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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

NYC: Come To Our WNBA Comedy Show On May 16

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Live Event

Post-Postdoc

AI Gig Work

Capital

How I Became Highly Educated Grist For The AI Mill

John Semley is a writer and researcher based in Philadelphia.

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John Semley

People queue outside indie record store Flashback Records to shop for vinyls on Record Store Day in London on April 20, 2024.

BRITAIN-CULTURE-MUSIC-RECORD STORE DAY

Music

How Record Store Day Became The Stupidest Day In Music

Investigations Editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99

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Diana Moskovitz

The front of a U.S. Department of Education building.

US Dept of ED

Politics

Title IX Is Now A Weapon In The Trump Administration’s Culture War

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Patrick Redford

Striking Touchstone route setters demonstrate in front of a California climbing gym.

routesetter union

Climbing

There’s No Climbing Without Route Setters, And They’re On Strike

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Kathryn Xu

KiiiKiiiDebutSong

Arts And Culture

KiiiKiii And The Dawn Of K-Pop’s Process Era

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 17: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver hands majority owner Wyc Grousbeck of the Boston Celtics the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after Boston's 106-88 win against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 17, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Elsa/Getty Images)

2024 NBA Finals – Game Five

Group Led By Private Equity Ghoul Buys Boston Celtics For $6.1 Billion

A photo of three women's basketball players. They all stand with their backs to the camera. On the back of their shirts are the 37 words that make up Title IX, the law that gave women equal access to school sports

Title IX

Women’s Sports Happened By Accident, And Could Be Taken Apart On Purpose

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Samer Kalaf

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Fanatics And Ticketmaster Announce Plan To Get Even Worse, Together

Visual Editor. Runs <a href="http://defectorstore.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">defectorstore.com</a>. Philadelphia-based, if you couldn’t tell.

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Dan McQuade

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Boxing

The Tale Of The Early-Round KO Of Muhammad Ali’s Champburger

A canyon and waterfall in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Yellowstone National Park Exteriors And Landmarks – 2021

The Great Outdoors

What Are Public Lands For?

Grace Byron is a writer from the Midwest based in Queens whose writing has appeared in The Cut, Vogue, LARB, The Baffler, Bookforum, and elsewhere. Find her @emotrophywife. Her debut novel Herculine is forthcoming from Saga Press.

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Grace Byron

Bill Gates speaks at the Global Solutions Summit

Conclusion Global Solutions Summit

What’s The Point Of Bill Gates?

Vince Mancini is a culture writer and old school blogger whose work has appeared in GQ, The Ringer, Uproxx, and more. He writes <a href="https://vincemancini.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://vincemancini.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1739555630062000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0e3B6TjurbpZyGcyNkVTcQ">The #Content Report</a> on Substack and podcasts about prestige TV on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/frotcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.patreon.com/c/frotcast&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1739555630062000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0xjEhxjt84GGvFCgoW4S0E">Pod Yourself</a>.

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Vince Mancini

IMG_9796

‘Pistachio Wars’ Tells The Story Of California’s Terraforming

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For Sale: The End, And The Means To Wait For It

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David Roth

People organize a rally and demonstration against Elon Musk outside the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in Washington D.C., United States on February 03, 2025.

Protesters rally against Elon Musk outside U.S. Office of Personnel Management in Washington D.C.

Billionaire Dipshit And His Strike Team Of Greasy Beavises Are Stripping The Wires From The Federal Government

An Ai Me robot from Chinese company TCL is displayed during the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show CES in Las Vegas.

U.S.-LAS VEGAS-CES-ROBOTS

The Future Is Too Easy

A stock graph shows the value of the $TRUMP meme coin displayed on a mobile screen in this photo illustration in Brussels, Belgium, on January 19, 2025. (Photo by Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto)

Super $Trump Meme Coin – Photo Illustration

Donald Trump Has Finally Come Up With A Use Case For Crypto

Dave McKenna

The building of the Washington Post newspaper headquarter is seen on K Street in Washington DC on May 16, 2019.

Washington Post Logo

Journalismism

The Familiarity And Sadness Of Watching The Washington Post Go To Hell

An aerial view of a street in the Eaton fire. The entire street is burned and decimated. It looks like a bomb went off. A sole person walks down the empty steet.

Eaton Fire aerial view

We Need A New Deal To Save Local Journalism

An Enchanted Tools robot called the Mirokai is displayed during the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show CES in Las Vegas.

Podcasts

The Future Feels Like The Raiders, With Ed Zitron

A recall notice on a case of Boar's Head products.

Popular Deli Meat Maker Boar Head’s Recalls 7 Million Pounds Of Meat After Listeria Outbreak

Life's Rich Pageant

“Residual Ham Material,” And Even More Evocative Phrases From USDA Inspections Of Boar’s Head Plants

The Philadelphia 76ers' home arena in South Philly.

Sixers arena

76ers Not Moving Across Town After All

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.09

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Chris Thompson

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A Comprehensive And Maddening History Of Color Star, Would-Be Titans Of Just About Anything

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The Logic Of Private Equity Explains The Park City Ski Patrol Strike

NFL Christmas Gameday signage advertising the NFL's two Christmas Day marquee games.

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NFL Schedule Creep Is Getting Out Of Control

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Rachelle Hampton

Two reflective gold wine glasses emblazoned with "Love is Blind" are held up against the sky.

Love Is Blind Cast Celebrates Netflix’s First Live Reunion With The Iconic Pods In Los Angeles

Could Unionizing Protect Contestants From The Reality Of Reality TV?