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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

Barry Petchesky

Year In Review

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

Defector Staff

31st December 1931: New Year's Eve revellers at the Piccadilly Hotel in London.

Defector Up All Night

Here’s An Open Thread To Help Ring In The New Year

Israel Daramola

Ray Ratto

College Football

You Can Finally Start Paying Attention To The College Football Playoff


<p>Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99</p>


Diana Moskovitz

Stefon Diggs #8 of the New England Patriots looks on during the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons at Gillette Stadium on November 02, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Stefon Diggs Charged With Strangulation After Personal Chef Told Police He Attacked Her

Maitreyi Anantharaman

College Basketball

If Syla Swords Takes A Shot But The Clock Is Frozen, Did It Actually Happen?

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<div>Abigail Segel is a contributing writer at Defector. She is also an editor for The IX Soccer and the Equalizer. Her work has been published in the Guardian and the Montreal Gazette.</div>
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Abigail Segel

Christen Press and Tobin Heath at their live show

Soccer

Christen Press And Tobin Heath Want To Keep Up The Fight

Brandy Jensen

Woman farmer feeding hogs Lisbon Falls, ME

Funbag

Against “Slop”

Luis Paez-Pumar

Don Parrott likes to spend the afternoon in his wife's bar, the Artesia, playing his favorite game, Ms. Pac-Man.

Video Games

All The Video Games I Started But Did Not Finish In 2025

Lauren Theisen

Gavin McKenna #9 of Canada reacts after winning best player for Canada during the Group B, Game 14 match against Denmark

Gavin McKenna Refuels The Hype Machine

Patrick Redford

OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 21: Former first baseman Mark McGwire of the Oakland Athletics stands on the field during the team"u2019s Hall of Fame ceremony before the game against the Texas Rangers at the RingCentral Coliseum on September 21, 2019 in Oakland, California. The Oakland Athletics defeated the Texas Rangers 12-3. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)

Podcasts

The Real Story Of Baseball’s Steroid Era Is A Labor Story

<p>E.Y. Zhao is a writer and editor from St. Louis. Her debut novel, <a href="https://astrapublishinghouse.com/product/underspin-9781662603266/"><i>Underspin</i></a>, set in the world of competitive table tennis, is out now. She holds a BA in history from Harvard College and an MFA from the University of Michigan.</p>


E.Y. Zhao

Arts And Culture

‘Marty Supreme’ Bears Us Into The New World

Where Does ‘Marty Supreme’ Rank Among Recent Sports Movies?

Swedish Crown Princess Victoria and Prime Minister Goran Persson attend the Nobel Banquet at Stockholm City Hall, Sweden, 10 December 2003.

The Best Things We Ate In 2025

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19</p>


Chris Thompson

Philip Rivers Had A Grand Old Time Leading The Colts Into Their Grave


<p>charismatic megafauna (they/them)</p>


Sabrina Imbler

flat-headed cat, small wild cat, camera trap, southeast Asia, Thailand

Creaturefector

What Would You Name This Cat?

San Francisco 49ers' Brock Purdy celebrates his 2nd quarter rushing touchdown against Chicago Bears on December 28, 2025. He's doing the cupped-ear "let me hear it" gesture into a TV camera's lens.

Brock Purdy Refuses To Remain Anonymous

VANCOUVER, CANADA - DECEMBER 27: Macklin Celebrini #71 of the San Jose Sharks gestures to a teammate prior to a face-off during NHL action against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on December 27, 2025 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)

Macklin Celebrini Is All Promise

The Steelers Really Love To Make Things Difficult

Shaquille O'Neal with kids on the court during the Icy Hot &amp; The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation launch latest Comebaq Court event, in partnership with Boys &amp; Girls Club of Northeast Texas, on July 14, 2025 in Rockwall, Texas.

Crosswords

The Crossword, Dec. 29: Men Getting Hit By Football (Themeless)

Dave McKenna

Naoya Inoue punches David Picasso during the IBF, WBC and WBO World Super Bantamweight title fight between Naoya Inoue and David Picasso during the Ring V: Night Of The Samurai fight night at Mohammed Abdo Arena on December 27, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Fights

Naoya Inoue Is Becoming A Bigger Monster

<p>Hamilton Nolan is a journalist based in New York City. Subscribe to his work at <a href="https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1687350200913000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0naFbUVOe-5ZgtPDtIM3gz">HamiltonNolan.com</a>.</p>


Hamilton Nolan

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 21: Mascot Jaxson de Ville of the Jacksonville Jaguars leaps from the light towers prior to the game against the Houston Texans at EverBank Field on September 21, 2025 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

Jaguars Junction: Week 17

The Best Things We Read In 2025

Kelsey McKinney

Some Thoughts On ‘Heated Rivalry,’ Including But Not Limited To: Ahhhh, Mmmm, And [Crying Emoji]

a piece of paper that says magnetic, a string, and a strange bag on top of a rug