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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

<p>Dan Berger teaches at the University of Washington Bothell and writes about activism, Black Power, and the carceral state. His latest book is <em>Stayed on Freedom: The Long History of Black Power Through One Family’s Journey</em>.</p>


IAS Associate Professor Dan Berger

Dan Berger

Chicago School Closings Protest

Capital

In The Fight For Justice, The Police Can Only Be On One Side

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Albert Burneko

An NYC subway car with an MTA badge by the door

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Jordan Neely Just Needed Some Help


<p>Investigations Editor. You can reach her at diana@defector.com or, if you prefer protonmail, dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. If security is a concern, download the Signal app and send her a text at 929-251-8187.</p>


DFM New Headshot

Diana Moskovitz

A BuzzFeed News logo adorns a wall inside BuzzFeed headquarters, December 11, 2018 in New York City.

Buzzfeed

Journalismism

Greed Is Still The Problem

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Laura Wagner

bball

Elder Wisdom

What Can A Hoop Do?

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


Jen Ramos Eisen

An image of the baseball field at Stockton Ballpark in Stockton, California. There's a baseball field, and rows of plastic chairs for fans to sit in.

The Stockton Ballpark

Minor League Baseball’s New CBA Still Won’t Solve All Its Transportation Woes

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Patrick Redford

Lisbon , Portugal - 1 November 2022; Changpeng Zhao, Co-founder &amp; CEO, Binance at Centre Stage during the opening night of Web Summit 2022 at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile for Web Summit via Getty Images)

Web Summit 2022 – Opening Night

Binance Crackdown Reveals How Rigged The Crypto Game Is

Striking Los Angeles Unified School District employees and their supporters, including teachers, rally outside LAUSD headquarters in Los Angeles on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 during the first day of a three-day strike. At the center of the photo, a person is holding up a sign. It reads: "Mortgage: $$$$ Food: $$$$$ Utilities: $$$$$ My pay: ¢¢¢¢¢¢"

LAUSD strike

Why L.A.’s Education Workers Had No Choice But To Strike

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 10: A Brinks armored truck sits parked in front of the shuttered Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) headquarters on March 10, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. Silicon Valley Bank was shut down on Friday morning by California regulators and was put in control of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Prior to being shut down by regulators, shares of SVB were halted Friday morning after falling more than 60% in premarket trading following a 60% declined on Thursday when the bank sold off a portfolio of US Treasuries and $1.75 billion in shares to cover declining customer deposits. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Silicon Valley Bank Shut Down By Regulators

The Collapse Of Silicon Valley Bank Is Testing Tech’s Loudest Evangelists

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/johnwilmeswords">John Wilmes</a> is a writer and professor in Chicago. His work has appeared in The Ringer, <em>GQ</em>, <em>Chicago Reader</em>, and <em>The New Republic</em>, among other places. He is the author of the novella <i>Jad&#8217;s Dad Milo</i>.</p>


John Wilmes

A Compass Group employee works the hot dog concession at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.

Cleveland Indians v Chicago White Sox

A Fight Is Brewing In Chicago Between A Multinational Concessions Business And Its Workers

<p>Micah Herskind is an organizer, policy advocate, and writer based in Atlanta, GA.</p>


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Micah Herskind

A police car near the site of Atlanta's proposed Cop City

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Abolition Requires Struggle

Stuffed rabbits copulating are on display at the Palais de la Decouverte (scientific museum) in Paris on October 23, 2012 as part of an exhibition.

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How To Have More Sex

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Chris Thompson

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Media Meltdowns

Marc Caputo Leaves NBC News One Week After Gloating About Evicting Tenant

Democrats Hold Unprecedented Virtual Convention From Milwaukee

Sad: Steph And Ayesha Curry Are NIMBYs

<p>Jonathan Ben-Menachem is a PhD student in Sociology at Columbia University, where he researches the politics of criminalization. He has written about similar topics for the Washington Post, Slate, The Appeal, and more.</p>


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Jonathan Ben-Menachem

Rally And March To Close Rikers Island

Prison Abolition Is Pragmatic

NBC Politics Reporter Gloats About Evicting Tenant: “I Hope He Enjoys The Sex In Prison”

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<div>Casey Taylor is a writer living and working in Pittsburgh. He is currently writing a book for St. Martin&#8217;s Press about cannabis religions, Haile Selassie I, and the Cold War in the Caribbean. He also writes a free newsletter called <a href="https://weedchurch.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://weedchurch.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1709306863919000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1mVH2xiID6S0zvlyj6yHco">Weed Church</a> covering foolish spiritual things that occur to him. His work has appeared in The New Republic, WIRED, New York Magazine, and a sports blog he can’t currently recall the name of. You can <a href="mailto:caseyt7@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email</a> him if you’d like.</div>
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casey

Casey Taylor

SAN FRANCISCO - JUNE 09: Apple CEO Steve Jobs watches a video of the new iPhone 3G as he delivers the keynote address at the Apple Worldwide Web Developers Conference June 9, 2008 in San Francisco, California. Jobs kicked off the 2008 WWDC conference with a keynote where he announced an upgraded version of the popular iPhone called the iPhone 3G. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Apple Introduces New iPhone At Worldwide Developers Conference

Quiet Quitting Is A Stupid New Name For An Old Fight

Goodell, wearing a Damar Hamlin No. 3 hat, poses with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula prior to a game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York.

New England Patriots v Buffalo Bills

The NFL Is A Family


<p>Alan Hanson is a writer from California. He writes creative nonfiction, essays, and poetry. He’s worked in advertising for over a decade because he likes to eat. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/iluvbutts247" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@iluvbutts247</a> unless of course he gets suspiciously suspended.</p>


Alan Hanson

This screen grab shows the Twitter account of billionaire Tesla chief Elon Musk on October 27, 2022.

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Stories

I Was Almost Elon Musk’s Twitter Voice

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Kelsey McKinney

2022 American Music Awards – Press Room

Arts And Culture

Will Ticketmaster’s Death Knell Finally Toll?

A baby, blonde hair, pretty cute, but not like incredibly cute, sititng on a chair with a tan blanket draped over it. the baby is wearing a leather jacket. there's a bunch of money in front of him. it all kinda looks real except for one $100 bill which looks so fake so pretend that bill looks real too

baby-money

It’s Not Nepotism; It’s Wealth.

AL RAYYAN, QATAR - NOVEMBER 30: General view outside the stadium prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D match between Tunisia and France at Education City Stadium on November 30, 2022 in Al Rayyan, Qatar. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Tunisia v France: Group D – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

A World Cup Of Blood And Gold

Starbucks workers hold a rally on October 05, 2022 in New York City. Starbucks Workers United were joined in solidarity by various unions as they held a rally outside of a Staten Island store, slated to close for renovations later this month. They are calling for the right to negotiate employment terms and want an end to the union busting campaign that is being used against workers throughout the country.

Starbucks Workers United Union Holds Rally At Staten Island Starbucks Location

Starbucks VP Sends Pissy Letter To NFLPA Head Over Support For Workers

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 8: Chief Executive Officer of FTX Trading Limited Sam Bankman-Fried speaks during a House Committee on Financial Services | Full Committee Hearing titled Digital Assets and the Future of Finance: Understanding the Challenges and Benefits of Financial Innovation in the United States on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Dec. 08, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Capitol Hill

Sam Bankman-Fried Arrested As FTX Bankruptcy Team Beefs With Bahamian Authorities

ROME, ITALY - MAY 10: Founder and CEO of Binance Changpeng Zhao, commonly known as "CZ", attends the "CZ meets Italy" at Palazzo Brancaccio on May 10, 2022 in Rome, Italy. Changpeng Zhao is the founder and CEO of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume as of April 2018. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)

CZ Meets Italy – Blockchain Week Rome

Binance Lawyer: Do Not Tickle Me! I’m At The Base Of This Human Pyramid!


<p>Michael is a writer who has worked with The Atlantic, The New Yorker, WIRED, Vox, The New York Times, and other publications. His first book, <em>The Other Olympians</em>, which uncovers the stories of several European athletes who transitioned gender in the 1930s, is now available for purchase.</p>


Michael Waters

TOLEDO, OH - JULY 01: Columbus Clippers player's ball caps are seen on the dugout bench during a regular season game between the Columbus Clippers and the Toledo Mud Hens on July 1, 2019 at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio.

clippers

The Columbus Clippers Made Public Sports Ownership Work. Can Anyone Else?