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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

David Roth

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during the BlackRock Infrastructure Summit on March 11, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Podcasts

A Feast Of Sludge, With Ed Zitron

Patrick Redford

Spencer Weiner 805–653–7527 –– – (left–r) Steve Galbraith and Kim Cuevas, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Archaeologists, search burn area near Lions camp in Rose Valley. The Forest Service regularly researches ruins, or other artifacts revealed in Wilderness areas after wildfires. Members of U.S. Forest Service Archeological team are in areas of the Sespe Wilderness to check on the condition of rare Native American rock art and other artifacts that may have been damaged when the wolf fire raged through the area last week.

The Great Outdoors

The Trump Administration Is Killing The U.S. Forest Service So It Can Also Kill U.S. Forests

Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and has written for The Guardian, The Second Serve, The Athletic, and other publications.

Owen Lewis

A radar board at a tennis tournament showing a 149 mph serve

Tennis

Men’s Tennis Is, Once Again, Too Fast

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Tony Vitello Might Be Too Candid For His Own Good

Tom Ley

Journalismism

Free Press Dipshit Humiliates Herself In Public Again

Israel Daramola

Music

The Best Songs Of Q1 2026

PORTLAND, OREGON - MARCH 21: Darius Acuff Jr. #5 of the Arkansas Razorbacks looks on against the High Point Panthers during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on March 21, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)

A Post-Tournament Prospect Prospectus, With David Roth

Heather Chen is a former Defector intern and the managing editor at the Columbia Daily Spectator. She loves hockey, photography, and the good ol’ state of Michigan.

Heather Wei-Xi Chen

The New York Sirens and the Seattle Torrent shake hands following their game at Madison Square Garden

PWHL

What Comes After The Garden?

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 16: Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons and Kenny's Young Stars drives past Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs and Chuck's Global Stars during the 74th NBA All-Star Game at Chase Center on February 16, 2025 in San Francisco, 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 Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The 65-Game Rule Exacerbates The Fake Problem It Was Intended To Solve

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

Mike Vrabel And Dianna Russini Insist There’s Nothing Strange About Them Holding Hands And Hugging At A Hotel

Billy Haisley

Betty Boop is awakened by city noise in her bedroom.

Brazilian Funk Continues Innovating Methods For Getting Your Shit Rocked

Rafaela Bassili

Arts And Culture

Anatomy Of A Gaucho

Ray Ratto

A group of British football-playing dads in the 1980s, wearing their uniforms and holding their infant children while posing for a picture. Includes the "minor dilemmas" logo of a black outline of a crawling baby

Minor Dilemmas

Can I Tell Another Parent That I Despise One Of My Kid’s Peers?

Barry Petchesky

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 07: Atlanta Braves catcher Jonah Heim (20) tries to hold back Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler (12) as he swings a punch at Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez (40) on the mound as home plate umpire Edwin Moscoso trails the play during the MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Angels on April 7, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)

Advances In Basebrawl Weaponry Are Being Made Every Day

Revisiting Dashboard Confessional, 25 Years Later

Kathryn Xu

A 0.2" inch ABS challenge where a ball was turned into a strike, made by Eugenio Suarez against umpire CB Bucknor.

What Is A Strike

Sindarov Javokhir of Uzbekistan competes against Matlakov Maxim of Russia during the Rapid Open sixth round of the FIDE World Rapid &amp; Blitz Championship at the Sports and Events Complex, Qatar University, in Doha, Qatar, on December 27, 2025. (Photo by Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Chess

An Uzbek Chess Prodigy Is Laying Waste To The World’s Best Players

Lauren Theisen

Fans of the Michigan Wolverines celebrate

College Basketball

You Can’t Go Home Again, But You Can Visit

Willson Contreras reacts angrily to being hit by a pitch.

Willson Contreras Is Sick And Tired Of Being Plunked By The Brewers

Robert Redford and Paul Newman as cowboys in Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid

Funbag

I Wanna Be A Cowboy

Politics

I Guess We’re Just Waiting Around To See If This Demented Psychopath Kills Everyone

Luis Paez-Pumar

A general view of the UEFA Champions League trophy ahead of the UEFA Champions League, league phase match at Stamford Bridge, London. Picture date: Tuesday November 25, 2025.

Soccer

No One Is Safe In The Champions League Quarterfinals

Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon. A muted blue Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface. The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime. On Earth’s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. In the foreground, Ohm crater has terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks. Central peaks form in complex craters when the lunar surface, liquefied on impact, splashes upwards during the crater’s formation.

Science

Why We Fly

Elliot Cadeau #3 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates after defeating the UConn Huskies 69-63 in the National Championship of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on April 6, 2026.

Michigan Met Connecticut In The Muck And Won

Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels walks off the field with a trainer after being hit by a pitch.