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Defector

Capital

Climate

Margin Of Error

Policing

The Machines

Politics

Patrick Redford

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 11: Former Major League Baseball player Alex Rodriguez looks on during a game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors at Wells Fargo Center on December 11, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

A-Rod Got A Bunch Of Money To Build A “Sports Stock Market” App

Tom Ley

Whose Disgusting Owner Chin Is This?

<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif">Marc Normandin currently writes on baseball’s labor issues and more at </span><a style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif" href="http://marcnormandin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://marcnormandin.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1758998321491000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ZpjG5RUFwdpapWqR1u4bd">marcnormandin.com</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif">, which you can read for free but support </span><a style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif" href="https://www.patreon.com/marcnormandin">through his Patreon</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif">. His baseball writing has appeared at FOX Sports, SB Nation, Defector, Global Sport Matters, Deadspin, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Sports on Earth, The Guardian, The Nation, FAIR, and TalkPoverty, and you can read his takes on video games at Retro XP and Endless Mode.</span></p>
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Marc Normandin

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred leaving the MLB owners meetings with that look on his face.

MLB’s Owners Want To Make Their Favorite Loopholes Into Law

David Roth

An animatronic dog about to be crushed into oblivion in Meta's upsetting Super Bowl ad.

Facebook/Meta Asks: “Wouldn’t It Be Nice To Die?”

Alleged Masterminds Of $4.5 Billion Crypto Heist Also Auteurs Of Weapons-Grade Internet Vanity Trash

Ray Ratto

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 03: National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell, Rob Manfred, executive vice president of labor and human resources in the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, Major League Baseball, NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, Michael Weiner, general counsel for the Major League Baseball Players Association, Travis Tygart, CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, Gabriel Feldman, associate professor of law and director of the Sports Law Program at Tulane University Law School, and Jeffrey Standen, professor of law at the Willamette University College of Law (L-R), testify on Capitol Hill on November 3, 2009 in Washington, DC. The hearing focused on doping in professional sports.(Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Roger Goodell; Rob Manfred; DeMaurice Smith; Michael Weiner; Travis Tygart; Gabriel Feldman; Jeffrey Standen

Why Do We Need Commissioners Anyway?

Lauren Theisen

Sports Betting Apps Are So Easy To Use It’s Terrifying

Chamath speaks onstage during the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on October 19, 2016 in San Francisco, California.

Chamath Palihapitiya’s Whole Game Is Being A Loudmouth

The error-strewn back text of the Topps Now cards commemorating Atlanta's 2021 World Series win.

Those Extremely Wrong Topps World Series Cards Might Or Might Not Be The Future

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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 Taylor

The Cold War Killed Cannabis As We Knew It. Can It Rise Again?

Albert Burneko

Please Enjoy Two Videos Of Elon Musk’s Obviously Bad Ideas Failing

Maitreyi Anantharaman

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


Chris Thompson

What The Hell Is This Company The 76ers Just Partnered With?

The Wirecutter Union Won

Logan Roy Is An American

Samer Kalaf

South Dakota teachers scrabble on a canvas for dollar bills during a hockey game

Hockey Team And Mortgage Company Partner Up To Humiliate Local Teachers

Amos Barshad

These Musicians Are Angry, Organized, And Coming For Spotify

Today Is A Good Day To Not Read Wirecutter

Kelsey McKinney

History

An Historical Correction Needs To Be Seen

How To Quit Your Job, According To The Washington Post: Fuck You

Investor Michael Milken at his own institute's annual event in 2017, back when he was still a convicted financial criminal.

Here Are The Seven Best Sentences From The Financial Times’ Story About Michael Milken’s High-Finance Jamboree

circa 1965: A woman lifts a cup of coffee off a saucer in a kitchen. (Photo by Leo Vals/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Boston Tech Startup Develops Worst Imaginable Way To Get A Cup Of Coffee

Life Lessons

Fake It Until You Make It (A Worse Planet For Everyone To Live On)


<p>Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.</p>


Dan McQuade

An ad for the Carlos Watson show. A quote calls him "Anderson Cooper Meets Oprah" on it.

Media Meltdowns

Ozy Media Is A Monumental Bummer

KIRKLAND, WA - OCTOBER 28: Google Engineering Director Chee Chew demonstrates using the climbing wall during the grand opening of Google Kirkland October 28, 2009 in Kirkland, Washington. More than 350 employees work in the Kirkland facility, which includes amenities such as a gym and soda fountain, consolidates several offices throughout Kirkland. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)

Capital

A-Rod Got A Bunch Of Money To Build A “Sports Stock Market” App

Whose Disgusting Owner Chin Is This?

MLB’s Owners Want To Make Their Favorite Loopholes Into Law

Whose Disgusting Owner Chin Is This?

Facebook/Meta Asks: “Wouldn’t It Be Nice To Die?”

Alleged Masterminds Of $4.5 Billion Crypto Heist Also Auteurs Of Weapons-Grade Internet Vanity Trash

Why Do We Need Commissioners Anyway?

Sports Betting Apps Are So Easy To Use It’s Terrifying

Chamath Palihapitiya’s Whole Game Is Being A Loudmouth

Those Extremely Wrong Topps World Series Cards Might Or Might Not Be The Future

The Cold War Killed Cannabis As We Knew It. Can It Rise Again?

Please Enjoy Two Videos Of Elon Musk’s Obviously Bad Ideas Failing

What The Hell Is This Company The 76ers Just Partnered With?

The Wirecutter Union Won

Logan Roy Is An American

Hockey Team And Mortgage Company Partner Up To Humiliate Local Teachers

These Musicians Are Angry, Organized, And Coming For Spotify

Today Is A Good Day To Not Read Wirecutter

An Historical Correction Needs To Be Seen

How To Quit Your Job, According To The Washington Post: Fuck You

Here Are The Seven Best Sentences From The Financial Times’ Story About Michael Milken’s High-Finance Jamboree

Boston Tech Startup Develops Worst Imaginable Way To Get A Cup Of Coffee

Fake It Until You Make It (A Worse Planet For Everyone To Live On)

Ozy Media Is A Monumental Bummer

Tech Companies, Ranked By The Skill Of People Wearing Their T-Shirts At The Climbing Gym