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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

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


Sabrina Imbler

a trio of chilean flamingos, with the Bills Week logo

Bills Week

Why Do Flamingos Eat So Weird?

Kathryn Xu

Common loon flapping its wings in the morning

Fatal Battles In Common Loons: A Subsequent Analysis

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 27: Former United States Agency for International Development (USAID) employees terminated after the Trump administration dismantled the agency collect their personal belongings at the USAID headquarters on February 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. Thousands of (USAID) workers who have been fired or placed on leave have been given a 15 minutes window to clear out their workspace after the Trump administration, under the guidance of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), shuttered the agency.

Interviews

Meet The Civil Servants Under Attack By The Trump Administration

a photo of Mary Giovagnoli, a fired Unaccompanied Children Ombuds

An Interview With A Fired Unaccompanied Children Ombuds

a headshot of Laura Mata López, a psychiatric nurse and doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University

An Interview With A Psychiatric Nurse Whose Research Funding Was Cut By The Trump Administration

Joy Binion, formerly a social science analyst at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMSHA

An Interview With A Terminated Analyst At The Substance Abuse And Mental Health Administration

CT scan of the front of a skate, showing the hard, tooth-like denticles on its skin (shown in orange)

Creaturefector

The “Tooth Hurty” Joke Has Its Origins In Ancient, Armored Fish

a photo of Patrick Kelly, a Doctoral Candidate at Brown University School of Public Health, whose NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse funded doctoral research was terminated

An Interview With A Public Health Researcher Whose Funding Was Terminated By The Trump Administration

Mamta Patel Nagaraja, a fired NASA associate chief scientist for exploration and research, giving a keynote at the Department of Transportation for a White House event

An Interview With A Fired NASA Associate Chief Scientist

a headshot of Becca Beckham, a former AmeriCorps portfolio manager

An Interview With A Fired AmeriCorps Portfolio Manager

Picture of Colossal’s Dire Wolves; Romulus and Remus at age three months. Born 10/1/2024

Colossal Biosciences Can’t Have It Both Ways

Kelsey McKinney


<p>Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.</p>


Dan McQuade

Ray Ratto

The two Eurovision hosts are surrounded by dancers holding giant fondue sticks.

Music

Can You Do Racism Against Italians? A Eurovision Roundtable

An Interview With A Fired Contract Specialist At The Office Of Personnel Management

a photo of Chuck Sebian-Lander, a fired CFPB web manager. He is wearing a a shirt from my union, NTEU 335, and b) a lapel pin with the CFPB seal that he was given as part of a Director's award

An Interview With A Fired Web Content Manager At The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

A photo of fired EPA program analyst Amanda Cronin holding the text of Executive Order 14096

An Interview With A Fired EPA Environmental Justice Program Analyst

a headshot for Charla Burnett, a fired science for development fellow at USAID

An Interview With A Fired Science For Development Fellow At USAID

three bone collector caterpillars, which are caterpillars covered in the bodies of insects they've eaten

The Very Grisly Caterpillar

Claire Sneed, a recently fired US Forest Service hydrologic technician

An Interview With A Fired U.S. Forest Service Hydrologic Technician

A headshot of Madyson Miller, a fired NOAA program analyst, in a blue sweater and golden light

An Interview With A Fired NOAA Program Analyst

a photo of matt o'malley, a fired USDA agricultural engineer, smiling in front of mountains

An Interview With A Fired USDA Agricultural Engineer

a headshot of fired CDC health communications manager Sarah Boim

Politics

An Interview With A Fired CDC Health Communications Manager

A photo of a USAID education officer, Joel Runnels, standing in a field

An Interview With A Fired USAID Education Officer

A photo of Jules Reynolds, a fired USDA program coordinator, sitting near a valley of farmland

An Interview With A Fired USDA Program Coordinator

two caterpillars having a face-off on a leaf tip until one launches itself off the leaf

This Leaf Tip Ain’t Big Enough For The Two Of Us

People attend the 'Trans Day of Visibility Rally' hosted by the Christopher Street Project on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Someone holds up a sign saying "I WANT MORE TRANSSEXUAL FRIENDS LOVERS TEACHERS STUDENTS NEIGHBORS AUTHORS ARTISTS LEADERS LAWYERS PREACHERS & COMRADES.