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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

Capital

Climate

Margin Of Error

Policing

The Machines

Politics

Jason England

Roger Goodell, Jay-Z and Blue Ivy Carter attend Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.

Music

50 Years Later, Is There Anything Left Of Hip Hop?

Kathryn Xu

Screenshot from tripleS LOVElution's "Girls' Capitalism" music video, with text reading, "Rule No. 1 Don't Cry Be Rich."

TripleS And The Rise Of K-Pop Girls’ Crypto-Capitalism

Lauren Theisen

A hand holding a cracked Autostraddle logo reaches out of a pink whirlpool

Autostraddle To Be Acquired By Queer Wellness Company For Them

Patrick Redford

Santa Monica, CA - February 21: Passengers ride in an electric Jaguar I-Pace car outfitted with Waymo full self-driving technology in Santa Monica Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

San Francisco Takes First Step Towards The Grim, Autonomous Future Of Transportation

Adlan Jackson is a writer-editor at Hell Gate. He has written for The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Pitchfork, Study Hall and more.

Adlan Jackson

The central branch of Brooklyn Public Library, wrapped in Jay-Z lyrics.

Arts And Culture

Is ‘The Book Of Hov’ Really For Anyone But Jay-Z?

Tom Ley

Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants stretches prior to an NFL divisional round football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 21, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Running Backs Are Hosed

Samer Kalaf

Karim Benzema at his signing with Al Ittihad

Soccer

Saudi Arabia’s Plan Is To Make A Better Version Of MLS

Justin Ellis

The Source printing at the Portland Press Herald printing plant in South Portland on April 3, 2014.

Journalismism

Maybe Separating Newspapers From Capitalism Is A Good Idea After All

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

An ad for Color Star's NASDAQ listing on the investor page of Color Star's website.

Color Star Makes Its Next Big Move, Teams Up With Max Payne, Johnny Blaze, And Elizabeth

Boxing up the bottles beer at Anchor Steam Beer Brewery, March 28, 1978

Anchor Brewing Was San Francisco

Autostraddle Is Spiraling Toward A Shutdown Or A Sale

David Roth

Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav attends the premiere of The Flash in Hollywood.

They Don’t Want Us And We Don’t Need Them

Soraya Roberts

Crowds are seen in front of the stage as Lost Frequencies gives a DJ Performance concert on the second day of the Champions Festival, which is being prepared for the UEFA Champions League final to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 9, 2023.

I Just Want To Go To A Concert

Keith Paradise is a freelance writer who somehow won a Keystone Press Award during his 
decade spent as a newspaper reporter in Pennsylvania, where he covered sports, education, and 
the murder of a neighborhood turkey. Originally from Pittsburgh, he is a senior writer for 
Billiards Digest magazine and his name has appeared twice in the notable section of The Year’s 
Best Sports Writing anthology—including in 2024 for his Defector article on the rise and fall of 
sports clothing icon Starter.

Keith Paradise

A rack of Starter jackets, satin and pullover and polyester. Colorado Rockies is in the front.

The Rise And Fall Of Starter, The Coolest Company On Earth

A closeup of the Qatar World Cup gold medal

Qatar’s Interest In The Washington Wizards Is The Next Step

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.

Nicholas Russell

Defector At The Movies

‘The Flash’ Resurrecting Christopher Reeve Is Nothing But Bad News

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 18: Chelsea owner Todd Boehly gestures prior to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge on April 18, 2023 in London, United Kingdom.

What Should We Make Of Chelsea’s Reported Saudi Bailout?

Ben Orbison is a writer living in Los Angeles

Ben Orbison

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 15: Tommy Fleetwood of England plays a second shot on the first hole during the first round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club on June 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Golf

The Los Angeles Country Club Owes L.A. More Than Just A Good U.S. Open

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Gimlet Media co-founder Alex Blumberg speaks at the Ignition: Future of Media conference in New York City, in 2017.

Gimlet Media’s Story Was Always Going To End Like This

Alex Pareene

Reddit logo is seen on an android mobile device with an ascent growth chart in the background.

The Last Page Of The Internet

<div class="gmail_default">Timothy Faust is a healthcare writer and author of the book <a href="http://www.healthjusticenow.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.healthjusticenow.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1685593699820000&amp;usg=AOvVaw24V19Y2HTPgYkH_EpZ_lgj">Health Justice Now</a>. He and his long little dog, Ume, move around a lot.</div>
<div class="gmail_default"></div>

Timothy Faust

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 16: Zander Bathory steps on the back of the European Assassin during the AWF Wrestling Dojo Wrestling night July 16, 2004 in Sydney, Australia. For this group of die-hard sports professionals who spend most Saturdays training and wrestling in a small dojo in Sydney's South West. It's a ritual that goes way beyond dedication reaching into the realm of obsession. Founded in 1999, the AWF has now grown to over fifty professional wrestlers Australia wide. Hosting regular bout nights across the country, means these guys get a chance to do things they don't normally get to do, the blood is real and injuries happen, often. After starting a school for wrestling six years ago, AWF founder Greg Bowden has trained more than fifty pro wrestlers, in a bid to help promote the sport and build a substantial fan base. Unlike America's WWE group, which is broadcast regularly around the world via cable television, the AWF, despite numerous attempts, have been unable to secure television broadcast support, which constantly hampers the sport's promotion, keeping crowd numbers down and the group confined to low cost venues and shows. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Pro Wrestling

In American Indie Wrestling, Bodies Are Cheap And Healthcare Is Not

BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 14 : Fans cheering to game stage during the 2018 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational Groups Stage at the EU LCS Studio on May 14, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games via Getty Images)

The ‘League Of Legends’ Walkout Is A Warning

Ray Ratto

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - MAY 29: Fans sit behind signs referencing plans for the Oakland Athletics to move to Las Vegas during a game against the Atlanta Braves at RingCentral Coliseum on May 29, 2023 in Oakland, California.

Oakland A’s: Thousands Of Fans Across The Country Will Flock To Las Vegas To Watch Us Play Awful Baseball

Duke wing player Brian Davis seen on the team's bench in 1991.

In Praise Of Brian Davis’s Very Possibly Fake $7 Billion Bid For The Washington Commanders

Katharine Trendacosta writes about tech policy, the entertainment industry, pop culture, and where those things intersect. In her day job, she&#8217;s the Associate Director of Policy and Activism for the digital civil liberties nonprofit the Electronic Frontier Foundation. (Her writing here reflects her views alone and not those of EFF.) In her spare time, she writes things like this.

A photo of the author, Katharine Trendacosta

Katharine Trendacosta

Actor and writer Daheli Hall, left, joins WGA members as they cheer on the first day of their strike in front of Paramount Studios in Hollywood on May 2, 2023.