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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

David Roth

Visitors inspect the exhibitions at the Great American State Fair on June 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Freedom 250-backed Great American State Fair celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Politics

Dead Country Fair

<div>John Garrison Marks is a historian and writer who explores how Americans engage with the past. He is the author of <i><a href="https://uncpress.org/9781469693521/thy-will-be-done/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://uncpress.org/9781469693521/thy-will-be-done/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1781017423627000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1jL0F6t9RI1FoZYDei0VCw">Thy Will Be Done: George Washington&#8217;s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory</a>.</i> He&#8217;s on Bluesky at <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/johngmarks.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bsky.app/profile/johngmarks.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1781017423627000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0S-WpY5TzWTHvzMhKssu2S">@johngmarks.com</a>.</div>
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John Garrison Marks

A drawing of the State of Liberty wearing a bunch of cheaply made America250 merchandise.

Life's Rich Pageant

“We Hold These Truds”: A Search For The Weirdest Piece Of America 250 Merchandise

Sophie Abromowitz

Life Lessons

Finding Friends, Legacy, And Leather Sluts At New Jersey’s Finest Holiday Inn

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever passes the ball during the game against the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 24, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

WNBA

Don’t Let Bored Football Fans Tell The Story Of Caitlin Clark’s Season


<p>A founding member of the Billings, Montana-to-Brooklyn sportswriting pipeline, Patrick Sauer has written for many large digital publications you’ve heard of and even more smaller ones that no longer exist. Check out his work at <a href="http://patricksauer.contently.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://patricksauer.contently.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1782568830003000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2lJRPIa8YxoLI3taZ9zsro">patricksauer.contently.com</a> or follow him on Bluesky <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/pjsauer.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bsky.app/profile/pjsauer.bsky.social&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1782568830003000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1pDFKunGJ4lkfhBy4EMrEt">@pjsauer.bsky.social</a>.</p>


Patrick Sauer

Horse Racing

A Final Day At Aqueduct, New York’s Forlorn And Forgotten Racetrack

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


Sabrina Imbler

a photo of a brown edible robot shaped like a rectangle with arms and two black eyespots

Science

Would You Eat This Guy? What If He Were God, Or A Baby?

Emily C. Hughes

Arts And Culture

Diabolical Motherhood

Albert Burneko

Father and daughter. Oil on canvas, around 1550.

Minor Dilemmas

What If Your Kid Tells Dirty Dirty Lies?

Sohini Desai

Eight Years Of Rituals With Rosalía

<p>E.Y. Zhao is a writer and editor from St. Louis. Her debut novel, <a href="https://astrapublishinghouse.com/product/underspin-9781662603266/"><i>Underspin</i></a>, set in the world of competitive table tennis, is out now. She holds a BA in history from Harvard College and an MFA from the University of Michigan.</p>


E.Y. Zhao

Two Nights Outside ICE’s New Jersey Concentration Camp

Mona Khalil, a Lebanese ecologist activist looks at a turtle at a coast in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre 12 August 2002

Mona Khalil, Who Devoted Her Life To Protecting Turtles, Killed By Israeli Airstrike


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<div>Hallie Lieberman is a historian and journalist. Her book <em>Gigolos: An Exploration of the Men Who Sell Sex and The Women Who Buy It</em> will be published by Beacon Press in January 2027. She is also the author of <em>Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy</em>. Her writing has appeared in <em>Esquire</em>, <em>The New York Times</em>, <em>The Washington Post</em>, and other outlets. </div>
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Hallie Lieberman

An ICE patch and badge are seen on a Department of Homeland Security agent while US Vice President JD Vance speaks at Royalston Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 22, 2026. The Pentagon has ordered 1,500 US soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, a state roiled by unrest over an immigration crackdown, US media reported on January 18, 2026. The reported preparations come days after President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which enables use of the military to suppress "armed rebellion" or "domestic violence" -- although a day later he said there was no immediate need for it, following the January 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration agent. (Photo by Jim WATSON / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Life As An Undocumented Trans Sex Worker In The Age Of ICE

Samer Kalaf

James Dolan speaks during the New York Knicks Championship ticker tape parade

Turd Makes Brief Appearance In Punch Bowl

Olivia Miles #5 of the Minnesota Lynx handles the ball against Azzi Fudd #35 of the Dallas Wings in the third quarter at Target Center on June 09, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Lynx defeated the Wings 100-76.

Olivia Miles Is The Throwback Point Guard Of The Future

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


Chris Thompson

T Brubaker of the San Francisco Giants pitches with bible crap scrawled on his cap.

MLB Pride Nights Co-Opted And Consumed By Owners And Culture-War Freaks

National Park Service workers push algae towards an aeration area in the center of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool following the completion of recent renovations in Washington, DC, on June 14, 2026. It looks all fucked up.

Promises Made, Promises Kept: The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Absolutely Looks Like Shit Now

Barry Petchesky

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - JUNE 13: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball past Stephon Castle #5 of the San Antonio Spurs during the fourth quarter in Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Jalen Brunson Is New York’s Exorcist

Giri Nathan

Casa Magazines staffer Mirza Ayan Baig holds up a recent Knicks front page.

The Knicks’ Finals Run Has Even Made Print Media Hot

Luis Paez-Pumar

An aerial view of football players during a match on a soccer field built on the top of a 5-story building in Adana, Turkiye on August 20, 2025.

Soccer

How To Watch The World Cup

a still from an AI video showing four killer whales moving under the ice

Creaturefector

AI Animal Videos Are Ruining One Of The Internet’s Last Good Things

Patrick Redford

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 5: FIFA President Gianni Infantino and U.S. President Donald Trump on stage during the FIFA World Cup 2026 official draw at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 5, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

The State Of Sportswashing

Sarah Borus

Members of the U.S. Secret Service patrol outside at Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3

Policing

Security Theater Looks The Same Every Time

Dave McKenna

The White house behind a hideous UFC stage

Donald Trump’s Birthday Plans Have Made Washington D.C. Hideous And Depressing

Detainees gesture at windows from inside Delaney Hall Immigration Detention Center

Prisoners At Private ICE Jail In New Jersey Collectively Refuse Conditions Of Death

Aaron Timms

A big inflatable soccer ball fills with air at the houston world cup fan zone.