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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

Elon Green is the author of The Man Nobody Killed and Last Call.

Elon Green

Arts And Culture

Michael Connelly Should Stick To Fake Crime

Ray Ratto

Golden State Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga L competes during the 2025-2026 NBA regular season basketball game between Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors on January 20, 2026.

The Jonathan Kuminga Saga Swings Towards Tragicomedy

Barry Petchesky

EDMONTON, CANADA - JANUARY 22: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins awaits a face-off during the second period of the game against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on January 22, 2026, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Sidney Crosby Is A Miracle

Abigail Segel is a writer based in Montreal.

Abigail Segel

Manchester City players huddle ahead of the Subway Women's League Cup Semi Final match between Manchester City and Chelsea at Joie Stadium on January 21, 2026 in Manchester, England.

Soccer

Manchester City Lost A Battle But Is Winning The War For English Women’s Soccer Supremacy

David Roth

Tom Ley

We Live In The Bone Temple Now

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

A statue representing an iceman named Oetzi, discovered on 1991 in the Italian Schnal Valley glacier, is displayed at the Archaeological Museu of Bolzano

Science

Let The Record Show That Ötzi Fucked

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (R) and Japanese Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi talk between sets during their workout on January 15, 2026 in Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia.

Podcasts

Ideologically Opposed To Proper Workout Form, With Patrick Wyman

Justin Ellis

Politics

How Do You Justify Abducting A Child?

Lauren Theisen

Dylan Larkin #71 of the Detroit Red Wings celebrates scoring an overtime winning goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs

Dylan Larkin Overtime Winners Are Sweeter Than Ever Before

James Webster

Elisa Shua Dusapin Is The Real Deal

Albert Burneko

Gavin Newsom, looking like a gross sleazeball

Gavin Newsom Has Nothing To Offer

Fans of Manchester United protest against the club's owners outside the stadium, as a fan wears a sticker reading "Love United Hate Glazer" on his head.

Manchester United Wants To Get Into The Docuseries Business

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

Owner Terry Pegula of the Buffalo Bills looks on prior to the NFL 2025 game between New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on September 28, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York.

Jamboroo

Terry Pegula Is A Big Disgrace And An Even Bigger Fucking Loser

Samer Kalaf

Azeez Al-Shaair wearing "Stop the Genocide" eye black before the Texans' game against the Patriots

NFL Sends Mixed Signals In Its Stance On Genocide

Patrick Redford

USA's Learner Tien serves to Kazakhstan's Alexander Shevchenko during their men's singles match on day four of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 21, 2026. (Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE --

Tennis

Learner Tien Is The Brightest Pupil

Veronika the cow resting while using a stick.

Creaturefector

Veronika The Cow’s Record Scratch

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 08: Garnet Hathaway #19 of the Philadelphia Flyers looks on during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 08, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

I Award Garnet Hathaway 4 Patrik Stefans Out Of 10

NCAA President Charlie Baker during a Roundtable on the Future of College Basketball sponsored by the Big East Conference at The Empire State Building on October 20, 2025 in New York City.

Death To The NCAA

NCAA Learns The Legal Consequences Of Making Shit Up As You Go Along

Giri Nathan

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 19: Daniil Medvedev plays a forehand against Jesper de Jong of the Netherlands in the Men's Singles First Round during day two of the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 19, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The Tennis Ball’s Biggest Critic Thinks “They’re Getting Better”

Buster Posey, President of Baseball Operations of the San Francisco Giants prepares for a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 15, 2025.

Major League Baseball Is Determined To Rain On Its Own Parade

Michael Jordan #23 of the Washington Wizards on the court during the final NBA game of his career, played against the Philadelphia 76ers at First Union Center on March 30, 2003 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Sixers won 107-87. 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 Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The Good Team Always Wins, With Jeremy Gordon

Michele Tafoya Won’t Rest Until She Finds A Bigger And Better Way To Annoy Everyone

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 Bride’s Last Bribery Fund

Danny Funt

Journalismism

How Bill Simmons Went All In

<a href="https://zachgozlan.info/">Zach Gozlan</a> is a data scientist, trivia ringer, and internet user based in Washington, D.C.

Zach Gozlan

Athletes stand at the Jeopardy podiums in full sports gear.

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