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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

<p>Former Defector intern, now freelancer.</p>
<p>For professional inquiries or tips please write lucybl00m@protonmail.com or yuck.20 on Signal.</p>
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Lucy Bloom

Aini Anderson (left) and Livi Pappadopoulos rolling for the top prize at the Midwest Open, in Madison, Wisconsin.

Life's Rich Pageant

Earth’s Best Logroller Has Created Her Own Greatest Rival


<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

Marcus Walden of the Boston Red Sox throws during a summer camp workout before the start of the 2020 Major League Baseball season on July 15, 2020 at Boston College in Boston, Massachusetts. The season was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Secret Brotherhood Of The Phantom Ballplayers


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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

President Donald Trump delivers remarks before signing the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order in the East Room at the White House on February 5, 2025 in Washington, DC. The executive order, which Trump signed on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, prohibits transgender women from competing in women’s sports and is the third order he has signed that targets transgender people.

Politics

How Trans Prisoners Are Dealing With The Trump Administration’s Attacks

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever talks to the media during a press conference before the match-up against the Brazil National Team, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 4, 2025 in Iowa City, Iowa.

WNBA

Christine Brennan’s Caitlin Clark Book Is More About Gripes Than Greatness

<p>Asher Elbein is <a href="https://www.asherelbein.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.asherelbein.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712179533443000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2CJ0U-vHMdK0s6sOdzlGGF">a journalist and fiction writer</a> based in Austin, Texas. Among other places, his work has appeared in The New York Times, Scientific American, Undark Magazine, Audubon, and Texas Monthly.</p>


Asher Elbein

Why Do Fascists Dream Of Alligators?

<p>Alexandra Tey is a writer, photographer, and birdwatcher living in Queens, New York.</p>


Alexandra Tey

The Anti-Fascist Power Of Trans Women Wrestling In Nacho Cheese

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Tom Scocca is the editor of <a href="http://indignity.net">Indignity</a>, a subscription-supported newsletter of news, essays, and commentary.</div>
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Tom Scocca

Donald Trump looks up at the new flag on the south lawn of the White House on July 06, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Margin Of Error

Totally Petty

<p>Raphael Orlove is a freelance writer and editor with a few events under his belt as a rally co-driver. You may have seen his work on Robb Report, Road &amp; Track, Jalopnik, or the briefly-aired Car vs America TV show if you have a very extensive cable subscription.</p>
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Raphael Orlove

Racing

Meet The Crew Whose Job Is To Keep Rally Fans From Getting Themselves Killed

<p>Annie Howard is a journalist and historian based in Chicago. She is currently at work on her debut manuscript, <em>The City Made Me Trans</em><i>.</i></p>


Annie Howard

Arts And Culture

Chloe Dzubilo And The Perilous Path Forward For Trans Life

Samer Kalaf

New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) (L) is joined by fellow mayoral candidate Brad Lander during an election night gathering

The Politics Of Fear Don’t Work Against A Candidate Who Isn’t Scared


<p>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</p>


Diana Moskovitz

A protester holds a backwards American flag outside of Dodger Stadium during a protest against the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and ICE immigration raids on June 21, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

The Dodgers Are Disappointing The People Who Want To Love Them The Most

<p>Joshua Needelman is a journalist based in New York City who has written for The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Washington Post, The Guardian and more. He has dabbled in yoga and meditation for more than a decade. He enjoys eating (and making) pizza, as well as rooting for the New York Knicks, whom he is available to coach next season.</p>


Joshua Needelman

Yoga

What The Guru Left Behind

<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>


Alex Shultz

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) speaks to press after voting on the nomination of Michael Duffey to be Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment on June 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. Senators returned to Capitol Hill on Monday after the Memorial Day Holiday recess.

Nobody Wants To Talk About John Fetterman And Buzz Bissinger’s Pricey Memoir Project

Albert Burneko

AI-Powered Robot interacts with People during the Italian Tech Week 2024 at OGR Officine Grandi Riparazioni on September 26, 2024 in Turin, Italy.

Capital

Toward A Theory Of Kevin Roose

Lauren Theisen

Brian Wilson, along with the Beach Boys perform at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California on January 1, 1987 .

Music

Brian Wilson Was The Sound Of Something Just Out Of Reach

Kathryn Xu

This photograph shows a TGV inoui high speed train of the French national SNCF rail company SNCF running in Nantes, western France, on April 4, 2025.

Transit

All The Trains I Rode In France

<div>Jen Kinney is a journalist and audio producer with a troubling fixation on debris, detritus, and discard.</div>


Jen Kinney

Seven Days At The Bin Store

Patrick Redford

A large bitcoin guy regards the world they will take over

What World Does Bitcoin Want To Build For Itself?

Israel Daramola

The Cool Athlete Is No Longer In Production

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<div>Katherine Churchill holds a Ph.D. in English literature. Her writing has appeared in <i>Time</i>, <i>Literary Hub, Electric Literature, Oxford American Magazine</i>, and elsewhere.</div>
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Katherine Churchill

The Exclusive Men’s-Only Rare Books Club, And The Woman Who Has A Key

This Is So Stupid

Dave McKenna Insists They Have Ham Trucks In France

<p>The author can be reached at postpostdoc@protonmail.com.</p>


Post-Postdoc

The Machines

The AI Floodwaters Are Rising Fast

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<p>Sebastian Stockman is a Teaching Professor in English at Northeastern University, a writer whose work has appeared in the <em>Washington Post </em>and the <em>Boston Globe</em> among many other places, and a guy who publishes <a href="https://sebastianstockman.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://sebastianstockman.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1748539688609000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0eIUYaj1h-eA1-XIa8i0L7">A Saturday Letter,</a> a very occasional free thing. Follow him on Bluesky @<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/substockman.bsky.social">substockman.bsky.social</a>.</p>
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Sebastian Stockman

Florida, Miami, Arscht Performing Arts Center, The Miami Herald Spelling Bee, test, competition, stage, overview, contestants, judges, moderator, sit, chair, elimination, opera house,

Confessions Of A Spelling Bee Pronouncer

David Roth

Blueberries are sold at a store in Annapolis, Maryland, on April 4, 2025. These are not the blueberries that Jon Heyman purchased for $15.99 in Manhattan.

Defector Investigates: Is Jon Heyman Paying Too Much For Blueberries?

Donald Trump holds up a printed article from "American Thinker" while accusing South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa of state-sanctioned violence against white farmers in South Africa during a press availability in the Oval Office at the White House on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.