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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

Lauren Theisen

Patrick Redford

Rachelle Hampton

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Ray Ratto

Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 22, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada

Reds Week

Defector Music Club Gets Back Together For Taylor Swift’s ‘Red’

Albert Burneko

Tim Curry as Darkness in the film Legend (1985): a big red goat-man with huge horns

Let’s Remember When Tim Curry Played A Huge Scary Red Guy

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


Sabrina Imbler

a photo of a person in a red light mask in a dark room, with the reds week logo next to it

Is My Red Light Mask Doing Anything Or Am I Delusional? An Investigation

Israel Daramola

An Ode To Redman, The Hip-Hop Court Jester

Giri Nathan

Pat McAfee reacts in the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Indianapolis Colts

I Played Pat McAfee’s Album For Another Frequently Red-Faced, Sleeveless Baby

<p>Mitch Therieau is a writer living in Virginia.</p>


Mitch Therieau

The Red Hot Chili Peppers Beyond Good And Evil

Justin Ellis

Hasan Piker, Streamer &amp; Creator, Night, at a press conference during day two of Web Summit Vancouver 2026 at Vancouver Convention Centre. The Reds Week logo is at right.

We Are Living In The Dumbest Age Of Red-Baiting

Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears and DJ Moore #2 of the Chicago Bears visit on set of the Wildcard on Prime post game show after an NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field

Why Your Team Sucks

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Chicago Bears

Defector Staff

Dolly Parton performing live on stage in New York in August 1978

Arts And Culture

Our Favorite Dolly Parton Performances

<p>Jae Towle Vieira [they/them] works as a producer for Normal Gossip. Their fiction has been published in <i data-stringify-type="italic">The Normal School</i>, <i data-stringify-type="italic">New England Review, Carve Magazine, Passages North, Fairy Tale Review</i>, and elsewhere.</p>


Jae Towle Vieira

Podcasts

The Girlboss And The Drug Rug

Taylor Swift attends the Taylor Swift and Target "Red" Deluxe Edition CD release launch party at Skylight West on October 22, 2012 in New York City

The Not-So-Great Defector Make-Off Dares To Attempt A Red Lip

General Manager John Lynch, CEO Jed York and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers in the locker room after the NFC Championship game against the Detroit Lions on January 28, 2024.

The San Francisco 49ers Have Revolutionized The Concept Of Losing The Offseason

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 04: (L-R) Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner attend the 2026 Met Gala celebrating "Costume Art" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

I’m On That Good Kushner Alcohol, With Harrison Faigen

DMX performs at the Hard Knock Life Tour at the Continental Airlines Arena.

The Year DMX Painted The World Blood Red

David Roth

Tom Browning of the Cincinnati Reds pitches against the Chicago Cubs during an Major League Baseball game circa 1989 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Reds Week logo is at lower left.

Tom Browning Devoured Innings And Tormented My Team

Minor Dilemmas

What Do I Do About My Fragile Kid?

Felix Kent

03 June 2024, Brandenburg, Fürstenwalde: A traffic light at an intersection in the city center shows red and green for vehicles turning right. Photo: Monika Skolimowska/dpa (Photo by Monika Skolimowska/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Every Right On Red Frays The Social Contract A Little Further


<p>Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99</p>


Diana Moskovitz

Jed York at Sportico Invest in Sports New York 2025 at Nasdaq HQ on November 04, 2025 in New York, New York. He is sitting down, wearing a suit, and holding a mircrophone.

Here’s All The Court Documents Jed York Asked To Be Sealed

Tom Ley

Announcements

Soraya Roberts Was A Great Critic And A Great Hang

Sarah York

Head coach Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars stand for the national anthem prior to a NFL football game against the Houston Texans

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Jacksonville Jaguars

Vuelta a España Haunted By Red-Haired Viral Video Prankster

<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

Please Tell Me Red Wine Is Good For Me

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


Chris Thompson

Brian kaplan and jeff banister yelling from the dugout

August Baseball Game Briefly Spiced Up By Runaway Dugout Red-Assedness

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<p>Robert Rubsam writes fiction and nonfiction. His work has appeared in the NYT Magazine, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Baffler, and Liberties. He is a contributing writer for Commonweal Magazine.</p>
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Robert Rubsam

Wild Pink Goes Alt-Country

marge schott addresses the crowd before game 1 of the 1990 world series