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Defector

<p>James Robins is an award-winning critic and historian. His work has appeared in the <i>New Republic</i>, <i>Vulture</i>, and the <i>TLS</i>, and he writes the newsletter <a href="https://thedreadnought.substack.com/">The Dreadnought</a>. He lives in London.</p>


James Robins

Walter Isaacson (right) and Elon Musk (left) speak onstage at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit back in 2014, long before Isaacson wrote a big biography of Musk.

Arts And Culture

Not Even The Patron Stooge Of Fawning Biographies Can Make Elon Musk Look Good

Lauren Theisen

An “Old-Fashioned Pitchers’ Duel” Didn’t Always Mean What You Think

Luis Paez-Pumar

The Cyclone Roller Coaster at Coney Island

Life Lessons

Reflections From An Aging Roller Coaster Fanatic

Giri Nathan

A crowd shot of Court 17 at the U.S. Open.

Tennis

An Interview With The Biggest Tennis Sicko I’ve Encountered At The U.S. Open

Jason England

Roger Goodell, Jay-Z and Blue Ivy Carter attend Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.

Music

50 Years Later, Is There Anything Left Of Hip Hop?

Kathryn Xu

Screenshot from tripleS LOVElution's "Girls' Capitalism" music video, with text reading, "Rule No. 1 Don't Cry Be Rich."

TripleS And The Rise Of K-Pop Girls’ Crypto-Capitalism

<p>Hesse Deni is a podcaster and screenwriter from Buffalo, New York currently living in Manhattan. Her podcast is called <em>Seeking Derangement</em>s and is available on all major platforms.</p>


Hesse Deni

Veteran broadcasters Harry Neale (left) and Rick Jeanneret (right) of the Buffalo Sabres get ready for their game

Rick Jeanneret’s Voice Gave Buffalo Hope

Billy Haisley

Jennifer Hermoso, Alexia Putellas and Irene Paredes of Spain celebrate with the FIFA Women's World Cup Trophy after the team's victory in the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia &amp; New Zealand 2023 Final match between Spain and England at Stadium Australia on August 20, 2023 in Sydney / Gadigal, Australia.

Soccer

It’s The Light That Lasts

Israel Daramola

Michael Oher #74 of the Ole Miss Rebels stands with his family during senior ceremonies prior to a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Journalismism

The Tuohy Family’s Side Of The Story Has A Giant Hole At The Center

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<div>Abigail Segel is a contributing writer at Defector. She is also an editor for The IX Soccer and the Equalizer. Her work has been published in the Guardian and the Montreal Gazette.</div>
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Abigail Segel

A July 17 photo of Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA, during the 'Fearless' set.

You Must Understand That Taylor Swift Knows Me Better Than Anyone Else On Earth

<p>Sean T. Collins has written for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vulture, Decider, Pitchfork, and many others. He lives with his family on Long Island.</p>


Sean T. Collins

Jon Moxley delivers a move to Anthony Bowens during the AEW Dynamite - Beach Break taping on January 26, 2022, at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, OH.

Pro Wrestling

How Queer Pro Wrestlers Are Handling America’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Heel Turn


<p>Corey Atad is a freelancer writer based in Toronto with an unhealthy Air Bud obsession.</p>


Corey Atad

Interviews

Steven Soderbergh Says It’s Time To Tear The Streaming Model Down To The Studs

David Roth

The Immaculate Grid for July 25, with one square (Tom Candiotti, who played for Cleveland and Milwaukee) filled in.

Nine Ways To The Immaculate

Kota Ibushi stares down a bloody Jon Moxley

Blood, Guts, And A Glimpse Of God

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19</p>


Chris Thompson

An ad for Color Star's NASDAQ listing on the investor page of Color Star's website.

Capital

Color Star Makes Its Next Big Move, Teams Up With Max Payne, Johnny Blaze, And Elizabeth

Fans take in some Wimbledon matches at Murray Mound.

The Wimbledon Experience Is Diligence, Dampness, And Cream

A hand holding a cracked Autostraddle logo reaches out of a pink whirlpool

Autostraddle Is Spiraling Toward A Shutdown Or A Sale

Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav attends the premiere of The Flash in Hollywood.

They Don’t Want Us And We Don’t Need Them

Ray Ratto

&lt;&gt; on December 7, 2009 in New York, New York.

The Slow Hemorrhage Of The American Sports Desk

<p>Lucas Hubbard is a North Carolina-based writer whose work has appeared in Microfiction Monday Magazine, INDY Week, Paste, and other outlets.</p>


Lucas Hubbard

A card with a bunch of love items about Rafael Nadal. There's one of him picking his wedge, one of him screaming after a point and him, in a heart, smiling. Also there are drawings of tennis balls and tennis rackets.

How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Nadal

<p>Keith Paradise is a freelance writer who somehow won a Keystone Press Award during his<br />
decade spent as a newspaper reporter in Pennsylvania, where he covered sports, education, and<br />
the murder of a neighborhood turkey. Originally from Pittsburgh, he is a senior writer for<br />
Billiards Digest magazine and his name has appeared twice in the notable section of The Year’s<br />
Best Sports Writing anthology—including in 2024 for his Defector article on the rise and fall of<br />
sports clothing icon Starter.</p>


Keith Paradise

A rack of Starter jackets, satin and pullover and polyester. Colorado Rockies is in the front.

The Rise And Fall Of Starter, The Coolest Company On Earth

<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

Shots

He Said He Was Going To Save A Century Of Priceless Sports Photos. He Ended Up The Madoff Of Memorabilia.


<p>Richard Staff is a <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardStaff" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">weapons-grade Twitter goblin</a> and hostage of the Mets. That is his real name.</p>


Richard Staff

Michael Hermosillo of the Angels makes a catch in foul territory during the 2020 MLB season, while a bunch of creepy stuffed teddy bears look on.

“I Almost Wished There Was Someone There To Curse At Me”: Isolation And Triumph In MLB’s Plague Season

Creaturefector

I Messed Up Again

Patrick Redford

JERSEY CITY, NJ - JUNE 8: The sun is shrouded as it rises in a smokey sky behind the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and One Vanderbilt in New York City on June 8, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

Blogs Of Note