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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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Patrick Redford

A detailed view of a hand holding a Fanduel Sports Network–branded microphone during an interview after the Detroit Pistons defeated the Boston Celtics on February 26, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan.

fanduel microphone

Gambling

The NBA Media Is Not Built To Cover A Gambling Scandal

Former Binance CEO Changpeng "CZ" Zhao arrives at federal court in Seattle, Washington, on April 30, 2024. Changpeng Zhao, the founder and former chief executive of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, was sentenced today to four months in prison after he pleaded guilty to violating laws against money laundering. (Photo by Jason Redmond / AFP)

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Capital

Donald Trump’s Crypto Corruption Machine Is Whirring Along At A Stunning Pace

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Albert Burneko

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The Machines

Soon ChatGPT Will Be Able To Botch Math Problems And Encourage Self-Harm… In A Sexy Way

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Kelsey McKinney

Taylor Swift on the red carpet wearing a red dress with winged eyeliner and looking out of the corner of her eye at the camera

67th Annual GRAMMY Awards – Arrivals

Arts And Culture

No Good Art Comes From Greed

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 18: The Free Press' Honestly with Bari Weiss (pictured) hosts Senator Ted Cruz presented by Uber and X on January 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Uber, X and The Free Press)

The Free Press’ Honestly with Bari Weiss Hosts Senator Ted Cruz presented by Uber and X

Journalismism

Bari Weiss Signs Huge Deal To Usher CBS News Into Its Vichy Era

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


Profile Pic

Chris Thompson

Donald Trump makes a face in the Oval Office.

President Trump Signs Executive Order In Oval Office

Politics

Treasury Department Has Plans To Mint Dollar Coin Featuring Donald Trump’s Likeness

<div dir="auto">
<div dir="auto">Corbin Smith is a writer and photographer from Vancouver, Washington. His work has appeared in Deadspin, The Daily Beast, and <em>Rolling Stone</em>. He is also the host of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pacific-northwest-insurance-corporation-moviefilm/id1712416222"><em>The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm Podcast,</em></a> a podcast about movies.</div>
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Corbin Smith

A booth at The Materials Show in Portland, Ore. in February of 2025. It's an empty couple of tables with a big banner behind it with the word BLOOM on it and some stuff about sustainability.

CD8A9392

The Future Of The Sneaker Business First Requires A Future

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


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Dan McQuade

Modell’s Sporting Goods, logo in Queens borough.

modells-sports-bankrupt

SEC: This Ponzi Scheme Involved Buying Modell’s Out Of Bankruptcy

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks as he presents the new Meta Ray-Ban Display at the 2025 Meta Connect conference in Menlo Park, California, on September 17, 2025. (Photo by Benjamin LEGENDRE / AFP)

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Mark Zuckerberg Demonstrates That His AI Smart Glasses Suck And Don’t Work

Engraving shows interior of Leiden University library, Netherlands 1610 by Jan Cornelisz Woudanus, approximately 1570-1615.

Interior of Leiden University library.

If The Thieving AI Company Can Survive The Legal Settlement, Then It Is Not Big Enough

Aaron Timms

A view of the park from behind police barriers

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Tennis

The U.S. Open Could Be More Than A Fortress For Capital

An Airbus Helicopter H145M of the Hungarian Air Force uses an infrared trap over the Danube River in Budapest during an air show as part of the celebrations marking the Hungarian national day on August 20, 2025. Hungary marks the 1,025th anniversary of the foundation of the Hungarian state, established by the first king of Hungary, Stephen I.

HUNGARY-POLITICS-HISTORY-HOLIDAY

22-Year-Old Has It All Figured Out

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Kathryn Xu

(L-R) Lisa, Jisoo, Rosé and Jennie of BLACKPINK perform onstage at the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

2023 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival – Weekend 2 – Day 2

Mods Asleep

Has The World’s Biggest K-Pop Group Already Come And Gone?

San Antonio Spurs French forward-centre Victor Wembanyama (C) reacts as he attends his event named "Hoop Gambit", a chess and basketball tournament that takes place in his birth town of Le Chesnay, south-west of Paris, on July 20, 2025.

FRANCE-LEISURE-BASKETBALL-CHESS

Funbag

OK But What If The Billionaire Is A Cool Guy?

A float for the Cochonou brand in the Tour de France caravan, with spectators reaching out to it as it passes.

tdf cochonou float

Cycling

There Is No Tour de France Without The Tour de Brands

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Tom Ley

NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell discusses the state of the union and its direction for the upcoming year before fielding questions from the media on February 05, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Super Bowl LIX Previews

The NFLPA Is Having Communication Issues

<p>Jen Ramos Eisen is a Central California-based minor league baseball writer.</p>


Jen Ramos Eisen

Minor League Baseball: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Austin Hamilton (14) in action, pitching vs San Jose Giants at San Jose Giants Excite Ballpark. San Jose, CA.

San Jose Giants vs Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Private Equity Now Owns More Than 40 Minor League Baseball Teams, And The Number Keeps Growing

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Giri Nathan

Bill Ackman, Founder and CEO, Pershing Square Capital Management, attends the 28th annual Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on May 6, 2025. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

bill-ackman

Bill Ackman Gets To Play Pretend In Sanctioned Tennis Farce

A long white mall hallway with empty storefronts and a sign for an AMC movie theater in the distance

amc-neshaminy-empty

A Mall I Loved Is Going Pitch Black

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


DFM New Headshot

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.

Dodgers/ICE Protests

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

Dave McKenna

A Washington Post logo is displayed on top of the newspaper's editorial headquarters on May 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Washington Post Exterior

Update: The Washington Post Is Still Dying

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David Roth

Photo taken on Jan. 12, 2023 shows a closed store of Big Lots at King Square Center in Arvada, Northwest of Denver.

U.S.-ARVADA-BIG LOTS-CLOSED STORE

Podcasts

A Fine Balance Between Evil And Stupid, With Kelsey McKinney And Megan Greenwell

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

cyborg roose

Toward A Theory Of Kevin Roose

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


Post-Postdoc

This photo taken on January 4, 2022 shows a vehicle with Luminar LiDAR based Proactive Safety pre-collision braking crash avoidance technology (R) stopping to avoid a child-sized test dummy as it is demonstrated on a test track, while a Tesla Model Y collides with the test dummy (L) at the Las Vegas Convention Center ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. - As it pursues the goal of fully autonomous driving, Tesla has bet entirely on cameras and artificial intelligence, shunning other commonly used tools such as laser detection.

US-AUTOMOBILE-IT-TESLA

When An AI Agent Tries To Kill You, Who Goes To Jail?

A Toys R Us store that was shuttered in 2018 is seen on June 21, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. The company was bought and destroyed by private equity.

Toys R Us Store In Orlando

Interviews

Megan Greenwell On Living Under And Outside Of Private Equity, The Invasive Species Eating American Life