Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

Derik Queen Might Be Good Enough To Make A Colossally Dumb Decision Look Slightly Less Dumb

Luis Paez-Pumar

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds the fans after the English Premier League match between Leeds United and Liverpool in Leeds, Britain, on Dec. 6, 2025.

Everyone Loses In The Liverpool-Mo Salah Clash

Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko before free practice at the Yas Marina Circuit ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Racing

Farewell To Helmut Marko, Ignorant Loudmouth

Funbag

Pat McAfee Is Intolerable

Shams Charania breaks some news, grainily

Sources: The Opening Domino Of The 2025 Shamsy Selection Process Has Fallen Invariably, Will Spawn Numerous Pathways For Unique News

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Philip Rivers in a Colts uniform, from 2020