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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

Defector Staff

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

Arts And Culture

Our Favorite Dolly Parton Performances

Lauren Theisen

Alex Sujong Laughlin

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

Reds Week

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

Israel Daramola

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

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

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