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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.

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Defector

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Brandy Jensen

US-POLITICS-CORRESPONDENTS

Arts And Culture

American Cant

<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>


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Drew Magary

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Hater's Guide

The 2025 Hater’s Guide To The Williams-Sonoma Catalog

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Defector Staff

American director, producer, and actor Rob Reiner gestures near a camera while crew members surround him outdoors on the set of his film, 'North.'

Rob Reiner Directs

Defector’s Favorite Rob Reiner Credits


<div dir="auto">Liz Cook is a freelance writer and recipe developer based in Kansas City. Her work appears in places like Serious Eats, Eater, the BBC, and Condé Nast Traveler. She also writes the experimental food newsletter <a href="https://haterade.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Haterade</a>. </div>


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Liz Cook

The entrance to 1587 Prime, a steakhouse that… looks like a steakhouse

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Food

Two Nights Playing With Fire At Patrick Mahomes And Travis Kelce’s Steakhouse

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Patrick Redford

A general view of an NBA on NBC camera during the game between the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 25, 2025.

nba on nbc camera

Let’s Check In On The State Of The NBA’s National Broadcasts

2019-01-01 00:15:14.989

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Bryce Young hugs NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected first overall by the Carolina Panthers during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station on April 27, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri.

2023 NFL Draft – Round 1

Capital

Whose League Is It Anyway?

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David Roth

A general view of the OU logo and signage for 50 Conference Championships, 7 National Championships, and 31 Bowl Championships on June 8, 2025, on the facade of the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: JUN 08 University of Oklahoma

Politics

The Conservative Grievance Business Is Always Hiring

Ralph Jones

“Late Fame” Photocall – The 82nd Venice International Film Festival

Interviews

An Illuminating Conversation With The Man Who Was Willem Dafoe’s Stunt Penis

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


Typing

Sabrina Imbler

a mother leopard seal opens her mouth above the body of her dead pup

nora rafaella open mouth

Creaturefector

Why Won’t Nora The Leopard Seal Abandon Her Dead Pups?

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<div><a href="https://www.bystefanfatsis.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bystefanfatsis.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1759235100786000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1mlCW5_XUY56jklGr11a_z">Stefan Fatsis</a> is the author of four books: <a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/unabridged/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://groveatlantic.com/book/unabridged/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1759235100786000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0jbw5ZscOBp6w-1um3R6yu"><i>Unabridged</i></a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-few-seconds-of-panic-a-sportswriter-plays-in-the-nfl-stefan-fatsis/7891278" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-few-seconds-of-panic-a-sportswriter-plays-in-the-nfl-stefan-fatsis/7891278&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1759235100786000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0MpNNngIOKaj-715hSNVZD"><i>A Few Seconds of Panic</i></a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/word-freak-heartbreak-triumph-genius-and-obsession-in-the-world-of-competitive-scrabblep-layers-stefan-fatsis/11648962" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bookshop.org/p/books/word-freak-heartbreak-triumph-genius-and-obsession-in-the-world-of-competitive-scrabblep-layers-stefan-fatsis/11648962&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1759235100786000&amp;usg=AOvVaw02LL51Wrka0A0lLkwOxYUj"><i>Word Freak</i></a>, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Outside-Renegade-Baseball-Heartland/dp/0802712975" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Outside-Renegade-Baseball-Heartland/dp/0802712975&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1759235100786000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1YzbrZGW2KCbIttDDLhkPn"><i>Wild and Outside</i></a>. He&#8217;s also a former cohost of “Hang Up and Listen,” commentator on NPR&#8217;s &#8220;All Things Considered,&#8221; and reporter for <i>The Wall Street Journal</i>.</div>
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Stefan Fatsis

THE GONG SHOW

Life's Rich Pageant

How A Campy 1970s Game Show Became Part Of Canada’s National Lexicon

<div>David Covucci is the editor-in-chief of <a href="https://foiaball.beehiiv.com/p/foiaball-football-for-the-people">FOIAball</a>, a new publication utilizing public records to report on college football.</div>


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Dave Covucci

UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) runs onto the field with teammates before the game against Nebraska at the Rose Bowl on November 8, 2025 in Pasadena, California.

UCLA vs Nebraska in Pasadena, CA

Death To The NCAA

How UCLA Used A Friendly Charity To Get Tax-Free NIL Money

<p>Lesley Ryder is a writer and a host covering the Chicago Red Stars. She co-created <a href="https://galpalsports.com/">Gal Pal Sports</a>, a platform that lives to make women’s sports fun for everyone.</p>


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Lesley Ryder


<p>Investigations Editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99</p>


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Diana Moskovitz

A detail of the NWSL logo on a game ball prior to the NWSL match between the Houston Dash and the Angel City FC at Shell Energy Stadium on April 12, 2025 in Houston, Texas.

Houston Dash v Angel City FC

NWSL

The NWSL Received 43 Complaints In 2024, And Five In The First Half Of This Year, Public Records Show

<p>Alex Shultz is a journalist based in Brooklyn. He&#8217;s a writer for <a href="https://www.hardresetmedia.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hardresetmedia.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1763581679564000&amp;usg=AOvVaw07bi0TNndgTXDN2QH72s3J">Hard Reset,</a> a newsletter about tech, labor, and power.</p>


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Alex Shultz

US Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, looks at his cellphone in between Senate votes to reopen the government on day 41 of the government shutdown at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, November 10, 2025. The longest-ever US government shutdown appeared headed Monday to an eventual resolution, after several Democratic senators broke ranks to join Republicans in advancing a compromise deal -- sparking intra-party backlash.

US-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT-SHUTDOWN

John Fetterman’s Memoir Is As Low-Effort As His Senate Tenure

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Giri Nathan

Jeffrey Epstein and Alan Dershowitz discuss something.

Jeffrey Epstein with Professor Alan Dershowitz

Jeffrey Epstein Was The Unofficial Advice Columnist For The Elites

<p><span style="color: #000000">Julie Kliegman is a writer and editor in Queens, New York. They wrote <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/mind-game-9798216378051/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/mind-game-9798216378051/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1763134080975000&amp;usg=AOvVaw15Dx3xf4fCxIqYQnD4bF_R"><em>Mind Game: An Inside Look at the Mental Health Playbook of Elite Athletes</em></a>. Their next book, the biography <i>Finding Renée Richards</i>, is due out in August 2026. Kliegman’s work has also appeared in outlets including <em>The New York Times</em>,<em> Sports Illustrated</em>, <em>The Washington Post</em>, Bookforum, Slate, The Ringer, <em>Texas Monthly</em>, Vulture, BuzzFeed News, and The Verge.</span></p>


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Julie Kliegman

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Swimming

What Does A Great Trans Athlete Deserve?

<p><a href="http://www.ddavisla.com"><span style="font-weight: 400">David Davis </span></a>is the author of <i>Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans From World War II Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights, and Inspired a Nation</i> and <i>Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku</i>. He lives in Los Angeles.</p>
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David Davis

Marty Reisman, holder of 18 International and US National table tennis titles, and author of the 1974 book "The Money Player" in which he described his life traveling the world, playing high-stakes matches. Reisman won the 1997 United States National Hardbat championship. Now at age 77, he is probably the oldest person ever to win an open US national title in a racquet sport. (Photo by Neville Elder/Corbis via Getty Images)

USA – Sports – Table Tennis legend Marty Reisman

Table Tennis

The Real Marty Supreme

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Lauren Theisen

A general view of the Enterprise Center during a game between the St. Louis Blues and the Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers v St. Louis Blues

How To Watch Hockey

<p><a href="https://josh-levin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://josh-levin.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762023504534000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2tqysV4T7Gh0gV7M0_bz7p">Josh Levin</a> is the creator and host of the sports history podcast “<a href="http://www.replaybooth.show/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.replaybooth.show&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762023504534000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1-rpGWGr1dKP0HBTa_zohZ">Replay Booth</a>.” He’s also the author of <em><a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/josh-levin/the-queen/9780316513272//?lens=little-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/josh-levin/the-queen/9780316513272//?lens%3Dlittle-brown&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762023504534000&amp;usg=AOvVaw357vGVOyJU7dDVIkjqFQxu">The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth</a></em>, the creator of the podcast “<a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/one-year/s6/1990" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://slate.com/podcasts/one-year/s6/1990&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762023504534000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1LJrco6Xq1YK3vAueOtmRC">One Year</a>,” the host of two seasons of “Slow Burn” (on <a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/slow-burn/s4/david-duke" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://slate.com/podcasts/slow-burn/s4/david-duke&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762023504534000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PiV8w71WaqaTvzDwNTrOS">David Duke</a> and <a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/slow-burn/s10/rise-of-fox-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://slate.com/podcasts/slow-burn/s10/rise-of-fox-news&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762023504534000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3LTehX3p4ZiFY9vhna8azk">Fox News</a>), and the former cohost of “Hang Up and Listen.”</p>


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Josh Levin

Illustration of Mr. Met wearing a deerstalker cap investigating some buttons reading "Huckle."

Mr. Met Wilbur Huckle

Stories

Wilbur Huckle For President: Solving A 61-Year-Old Mets Mystery

<p>Abigail Segel is a writer based in Montreal.</p>


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Abigail Segel

Chicago Stars FC fans chant Trans Rights are Human Rights while holding up a Transgender flag behind Alyssa Naeher #1 of Chicago Stars FC during the first half during a game between San Diego Wave FC and Chicago Stars FC at Seatgeek Stadium on April 26, 2025, in Bridgeview, Illinois.

San Diego Wave FC v Chicago Stars FC

Soccer

The Anti-Trans Grifters Are Coming For The NWSL

<p>Cat Fitzpatrick is the Editrix at <a href="http://www.littlepuss.net" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.littlepuss.net&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762370146099000&amp;usg=AOvVaw32JizYx318M3PPu4pk8ywT">LittlePuss Press</a> and teaches at Rutgers University—Newark. Her novel-in-rhyme<i> <a href="https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4458-the-call-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4458-the-call-out&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762370146099000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0x1xQpV0dOeP9rAfMJufQ_">The Call-Out</a> </i>won the 2023 Lambda Literary Award in Transgender Fiction. Her next book <i>The Dinner Party: A Book About Love</i> is due out in May 2026 and you can pre-order it <a href="https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4817-the-dinner-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4817-the-dinner-party&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762370146099000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2GA0SB3SAFIWLj_EdeVhey">here</a>.</p>


Yang Cat on the Fire Escape

Cat Fitzpatrick

kiss 16-9-min

Unearthing The Hidden History Of A Singular Trans Punk Zine

Tech leaders, including Sam Altman (C), CEO of OpenAI, and Tim Cook (2nd L), CEO of Apple, attend a dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump with tech leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 4, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

An Evening With Sam Altman And Steve Kerr

Jordon Hudson attends the game between the Richmond Spiders and the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Memorial Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Jordon Hudson

College Football

The Rise Of Jordon Hudson, Small Business Owner

A detailed view of a hand holding a Fanduel Sports Network–branded microphone during an interview after the Detroit Pistons defeated the Boston Celtics on February 26, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan.

fanduel microphone

Gambling

The NBA Media Is Not Built To Cover A Gambling Scandal

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Albert Burneko

Donald Trump delivers an announcement on his Homeland Security Task Force in the State Dining Room of the White House on October 23, 2025 in Washington, DC

President Trump Makes An Announcement In The State Dining Room Of The White House

What Can’t The President Do?

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner seen in a blue sweatshirt on a boat in an image from his campaign ad. He has red hair and a beard.

PlatnerBoat

What Job Is A Guy With A Nazi Tattoo Qualified For?

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