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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

Maitreyi Anantharaman

The cover of Rooting Interest, next to a jump ball in a WNBA game.

Women's Basketball

How Can You Not Be Romantic About Women’s Basketball? 

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

Life Lessons

Confessions Of A Bookanizer

Kelsey McKinney

Rob Rausch in a western shirt sitting in a chair

The Greatest Traitor Of All Time

Nate Rogers

Jason Lee at Netflix and Shondaland's "The Residence" Los Angeles Premiere at The Egyptian Theatre

Arts And Culture

A Complimentary Profile Of Jason Lee That Was Surprisingly Difficult To Publish

Defector Staff

“Epic Party” – 24 returning players are abandoned on the islands of Fiji for a monumental 50th season, with the chance to win $1 million. The theme of the season, “In the Hands of the Fans,” quickly materializes as decisions from the fan vote swiftly and forcefully impact the game. Castaways reflect on how much they have changed since the last time they played the game. Then, an unforeseen injury during the first immunity challenge causes tribemates to rethink their attack strategy in order to support their team member, on the historic three-hour season premiere of SURVIVOR 50, Wednesday, Feb. 25 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Jeff Probst serves as host and executive producer. Pictured L to R. Tiffany Ervin, Dee Valladares, Ozzy Lusth, Joe Hunter, Angelina Keeley, Charlie Davis, Rizo Velovic, Christian Hubicki, Genevieve Mushaluk, Chrissy Hofbeck, Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, Emily Flippen, Kamilla Karthigesu, Savannah Louie, Kyle Fraser, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Rick Devens, Mike White, Cirie Fields, Aubry Bracco, Colby Donaldson, Jonathan Young, Q Burdette and Benjamin "Coach" Wade.

An Extensive And Exhaustive Player-By-Player Preview Of ‘Survivor 50’

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

a screenshot of an email exchange with "Elena Ferrante", which contains six back-and-forth emails out of an exchange of 12

Life's Rich Pageant

What I Learned From My Annoyingly Long Correspondence With “Elena Ferrante”

Israel Daramola

Is ‘Industry’ Losing Its Edge?

Hannah Seo

What Should Recorded Musicals Do?

Samer Kalaf

Interviews

Cherien Dabis Discusses The Challenges Of Writing, Filming, And Distributing A Palestinian Movie

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Margot Robbie's mouth, with a hand over it.

Emerald Fennell Now Going Moor-To-Moor Trying To Shock People

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Portrait of a beautiful young woman smiling and touching a lantern that illuminates her face.

Under The Influence

White People Online Are Really Excited About Lunar New Year

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.

Nicholas Russell

Where Is Cinema?: An Interview With A.S. Hamrah

Bad Bunny Celebrated America

Rafaela Bassili

Sara Jane Moore, the woman who attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford, is shown as she leaves San Mateo County prison en route to San Francisco where she is to to appear in the US District Court, October 28th 1975.

‘Suburban Fury’ Is Strange, Blinkered, And Very Compelling

<div>John is a history teacher, researcher, and writer. He lives in the D.C. area.</div>
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John Mohr

Artist Scott Adams, the creator the "Dilbert" comic series, poses with a cutout of his character in Dublin, Calif. on Feb. 7, 1996. (Photo by Michael Macor/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

I Watched The “Lost” Live-Action ‘Dilbert’ Pilot Episode, And It’s Clear Why It Didn’t Get Picked Up

Mychal Denzel Smith is the author of Stakes Is High, winner of the Kirkus Prize for Non-Fiction.

Mychal Denzel Smith

I Thoroughly Enjoyed Watching Michael Rapaport Eat Shit On ‘The Traitors’

Eli Cugini

Fanfiction’s Total Cultural Victory

Elon Green is the author of The Man Nobody Killed and Last Call.

Elon Green

Michael Connelly Should Stick To Fake Crime

David Roth

Tom Ley

We Live In The Bone Temple Now

James Webster

Elisa Shua Dusapin Is The Real Deal

Natan Last Has Thought A Lot About Crosswords

Barry Petchesky

‘The Disintegration Loops’ Are Music’s Loveliest Death

‘Industry’ Is As Beautifully Dumb As Ever

A self-portrait by Leonardo da Vinci in which he looks displeased, perhaps making the face he would make if he learned that scientists were trying to grind up some ancient hair to unlock a supervision gene

Leonardo da Vinci’s Legacy Won’t Be Found In His DNA

E.Y. Zhao is a writer and editor from St. Louis. Her debut novel, <a href="https://astrapublishinghouse.com/product/underspin-9781662603266/">Underspin</a>, set in the world of competitive table tennis, is out now. She holds a BA in history from Harvard College and an MFA from the University of Michigan.