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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

Brandy Jensen

A world cup fan holds a sign soliciting tickets

Funbag

Should I Sell My Ludicrously Valuable World Cup Ticket?

Arts And Culture

Finally, An Austen-ish Adaptation Worth Watching

‘Last One Laughing UK’ Is Absurdly Funny

Sturla Holm Laegreid from Norway reacts emotionally at the award ceremony.

Olympics

Adulterous Norwegian Biathlete’s Appeal Denied

Defector Reads A Book

Defector Reads A Book Is Tackling ‘Wuthering Heights’

Woman farmer feeding hogs Lisbon Falls, ME

Against “Slop”

Kelsey McKinney

Some Thoughts On ‘Heated Rivalry,’ Including But Not Limited To: Ahhhh, Mmmm, And [Crying Emoji]

American Cant

Defector Reads A Book Is Deciding If This Is The Funniest Novel Ever Written

Not Every Documentary About A Crime Needs To Be A True Crime Documentary

English broadcaster, author and parliamentarian Melvyn Bragg

Thank You, Melvyn Bragg

Joni Mitchell posed in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1972

Mods Asleep

A Playlist For Being Chill About Your Crush

Shakira Austin #0 of the Washington Mystics shoots the ball against Maria Kliundikova #77 of the Minnesota Lynx in the first quarter at Target Center on August 08, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

WNBA

Why A Bunch Of Real Dicks Keep Throwing Fake Ones

Sarah Jessica Parker in 'And Just Like That...'

And Just Like That… It’s Over

Tom Ley

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Luis Paez-Pumar

Defector Reads A Book: The Art of Fielding

The Art Of Reading

The front of the New York Times building on 8th Avenue during sunset

Journalismism

The New York Times Clarifies That A Starving Child In Gaza Also Needs Medical Care

Bills Week

William F. Buckley’s Bill Never Came Due

Alex Cooper, host of “Call Her Daddy” and founder of the Unwell Network, speaks during the New York Times annual DealBook

Call Her On Her Bullshit

Patrick Redford

David Roth

Kathryn Xu

Cyclists in a race are in the background. There is a house or wall on the left side of the road. There is a man in front, looking at the peloton, squatting halfway with his arms spread just past his knees. Next to him in the center of the road is a bicycle laid across the ground.

Tim Krabbe’s ‘The Rider’ Won Us Over By Losing

‘The Settlers’ Makes Louis Theroux Say What He Thinks

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


Chris Thompson

Is Reacher Too Big Now? A Roundtable Discussion

Life Lessons

I Will Take An Annoying World Over A Sterile One

Rachelle Hampton

Alex Sujong Laughlin

A woman walks in front of a mural depicting writer Octavia Butler in Nairobi, Kenya. The Defector Reads A Book badge is at upper right.

Octavia E. Butler’s ‘Parable Of The Sower’ Confronts What Comes After The End

September 1958: An employee of the 'Housewives Help Service' hoovering the living room of a businesswoman while she relaxes. (Photo by Frank Martin/BIPs/Getty Images)

Which Chore Gets Forgotten The Most Often?

Let’s Chat Janet Malcolm, Analysis, And Get ‘In The Freud Archives’