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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

The Defector Crewneck Sweatshirt Is Back In Stock

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Merch v3

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Kelsey McKinney

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Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

Who Could Want This Rose?

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Jon Wertheim

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It Took One Summer For Michael Jordan To Become The Future Of The NBA

<a href="https://twitter.com/lukeoneil47">Luke O&#8217;Neil</a> is a journalist from Massachusetts who writes the first and only newsletter <a href="https://luke.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://luke.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1616543416428000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE5IKQmDrJuhrlJblb9S3AHVWTxRg">Welcome to Hell World</a>. He is the author of the acclaimed <a href="https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/welcome-to-hell-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/welcome-to-hell-world/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1616543416428000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEKr39gB76WY0VbfRhr_QVTfWmSCg">book of the same name</a> and the new, lesser-acclaimed book <a href="https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/lockdown-in-hell-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/lockdown-in-hell-world/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1616543416428000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG72XE6k8YQIvhQiiAE2N3a0Gmdlg">Lockdown in Hell World</a>. He doesn&#8217;t think Tatum and Brown will ever be enough unless they get a Garnett type in there to sort everyone out.

Luke O’Neil

A house in South Carolina seen during historic flooding in 2018. Also Luke's book cover is on there.

South Carolina Flooding Continues Over A Week After Florence Made Landfall

I’ve Been Sleeping With A Shovel Under The Bed

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Nick Greene

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A Couples Therapist Explains Wilt Chamberlain’s Most Impressive Record (No, Not That One)

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Kelly Conaboy

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A Day At The “Largest Festival For Dogs In North America” Where My Dog Was, Quite Frankly, Robbed Of His Accolades

<a href="https://twitter.com/PeteCroatto" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/PeteCroatto&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1664986664225000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1IOCSnf8b8k47CXUQY8Wml">Pete Croatto </a>is the author of <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/From-Hang-Time-to-Prime-Time/Pete-Croatto/9781982103958" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/From-Hang-Time-to-Prime-Time/Pete-Croatto/9781982103958&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1664986664225000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0qtPVCYdWjoWnj-HRERk_r">From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-day NBA</a>. His sportswriting has appeared in many outlets, including The New York Times, The Athletic, The Toronto Star, Andscape, Shondaland, and SLAM.

Pete Croatto

Walt Clyde Frazier the man, left, holds Walt Clyde Frazier the sneaker, right.

Walt “Clyde” Frazier, The Clydes, And The Invention Of NBA Cool

<a href="https://twitter.com/sundownmotel">Bill Hanstock</a> is an Emmy-winning producer, screenwriter, editor and journalist. He has covered and interviewed countless WWE and independent wrestling personalities and events for SB Nation and UPROXX, and been a part of several popular pro wrestling podcasts. He has contributed to Polygon, The Athletic, and Inked magazine. He has also penned nearly a dozen stories for the official WWE comic book published by BOOM! Studios. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, son, and two cats.

Bill Hanstock

Donald Trump and Vince McMahon at some WWE thing or other in 2009. I'm sure it was great.

Inside Vince McMahon’s Aspirational, Transactional, Utterly All-American Friendship With Donald Trump

Corey Sobel

The Running Back Who Reads Emily Dickinson

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Jessica Luther and Kavitha A. Davidson

On the right is a photo of Toni Smith-Thompson. On the left is an image of the book Loving Sports When They Dont Love You Back

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Before There Was Colin Kaepernick, There Was Toni Smith-Thompson

<a href="http://www.ddavisla.com">David Davis</a> is the author of Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans from World War Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights, and Inspired a Nation. A <a href="https://sidewinderfilms.org/films/waterman">documentary</a> based on his previous book, Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku, airs on <a href="https://www.pbs.org/video/waterman-duke-ambassador-of-aloha-ot83gi/">PBS’s American Masters series</a> on May 10.

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David Davis

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The Rolling Devils Took On Non-Disabled Teams And Invented Wheelchair Sports