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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

Israel Daramola

DMX performs at the Hard Knock Life Tour at the Continental Airlines Arena.

Reds Week

The Year DMX Painted The World Blood Red

Tom Ley

Announcements

Soraya Roberts Was A Great Critic And A Great Hang

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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

Wild Pink Goes Alt-Country

Ray Ratto

A screenshot of the Starbug's bridge from an episode of Red Dwarf, with the Reds Week logo at lower right.

‘Red Dwarf’ Became A Sci-Fi Classic By Rejecting Every Sci-Fi Convention

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<div>Casey Taylor is a writer living and working in Pittsburgh. He is currently writing a book for St. Martin&#8217;s Press about cannabis religions, Haile Selassie I, and the Cold War in the Caribbean. He also writes a free newsletter called <a href="https://weedchurch.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://weedchurch.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1709306863919000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1mVH2xiID6S0zvlyj6yHco">Weed Church</a> covering foolish spiritual things that occur to him. His work has appeared in The New Republic, WIRED, New York Magazine, and a sports blog he can’t currently recall the name of. You can <a href="mailto:caseyt7@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email</a> him if you’d like.</div>
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Casey Taylor

Arts And Culture

The Fight To Save The Remarkable, Upsetting Murals Of Maxo Vanka

Brandy Jensen

A Brief Consideration Of Some Fictional Big Boys

John Saward

Actor James Gandolfini in scene from HBO TV drama series The Sopranos.

James Gandolfini Had A Lot In His Bag

Listening Habits

Fenix Flexin Puts Bankrolls On The Table And AI On The Charts

David Hollingshead

Humanists Have Done Nothing Wrong

<p>Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and has written for The Guardian, The Second Serve, The Athletic, and other publications.</p>


Owen Lewis

Interviews

‘The Cruelest Game’ Examines Tennis As Torture

Patrick Redford

Charli XCX Made A Beautiful Monument To Impermanence

Mike Kinsella of American Football performs onstage during a concert at O2 Academy Leeds.

American Football Is Still Making Magic

Annie Berke

The Sports Idiot Is Dead, Long Live The Sports Idiot

Giri Nathan

LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets attends a 2025 NBA Summer League game

Let’s Unpack LaMelo Ball’s Sugary Abode

<p>Grace Byron is a critic, reporter, and novelist based in Queens. Her writing has appeared in <em>The New Yorker</em>, <em>Granta</em>, <em>Bookforum</em>, and elsewhere. Her debut novel <em>Herculine</em> is out now.</p>


Grace Byron

Claire Stapleton Helped Write The Myth Of Google, But Now She’s Trying To Tell The Truth

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Collage: An old drawing of people in a lifeboat struggling against rough seas; in front of them a modern woman is popping out of the water, taking a photo of herself.

Under The Influence

What Are You Banning When You Ban Influencers?

Still image from Drake's music video for "Burning Bridges."

The Best Music Of 2026 So Far

Annie Geng

‘I Want Your Sex’ Is A Raunchy Plea For Young People To Have More Fun

A view of the Larry O'Brien championship trophy

A Review Of The Larry O’Brien Trophy, Or Anyway A Larry O’Brien Trophy

Sarah Borus

France Europe French Paris 7th arrondissement Muse Rodin Museum art sculpture hands

You’ve Got To Hand It To Rodin

Nick Martin

Danny McBride Leaves You Wandering

Lauren Theisen

four actors on a set that looks like a dark back porch with a hot tub

After The Argument Comes The Rest Of Your Lives

Natalie Weiner

Colson Whitehead Talks About Embracing Change, Pulling Off A Heist, And Finding A Good Coffee Table

Can Men Stop Hating Women?

For Better Or Worse, ‘The Odyssey’ Is Peak Christopher Nolan