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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

Protect The Head That Reads Defector

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James Robins is an award-winning critic and historian. His work has appeared in the New Republic, Vulture, and the TLS, and he writes the newsletter <a href="https://thedreadnought.substack.com/">The Dreadnought</a>. He lives in London.

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James Robins

Walter Isaacson (right) and Elon Musk (left) speak onstage at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit back in 2014, long before Isaacson wrote a big biography of Musk.

Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit – Day 1

Arts And Culture

Not Even The Patron Stooge Of Fawning Biographies Can Make Elon Musk Look Good

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Patrick Redford

NEW YORK, USA - JUNE 15: FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried arrives at Manhattan Federal Court for a court appearance in New York, United States on June 15, 2023. (Photo by Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

FTX’s former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, appears in court on federal fraud charges

Capital

Oh, So It’s Illegal To Email Your Son About How To Do Financial Crimes Now?

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Chris Thompson

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Media Meltdowns

Barstool Sports’s New Owner Reportedly Laying Off 100 Staffers After Purchasing Company For One Dollar

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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.

Super Bowl LVII Pregame

Music

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

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Kathryn Xu

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

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

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Lauren Theisen

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

Autostraddle

Autostraddle To Be Acquired By Queer Wellness Company For Them

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)

Self-driving Waymo cars on the road in Santa Monica

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.

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

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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.