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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

Justin Ellis

A man carries his child sideways in his arms as he walks up a road

Minor Dilemmas

Is It Even Possible To Discipline A Two-Year-Old?

Knicks fans crowd around each other at a NBA playoffs watch party outside Madison Square Garden in spring 2026

The President Has Arrived To Fuck Up The Hottest Party In New York

How Do We Decide To Have A Baby If We’re On The Fence?

A paratrooper who crashed into the jumbotron at the Virginia Tech football stadium dangles from his parachute above the crowd before the spring football game on April April 18, 2026, at Lane Stadium

Life's Rich Pageant

Someone Appears To Be Stuck On The Jumbotron

A silhouette of a baby with Minor Dilemmas written over it

Rejoice, Tired Parents! Defector Will Raise Your Children Now

Politics

How Do You Justify Abducting A Child?

Protestors stare down federal officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside a federal building near Minneapolis following the shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent.

When Everyday Life Becomes Domestic Terrorism

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 05: Rico Dowdle #5 of the Carolina Panthers carries the ball during the third quarter against the Miami Dolphins in the game at Bank of America Stadium on October 05, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Rico Dowdle Tapped The Power Of The Pickle

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks on stage to military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico

College Football

Hegseth Delivers Inspiration, Pushups, To The Youth

J'Wan Roberts of the Houston Cougars defends the shot attempt of Cooper Flagg of the Duke Blue Devils in the final minutes of the 2025 Mens College Basketball semi final

College Basketball

Houston Showed Why You Play To The Final Buzzer

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama walks off the court and waves to fans after a game.

Maybe Trading Childhood Memories For Profit Is Not A Market Advantage

President Trump walks across the south lawn of the White House in a black coat after returning from a trip

The Witch Hunt

Arizona State University basketball coach Bobby Hurley freaks out at a referee after one of his players is ejected from a game

You Can’t Be Headbutting Dudes On The Basketball Court

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Rachelle Hampton

chad michael murray and two other male revue dancers are shirtless in suspenders in front of a green fundraising chart

Defector At The Movies

Defector Watches A Christmas Movie: ‘The Merry Gentlemen’

Actor Timothee Chalamet answers questions on a press tour.

This Is So Stupid

SHOCKER: This Handsome Actor Is In Fact A Ball-Knower

Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns is taken off the field on a medical cart in the second quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bengalsat Huntington Bank Field on October 20, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio.

NFL Quietly Drops Latest Investigation Into Sexual Assault Allegations Against Deshaun Watson

A dish filled with baked macaroni and cheese

Chefector

When Does A Recipe Become Your Own?

A look inside the offices of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a sign for FEMA sits in the foreground as we see the silhouettes of people against large monitors in the background.

It’s Not The Weather Machine That Is Making Life Shittier

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence #16 yells at his coach, Doug Pederson during a game against the Houston Texans.

The Jaguars Are On The Cusp Of The Slope

Red crime scene tape marking off an area outside the Trump International Golf Club sign in West Palm Beach, Florida, as law enforcement investigate an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

Cope Is A Terrible Way Not To Die

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley runs for a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints on September 22, 2024 at the Superdome.

Eagles Remember They Should  Give The Ball To Saquon Barkley More

The super yacht of Russian billionaire businessman and oligarch Roman Abramovich sitting in dock at the Marmaris Port in Turkey in December 2023.

We Are Honor Bound To Commandeer Mark Zuckerberg’s Megayacht

Bad Bunny performing on stage in Philadelphia in 2022, wearing an outfit with red shorts while sitting on a beach chair while enjoying a beverage.

Life Lessons

Fellas, Our Horrible Climate Future Demands You Wear Short Shorts

A photo of the scoreboard screen at the Target Center in Minneapolis displaying the words "Bring Ya Ass"

Whomst Has Brought The Ass?

Jae Towle Vieira [they/them] works as a producer for Normal Gossip. Their fiction has been published in The Normal School, New England Review, Carve Magazine, Passages North, Fairy Tale Review, and elsewhere.

Jae Towle Vieira

Normal Gossip logo with cartoon characters gossiping