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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

Alex Sujong Laughlin

A picture I took from the Brooklyn Bridge the first week I lived in New York, almost a decade ago.

Podcasts

What Does It Take To Make Big City Dreams Work?

Tom Ley

FLOWERY BRANCH, GEORGIA - MAY 27: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Atlanta Falcons runs through drills alongside Tua Tagovailoa #1 as head coach Kevin Stefanski looks on during OTA’s at IBM Performance Field on May 27, 2026 in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Michael Penix Jr.; Tua Tagovailoa; Kevin Stefanski

Why Your Team Sucks

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Atlanta Falcons

Samer Kalaf

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks

Politics

The “Ground Zero Mosque” Strategy Makes An Even More Pathetic Return

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Passengers arrive on an Amtrak train at Union Station on December 04, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Amtrak carried a record 32.8 million passengers in their 2024 fiscal year, a 15 percent increase over the same period in 2023.

Crosswords

The Crossword, Aug. 10: Midpoint

Ray Ratto

Coach Nelson meets the press. The Golden State Warriors have named Don Nelson as the team's new head coach, it was announced today by Executive Vice President of Basketball Operation's Chris Mullin. Event in, Oakland, Ca, on 8/30/06.

Don Nelson Followed His Bliss And Changed Basketball

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

a still of ESPN reporter Lindsey Thiry batting away a big bug

What Big Bug “Attacked” An ESPN Reporter At Rams Camp?

Science

We Wouldn’t Be Here Without Poop

Sophie Cunningham #8 of the Indiana Fever is fouled by DiJonai Carrington #7 of the Chicago Sky during the first half

WNBA

Sophie Cunningham Has Quite A Journey To Get Back To Basketball

Sarah Borus

Asylum seekers, who entered Israel illegally via Egypt, lean at the fence of the Holot detention centre in Israel's southern Negev Desert, on February 17, 2014.

Alligator Alcatraz Isn’t Just An American Fantasy

Defector Staff

Undated group photo of the original "Our Gang."

Staff Chat

Staff Chat Starts Now? Staff Chat Starts Now

Sohini Desai

Announcements

The Defector Interns Say Fogo de “Ciao”

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

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Dallas Cowboys

Giri Nathan

LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets attends a 2025 NBA Summer League game

Interviews

Let’s Unpack LaMelo Ball’s Sugary Abode

Sportscaster Mike Krukow watches from the broadcast center between the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park on October 1, 2021 in San Francisco, California.

Mike Krukow, One Of Baseball’s Greatest Hangs, Is Ready To Go

MH Rowe

This Is So Stupid

CarJitsu Is Precisely As Dumb As It Sounds

Chelsea Gray celebrates her game-winning three-pointer

Chelsea Gray Punished Caitlin Clark’s Mistakes

an ichthyosaur eats a pterosaur, all above the gaping maw of a pliosaur

Creaturefector

Would You Eat This Cretaceous Turducken?

Cotie McMahon #23 of the Washington Mystics celebrates with teammates after the game against the Dallas Wings at CareFirst Arena on August 5, 2026 in Washington, DC.

The Washington Mystics Don’t Act Their Age

David Roth

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Miami Heat speaks to the media during an introductory press conference at Kaseya Center on July 16, 2026. The Distraction logo is at upper right.

Mugged By Seagulls, With Rohan Nadkarni

Jefry Yan #84 of the New York Mets celebrates after striking out Angel Martínez #1 of the Cleveland Guardians for his first career strikeout during the sixth inning of his major league debut on August 5, 2026.

It’s Jefry Yan Time

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Miami Dolphins

Kathryn Xu

Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Oh No: Dodgers In Unrecoverable Tailspin After Sixth Straight Loss

Patrick Redford

ILLUSTRATION - 17 May 2024, North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne: A person works at a computer with an illustrative image generated by artificial intelligence on the screen, showing code from various programming languages and a neural network diagram. At the meeting of telecommunications ministers on May 21, the EU countries are expected to finally adopt the AI law in the EU. The European Parliament had already given the green light for the project beforehand. Photo: Oliver Berg/dpa (Photo by Oliver Berg/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Defector Also Investigating How Our Super Powerful AI Tool Broke Contain

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Paul Skenes Is Stuck Being A Guy While The Pirates Require A Dude

Grace Byron is a critic, reporter, and novelist based in Queens. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, Bookforum, and elsewhere. Her debut novel Herculine is out now.