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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

Kate Wagner

Reds Week

There Is Only One Lesson Of Red Vienna


<p><a href="mailto:tara@taraariano.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tara Ariano</a> co-hosts the podcasts <a href="https://www.extrahotgreat.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Extra Hot Great</a>, <a href="https://listentosassy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Listen To Sassy</a>, and <a href="https://www.againwiththis90210.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Again With This</a>. She is also the co-author, with Sarah D. Bunting, of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Very-Special-90210-Book-Absolutely/dp/1419747460?tag=decider08-20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>A Very Special 90210 Book: 93 Absolutely Essential Episodes From TV’s Most Notorious Zip Code</em></a>. Her byline has appeared in the <em>New York Times Magazine</em>, <em>GQ</em>, <em>Vanity Fair</em>, <em>New York</em>, <em>Slate</em>, Vulture, Salon, and The Awl, among many others. She lives in Austin.</p>
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It's a photo of Tara Ariano. She has big sunglasses on.

Tara Ariano

The Cozy-Looking Sweaters In ‘Reds,’ Ranked

Kelsey McKinney

four actors in bad Beatles wigs pose for a photo

Possible Red Card: The Beatles Movie Wigs

Maitreyi Anantharaman

A still from the Sherlock Holmes episode "The Red-Headed League"

“The Red-Headed League” Is A Sherlock Holmes Mystery That Can Laugh At Itself

Lauren Theisen

Patrick Redford

Rachelle Hampton

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Ray Ratto

Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 22, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada

Defector Music Club Gets Back Together For Taylor Swift’s ‘Red’

Albert Burneko

Tim Curry as Darkness in the film Legend (1985): a big red goat-man with huge horns

Let’s Remember When Tim Curry Played A Huge Scary Red Guy

Israel Daramola

An Ode To Redman, The Hip-Hop Court Jester

Giri Nathan

Pat McAfee reacts in the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Indianapolis Colts

I Played Pat McAfee’s Album For Another Frequently Red-Faced, Sleeveless Baby

<p>Mitch Therieau is a writer living in Virginia.</p>


Mitch Therieau

The Red Hot Chili Peppers Beyond Good And Evil

Defector Staff

Dolly Parton performing live on stage in New York in August 1978

Arts And Culture

Our Favorite Dolly Parton Performances

Taylor Swift attends the Taylor Swift and Target "Red" Deluxe Edition CD release launch party at Skylight West on October 22, 2012 in New York City

The Not-So-Great Defector Make-Off Dares To Attempt A Red Lip

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

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

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

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, n+1, Texas Monthly, Air Mail, and other publications.</p>


Owen Lewis

Interviews

‘The Cruelest Game’ Examines Tennis As Torture

Charli XCX Made A Beautiful Monument To Impermanence

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