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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

A general view of the OU logo and signage for 50 Conference Championships, 7 National Championships, and 31 Bowl Championships on June 8, 2025, on the facade of the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK.

Politics

The Conservative Grievance Business Is Always Hiring

Dave McKenna

Head coach Pat Fitzgerald of the Northwestern Wildcats is seen during the 2022 Big Ten Conference Football Media Days at Lucas Oil Stadium on July 26, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

College Football

Scandal-Plagued Michigan State Hires Scandal-Plagued Pat Fitzgerald

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Deni Avdija Kicks Mondo Ass Now

Kathryn Xu

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri interviewed after the Qatar Grand Prix.

Racing

The Formula 1 Title Will Be Decided In The Final Race, Thanks To McLaren’s Buffoonery

Patrick Redford

James Harden #1 of the Los Angeles Clippers reacts after a no foul call during the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks on November 29, 2025 in Inglewood, California.

The Clippers Are Circling The Toilet

Hamilton Nolan is a journalist based in New York City. Subscribe to his work at <a href="https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1687350200913000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0naFbUVOe-5ZgtPDtIM3gz">HamiltonNolan.com</a>.

Hamilton Nolan

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 30: Andrew Wingard #42 of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates after a victory against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on November 30, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

Jaguars Junction: Week 13

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Podcasts

Ronald Young Jr. Comes Clean

Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.

Dan McQuade

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 30: Charlie Smyth #39 of the New Orleans Saints attempts an onside kick against the Miami Dolphins during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium on November 30, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Charlie Successfully Kicks Football

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Chappell Roan attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 05, 2025 in New York City.

Crosswords

The Crossword, Dec. 1: I Gotta Feeling

Ray Ratto

Lane Kiffin of the Mississippi Rebels reacts after a penalty against the Florida Gators at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 15, 2025 in Oxford, Mississippi. He's yelling and throwing his ipad like a little kid.

Lane Kiffin And LSU Deserve Each Other

Tom Ley

Aaron Rodgers Is All Fucked Up

Barry Petchesky

CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 30: Jauan Jennings #15 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after scoring touchdown during the fourth quarter of the NFL 2025 game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on November 30, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)

Everyone Wants To Punch Jauan Jennings In The Nuts

Giri Nathan

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 29: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks attempts a layup against John Collins #20 and Nicolas Batum #33 of the Los Angeles Clippers during the second quarter at Intuit Dome on November 29, 2025 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 Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

Cooper Flagg Makes History Against The Ancient Clippers

Samer Kalaf

Football coach Lane Kiffin in Ole Miss gear.

Our Long National Nightmare Is Over: Lane Kiffin Has Picked A Job

UNC head coach Bill Belichick in a big puffy coat

Bill Belichick’s First Season At UNC Ends With A Mumble

Jimmy Butler III #10 of the Golden State Warriors looks to pass the ball against Saddiq Bey #41 of the New Orleans Pelicans

The Warriors Without Steph Curry Are Bad, But The Pelicans Are Still Worse

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff #16 throws a pass during the second half of an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions

Nothing Is Coming Up Lions

Ralph Jones

Interviews

An Illuminating Conversation With The Man Who Was Willem Dafoe’s Stunt Penis

Diana Nyad speaks at the FEMME Awards 2025 at Terranea Resort on March 20, 2025 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

Swimming

Diana Nyad Finally Got Her Plaque

Luis Paez-Pumar

Vikings on a boat preparing for a fortress raid in Assassin's Creed Valhalla

The Backlog

‘Valhalla’ Is Assassin’s Creed At Its Most Bloated

A barn near Litchfield, Connecticut. It is painted in a faded red, and there's an American flag painted on the front of it. The Distraction logo is at upper right.

A Long Weekend In “Magary Country”

Football teams from the schools of Yale and Princeton playing a match on Thanksgiving Day afternoon that ended in a tie score, November 1879. The illustration, a wood engraving, was published in an 1879 issue of Harper’s Weekly newspaper.

Defector Up All Night

Catch Your Breath In The Thanksgiving Open Thread

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

View of American media mogul and businesswoman Martha Stewart, in a blue, striped apron, as she works in her kitchen, Westport, Connecticut, August 1976.

Jamboroo

Confessions Of A Domestic Demigod

Culture Writer

Israel Daramola

Indiana Hoosiers OL Mike Katic (56) celebrates with the Old Oaken Bucket following a college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and Indiana Hoosiers on November 30, 2024 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN

It’s All Over But The Crowing Over The Corpse Of Your Rival

Cason Wallace #22, Isaiah Hartenstein #55, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2, Chet Holmgren #7, and Luguentz Dort #5 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 23, 2025.