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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.

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Defector

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Billy Haisley

Head Coach Enzo Maresca of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Everton at Stamford Bridge on December 13, 2025 in London, England.

Chelsea v Everton – Premier League

Soccer

Unlikable Manager Loses Job At Detestable Club

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Albert Burneko

'Grok' logo is seen displayed on a mobile phone screen in front of a picture of Elon Musk in Ankara, Turkiye on July 17, 2025.

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The Machines

Who’s Responsible For Elon Musk’s Idiot Chatbot Producing On-Demand Child Sexual Abuse Material?

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Defector Staff

Austrian fortune-telling cards from a pack of 32, showing acorns, hearts, bells and leaves.

Austrian fortune-telling cards.

Underexplained Lists

Underexplained Predictions For 2026

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Israel Daramola

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal – Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential: Alabama v Indiana

College Football

Boy, Indiana Really Beat That Ass

Sean T. Collins has written for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vulture, Decider, Pitchfork, and many others. He lives with his family on Long Island.

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Sean T. Collins

AEW ballroom

Dadfector

This Is Awesome

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Barry Petchesky

MILAN, ITALY - DECEMBER 08: (EDITOR’S NOTE: Multiple exposures were combined in camera to produce this image.) Players competes during 2026 IIHF U20 World Championship Division Group B match between Poland and Italy at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on December 08, 2025 in Milan, Italy. The event serves as test event for the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)

Poland vs Italy – 2026 IIHF U20 World Championship Division Group B

Here Are The American Hockey Men

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Ray Ratto

Trinidad Chambliss #6 of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates a touchdown during the third quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs during the 2025 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal in the Sugar Bowl.

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal – Allstate Sugar Bowl: Ole Miss v Georgia

Ole Miss And Georgia Made A Classic Out Of Chaos

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David Roth

People take in a fireworks show on Lake Ontario at midnight from HTO Park in Toronto on January 1 2026.

New Year’s Eve Fireworks

Podcasts

Goodbye To All That

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Year In Review

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

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

Piccadilly Party

Defector Up All Night

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

2025 College Football Playoff First Round Game – James Madison v Oregon

You Can Finally Start Paying Attention To The College Football Playoff

Investigations Editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99

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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.

Diggs

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

2019-01-01 00:15:14.989

Maitreyi Anantharaman

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College Basketball

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

Abigail Segel is a writer based in Montreal.

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Abigail Segel

Christen Press and Tobin Heath at their live show

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Christen Press And Tobin Heath Want To Keep Up The Fight

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Brandy Jensen

Woman farmer feeding hogs Lisbon Falls, ME

Funbag

Against “Slop”

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Luis Paez-Pumar

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

JUL 16 1982, JUL 18 1982; Parrott, Don – Ind. (Dinosaur, Co.); Parrott likes to spend the afternoon

Video Games

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

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Lauren Theisen

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

Preliminary Round – Group B, Game 14 Canada vs Denmark – 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship

Gavin McKenna Refuels The Hype Machine

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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)

Texas Rangers v Oakland Athletics

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

E.Y. Zhao is a writer and editor from St. Louis. Her debut novel, <a href="https://astrapublishinghouse.com/product/underspin-9781662603266/">Underspin</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.

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E.Y. Zhao

Marty

Arts And Culture

‘Marty Supreme’ Bears Us Into The New World

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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.

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The Best Things We Ate In 2025

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

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Chris Thompson

Philip Rivers

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

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Sabrina Imbler

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

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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.

Chicago Bears Play San Francisco 49ers During NFL Game At Levi’s Stadium In Santa Clara

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)

San Jose Sharks v Vancouver Canucks

Macklin Celebrini Is All Promise

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