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Defector

Kathryn Xu

Alysa Liu of Team United States competes during the women's short program.

Olympics

How Is A Figure Skater Like A Tree?

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


Sabrina Imbler

Davide Ghiotto of Team Italy, Andrea Giovannini of Team Italy,Michele Malfatti of Team Italy in action during the Speed Skating Men's Team Pursuit

Are The Fellas In Sync?

Kelsey McKinney

a wolf dog stands on the ice in front of the olympics barrier

Beautiful Wolfdog Now An Olympian

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<div dir="ltr">Georgia Cloepfil is the author of <i>The Striker and the Clock</i> (Riverhead, 2024). Her other writing can be found in <i>The Yale Review</i>, The New York <i>Times</i> Magazine, <i>n+1 </i>and elsewhere.</div>
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Georgia Cloepfil

The Suffering Of Lindsey Vonn

<p>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 <em>Point B</em>. Handsomest man in the world.</p>


Drew Magary

Funbag

How Do I Be Nice To A Jesus Freak?

Ray Ratto

Executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association Tony Clark talks to the media prior to Game 1 of the 2023 World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers.

MLBPA Chief Tony Clark Is Stepping Down 10 Months Before Baseball’s CBA Expires

Patrick Redford

France's Emily Harrop competes during the qualifications of the Mixed Relay event at the Ski mountaineering (ISMF) World Championships in Les Crosets on March 3, 2025. (Photo by GABRIEL MONNET / AFP)

Competitors In The Newest Olympic Sport Will Scale Extraordinary Heights Of Suffering

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Canada's #29 Marie-Philip Poulin reacts during the women's play-off semi-final ice hockey match between Canada and Switzerland at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, on February 16, 2026.

Canada Needs Marie-Philip Poulin To Bail Them Out One More Time

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Portrait of a beautiful young woman smiling and touching a lantern that illuminates her face.

Under The Influence

White People Online Are Really Excited About Lunar New Year

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 15: Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets and Team USA Stripes walks onto the court before the 75th NBA All-Star Game at Intuit Dome on February 15, 2026 in Inglewood, California. 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 Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Podcasts

Peeking Into The Durant Files, With Eamon Whalen

Luis Paez-Pumar

The result of the Knock-out Round Play-offs draw is displayed on the big screen alongside the UEFA Champions League trophy during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Knock-out Round Play-offs Draw at the UEFA Headquarters, The House of the European Football, on January 30, 2026 in Nyon, Switzerland

Soccer

A 2025-26 Champions League Playoff Preview For Your Enjoyment And Education

An image of (left to right) Maddie Mastro, Breezy Johnson, and Maxime Germain with their knitted creations, taken from their respective Instagram accounts.

Let’s Check In With The Knitting Olympians

Dave McKenna

College Basketball

Doug Gottlieb Attacks Refs, Furniture After Loss

Austin Florian of Team United States wears a Venom helmet.

A Tour Of The Sick-Ass Helmets Of Skeleton

Casey Wasserman at the Vogue World: Hollywood Announcement at Chateau Marmont on March 26, 2025 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)

Casey Wasserman, Radioactive With Epstein Fallout, Says He Will Sell His Agency

Lauren Theisen

Pro Wrestling

Why The Hottest New Pro Wrestling Chant Is “Fuck ICE”

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


Chris Thompson

Bryce Harper Is Still Grouchy About Dave Dombrowski’s Loose Ponderings

A customer takes a photograph of a glass of Russian River Brewing's Pliny the Younger at the Russian River Brewing Company on February 1, 2019 in Windsor, California.

Life Lessons

An Afternoon With Pliny The Younger

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - JANUARY 7: Luguentz Dort #5 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dives for a loose ball during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Paycom Center on January 7, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Crosswords

The Crossword, Feb. 16: Swish

<p>Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.</p>


Nicholas Russell

Interviews

Where Is Cinema?: An Interview With A.S. Hamrah


<p>Michael is a writer who has worked with The Atlantic, The New Yorker, WIRED, Vox, The New York Times, and other publications. His first book, <em>The Other Olympians</em>, which uncovers the stories of several European athletes who transitioned gender in the 1930s, is now available for purchase.</p>


Michael Waters

Officials in hazmat suits remove a medal around an olympian's neck

Chromosome Testing Will Take Sports Back To The Dark Ages

a USA bobsledder pushes a sled (with a long exposure so it looks artsy)

Which Terrifying Sliding Sport Would You Brave?

Barry Petchesky

LIVIGNO, ITALY - FEBRUARY 15: Ikuma Horishima of Team Japan crosses the finish line backwards after a fall as he competes in the Men's Dual Moguls 1/8 Finals against Nick Page of Team United States (not pictured) on day nine of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Air Park on February 15, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

This Backward Guy Medaled

Marc Kennedy of Team Canada competes in the curling men's round robin between Canada and USA during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo on February 13, 2026. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP)

The Big Canada-Sweden Curling Beef, Explained

Ilia Malinin of Team United States reacts after competing in the Men Single Skating on day seven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy.