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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

Soraya Roberts

Arts And Culture

Stick With ‘Dept. Q’

Kelsey McKinney

25th May 1937: Two London women reading back to back as they sunbathe by the banks of the Serpentine in Hyde Park, London.

I Had A Baby And Now I Can’t Read! What Do I Do?

Lauren Theisen

Brian Wilson, along with the Beach Boys perform at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California on January 1, 1987 .

Brian Wilson Was The Sound Of Something Just Out Of Reach

Israel Daramola

Is This An Era Of Cultural Stagnation?


<p>Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99</p>


Diana Moskovitz

Marc Maron performing stand up comedy. He is sitting on a stool and holding a microphone

There Will Never Be Another ‘WTF With Marc Maron’

The Cool Athlete Is No Longer In Production

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<div>Katherine Churchill holds a Ph.D. in English literature. Her writing has appeared in <i>Time</i>, <i>Literary Hub, Electric Literature, Oxford American Magazine</i>, and elsewhere.</div>
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Katherine Churchill

The Exclusive Men’s-Only Rare Books Club, And The Woman Who Has A Key

<p>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 <em>Point B</em>. Handsomest man in the world.</p>


Drew Magary

Tom Cruise arrives at the US Premiere of "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" at Lincoln Center Plaza in New York, New York on May 18, 2025.

If Tom Cruise REALLY Loved Movies, He Would Let Me Watch Him Die

A logo for Ask the Book Doctor, with a woman with arm tattoos and a nose ring looking at a giant art book and flipping pages. It's a very 1980s clip art look

Got A Reading Problem? Ask The Book Doctor!

Dave McKenna

Rick Derringer performs at Oakland Stadium in Oakland, California - July 23, 1977

Rick Derringer Made Rock And Roll Fun

Benny (Benito Skinner), Carmen (Wally Baram), Holmes in OVERCOMPENSATING

‘Overcompensating’ Is Not A Joke

<p>Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.</p>


Nicholas Russell

‘Mission: Impossible’ Must Finally Reckon With Tom Cruise’s Ego

Dan Sinykin

Close Reading Is For Everyone

Helen Frankenthaler Is A Reason To Go To Rochester

Slayer, Tom Araya, Clash of the Titans, Genk, Belgium, 22nd September 1990.

Are We Human, Or Are We Slayer?

Actor Timothee Chalamet and director Spike Lee celebrate after the New York Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 12, 2025 in New York City.

Timothée Chalamet Is In His Sports Bro Era

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


Sabrina Imbler


<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.

Can You Do Racism Against Italians? A Eurovision Roundtable

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<p>Robert Rubsam writes fiction and nonfiction. His work has appeared in the NYT Magazine, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Baffler, and Liberties. He is a contributing writer for Commonweal Magazine.</p>
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Robert Rubsam

Netflix Keeps Ruining Action Movies

Joe Don Baker, in a loud white shirt with color slots on it, sits in a blue car talking to a kid in a yellow shirt. Silhouettes of a man and three robots are in front of the image.

‘Mitchell’ Is Part Of Joe Don Baker’s Legacy, For Better Or Worse

Swole Woman Casey Johnston Has Written A Swole Book

<p>Violet Lucca is the author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/david-cronenberg-clinical-trials-violet-lucca/21170132"><i>David Cronenberg: Clinical Trials</i></a>. Her writing has appeared in the <em>New York Times</em>, <em>Art in America</em>, <em>Sight and Sound</em>, the <em>Village Voice</em>, and elsewhere. She was the VP of Digital at <em>Harper’s Magazine</em> and Digital Producer at <em>Film Comment</em>, and was the host of their respective podcasts.</p>


Violet Lucca

‘The Shrouds’ Is David Cronenberg’s Typically Prescient Epitaph For Our Present And His Career

sarah snook on stage with several screens showing her

‘The Picture Of Dorian Gray’ Is A Digital Monument To Vanity

‘Friendship’ Can’t Sustain The Relationship

A bunch of Danny McBride characters from Righteous Gemstones, Vice Principals and Eastbound & Down

Every Episode Of The Danny McBride HBO Universe, Ranked

Rafaela Bassili

Nicolas Cage on a beach holding a surfboard.