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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

Ray Ratto

Sportscaster Mike Krukow watches from the broadcast center between the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park on October 1, 2021 in San Francisco, California.

Mike Krukow, One Of Baseball’s Greatest Hangs, Is Ready To Go

Samer Kalaf

A general view of a "Google" logo and a WNBA logo on seats

The Machines

The Mystery Of Google’s Fixation On “The Transwoman In The WNBA”

Sohini Desai

A huge crowd of protesters marching in support of Black families. As the Black Lives Matter and Defund The Police movements are gaining momentum, activists are pushing to get rid of institutions that police and oppress black people. Activist in Brooklyn gathered at MetroTech plaza for a march to defund the Administration for Children's Services (ACS)

Politics

New York’s Use Of AI For Family Policing Summarizes The Last 30 Years Of City Politics

Dave McKenna

A little boy walks among the tombstones at Arlington National Cemetary in Washington D.C.

Minor Dilemmas

How Do I Talk To My Kid About Death?

David Roth

Aaron Rodgers being unbearable during an interview with Pat McAfee in front of a bunch of Steelers fans at training camp. McAfee looks pink and kind of boiled; Rodgers is slouching and pinching his fingers together.

We’re Just Going To Keep Doing 2020 Again Until All The Wrong Stuff Is True

Luis Paez-Pumar

FIFA President Gianni Infantino gestures before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Soccer

Is This The End For Gianni Infantino?

Sarah Borus

Former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player Maybelle Blair and WPBL mascot pose for a photo prior to the game between the Boston Hunters and San Francisco Firebells at Robin Roberts Stadium on August 02, 2026 in Springfield, Illinois

Women's Baseball

The Women’s Pro Baseball League Will Eventually Need To Escape The Past

Lauren Theisen

Sophie Cunningham #8 of the Indiana Fever speaks during a press conference before a game against the Portland Fire at Moda Center

WNBA

The Right Has Created Its Perfect Trans Athlete

Heather Chen is a former Defector intern and the managing editor at the Columbia Daily Spectator. She loves hockey, photography, and the good ol’ state of Michigan.

Heather Wei-Xi Chen

Michigan Democratic candidate for Senate Abdul El-Sayed takes the stage at The People V. The Powerful rally at the Detroit Opera House on July 18, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.

Abdul El-Sayed’s Campaign Believes The Many Can Defeat The Money

Former Dublin GAA star David Hickey and former Donegal player Brendan Devenney, right, during a protest march outside Croke Park in Dublin as the 2026 GAA Annual Congress was in progress.

Gaelic Football

Gaelic Football Legend David Hickey Wants War Profiteers Out Of His Sport

Head Coach Lane Kiffin of the LSU Tigers speaks at SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at Tampa Marriott Water Street on July 23, 2026.

This Is So Stupid

Who Was The Most Unsettlingly Tan Coach At Preseason Media Days?

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Tom Dundon’s Shameless Minions Expand The Scope Of His War On Portland

Life's Rich Pageant

AI Listings Have Made Apartment Hunting Even More Debasing

Giri Nathan

20-year-old fish sauce spews out of a rupture in a vat at an abandoned plant

Let Me And A Food Scientist Sample The Abandoned Fish Sauce Terrorizing A Small Canadian Town

Marvin Miller, executive director of the baseball players association, chats with players here after announcing a settlement has been reached to end the 13-day old players strike and that the season would begin in April of 1972. The other people in the photo are lawyer Richard Moss and MLBPA player reps Joe Torre, Wes Parker, and Gary Peters.

Baseball’s Labor History Is Repeating Itself Once Again

Tom Ley

WNBA Suspends Seattle Storm Minority Owner For Being Rude To Transphobic Shitheads

A view of the Larry O'Brien championship trophy

A Review Of The Larry O’Brien Trophy, Or Anyway A Larry O’Brien Trophy

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (L) and United States of America President Donald Trump (R) look on following the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026 in East Rutherford, United States.

Gianni Infantino Is Putting The World Cup Up For Sale

Iain Treloar

A man dressed as a devil stands in front of the caravan

Cycling

I Rode The Tour de France Cauliflower

Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99

Diana Moskovitz

A detail of a Title IX logo on a basketball is seen before the Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena on March 22, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.

Is The Right’s Next Project Make Women’s Sports Girly Again?

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller (L) shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio before addressing the audience

Eventually Everyone Will Be Called A Terrorist

Kathryn Xu

Theoretical visualization of LeBron James sitting on a standard Amtrak car.

LeBron James Should Just Take The Train To His New Job

Dublin , Ireland - 26 July 2026; Jordan Flynn, left, and Kobe McDonald of Mayo lift the Sam Maguire Cup after the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Kerry and Mayo at Croke Park in Dublin.

After 75 Years Of Losing, Mayo Shocked The World And Shook A Stadium

People celebrate the opening of the Metro D Line Extension's Wilshire/Fairfax station in Los Angeles on Friday, May 8, 2026.

Transit

All The Trains I Rode In Los Angeles

Patrick Redford

Slovenian Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates XRG pictured in action during the stage 14 of the 2026 Tour de France cycling race, a stage of 155km from Mulhouse to Le Markstein Fellering, on Saturday 18 July 2026. The 113th edition of the Tour de France starts on Saturday 4 July in Barcelona, Spain, and will finish in Paris, France on the 26th of July. BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS (Photo by JASPER JACOBS / BELGA MAG / Belga via AFP)