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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

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The Machines

Politics

Alex Sujong Laughlin

A woman sticks her thumb down next to a skincare product and records the scene with an iPhone (posed scene). Product tips on Instagram or Tiktok are often paid advertising. "Deinfluencers" actively advise against buying if they are not convinced of the quality.

Under The Influence

Local Girlbosses Lose Pyramid-Shaped Business Model

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


Chris Thompson

DraftKings Abruptly Shuts Down NFT Operation, Panicking Collectors With Vast Holdings Of Digital Tokens

<p>Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.</p>


Nicholas Russell

Chief Technology Officer of X Elon Musk speaks onstage during the "Exploring the New Frontiers of Innovation: Mark Read in Conversation with Elon Musk" session at the Lumiere Theatre during the Cannes Lions International Festival Of Creativity 2024 - Day Three on June 19, 2024 in Cannes, France.

Elon Musk Keeps Digging In

<p><a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="http://demause.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;http://demause.net/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]"><em>Neil deMause</em></a><em> has covered sports economics for more publications than even he can shake a stick at. He’s co-author of the book </em><a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="https://www.amazon.com/Field-Schemes-Stadium-Swindle-Private/dp/1567511384?ascsubtag=c9dca64cfbbd6c35085d286f4423ee39b8350b2f&amp;rawdata=%5Br%7Chttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F%5Bks%7Cgoogle%5Bt%7Clink%5Bp%7C1800657108%5Ba%7C1567511384%5Bau%7C5722120546910826704%5Bb%7Cdeadspinascsubtag%3D4eba2da0f6cc83fe1f221e8d8ca5894cd93bf2a7ascsubtag%3D33f4f2a16c1eda72859c34ee8aa577410b04a0d8&amp;tag=deadspinamzn-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-ga="[[&quot;Commerce&quot;,&quot;deadspin - Baseball Doesn't Need Collusion To Turn Off The Hot Stove&quot;,&quot;1567511384&quot;]]" data-amazonasin="1567511384" data-amazontag="deadspinamzn-20" data-amazonsubtag="[r|https://www.google.com/[ks|google[t|link[p|1831644811[a|1567511384[au|5722120546910826704[b|deadspin[lt|text" data-commerceready="true">Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money Into Private Profit</a><em>, and runs </em><a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="http://fieldofschemes.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;http://fieldofschemes.com/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]"><em>the website of the same name</em></a><em>.</em></p>


Neil deMause

A rendering of the future Willets Point soccer stadium.

How NYC Gave Hundreds Of Millions To The Yankees And An Oil Baron Sheikh For The Willets Point Soccer Stadium—No Questions Asked

Wings Week

BuzzFeed Is The Reason It Can’t Sell ‘Hot Ones’

Justin Ellis

The super yacht of Russian billionaire businessman and oligarch Roman Abramovich sitting in dock at the Marmaris Port in Turkey in December 2023.

This Is So Stupid

We Are Honor Bound To Commandeer Mark Zuckerberg’s Megayacht

David Roth

Gourmet specialty donuts are being displayed at a shop in Unionville, Ontario, Canada, on June 03, 2023.

Podcasts

100 Foods To Throw In The Garbage, With Megan Greenwell

Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during the Stanford Business, Government, and Society Forum at Stanford University in April of 2024.

Google’s Got Nothing But Wrong Answers

Patrick Redford

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 12: Sam Altman speaks onstage during A Year In TIME at The Plaza Hotel on December 12, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for TIME)

Sam Altman’s Scarlett Johansson Whoopsie Is The True Future Of AI

A Tesla Cybertruck electric vehicle sits parked next to a garbage truck in Los Angeles.

Life's Rich Pageant

Have You Seen A Cybertruck Yet?

<p>Nick Zarzycki is a Toronto-based writer whose work has appeared in the <i data-stringify-type="italic">Washington Post</i>, <i data-stringify-type="italic">Deadspin</i> and <i data-stringify-type="italic">Toronto Life</i>.</p>


Nick Zarzycki

A wizard dressed in a suit looks upon a fortress on a hill as lightning bolts and dollar bills dot the sky

Games

The Creator Of ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Knows Exactly Where It All Went Wrong

<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

Joe Montana attends the FanDuel Fantasy Golf Classic on July 11, 2017 in New York City.

Gambling

Sports Is Betting It All On Gambling

<div>Nate Jackson is a former NFL tight end and author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/slow-getting-up-a-story-of-nfl-survival-from-the-bottom-of-the-pile-nate-jackson/6430451?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote9JzWMngZDpSjF2eoL1_JlyPm2QhDfkNgOzqvaB4n9ic0qqUNQ4iCwaAsasEALw_wcB"><em>Slow Getting Up</em></a>. He lives in Denver.</div>
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Nate Jackson

Drawing of cannabis industry people chasing after a football player.

I Wish I’d Never Become The NFL Weed Guy

Bears’ New Stadium Proposal Includes A Lifetime Of Public Debt

<p>Columnist. Author of many <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Drew-Magary/e/B001JS8R52/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1">fine works of literature</a>, including <em>Point B</em>. Handsomest man in the world.</p>


Drew Magary

MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 22: Tom Brady seen arriving at Palacio De Cibeles on April 22, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

I Learned It By Watching You, Tom Brady

Atmosphere at the Nike Air Innovation Summit held at the Palais Brongniart on April 11, 2024 in Paris, France.

The Fanatics Disaster Is Also A Nike Disaster

Samer Kalaf

Caitlin Clark daps up Jake From State Farm, for some reason, at the WNBA Draft

Send Jake To A Farm Upstate

A man looks at a Tesla Cybertruck parked near the SpaceX Starship as it stands on the launch pad ahead of its third flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas on March 12, 2024. Elon Musk's SpaceX announced it was eyeing March 14 as the earliest date for the next test launch of its giant Starship rocket, with which it hopes to one day colonize Mars. Two previous attempts have ended in spectacular explosions, though the company has adopted a rapid trial-and-error approach in order to accelerate development. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)

Cybertruck Deliveries Halted Due To Car Being A Big Piece Of Shit That Doesn’t Work

New York City Mayor Eric Adams smiles and gives a thumbs-up at an MTA event in January of 2023.

Does It Matter That AI Doesn’t Work?

A photo showing an ear bud resting on the screen of a smartphone showing the Spotify music app.

If You Love Podcasts, Dump Spotify

<p>Annie Howard is a journalist and historian based in Chicago. She is currently at work on her debut manuscript, <em>The City Made Me Trans</em><i>.</i></p>


Annie Howard

an aerial view of an empty Guaranteed Rate Field

How To Fix Chicago’s White Sox–Shaped Black Hole

PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 7: Mat Ishbia speaks during a press conference announcing Phoenix as the host of the NBA All-Star 2027 on March 7, 2024 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)

Mat Ishbia Revealed To Be Familiar Kind Of Asshole

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Kauffman Stadium is the home of the Kansas City Royals and beyond it is GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium which is the home of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs And Royals Got What They Deserved

Ted Leonsis talks into a Wizards-branded microphone.

Ted Leonsis Finally Abandons Glenn Youngkin’s Doomed Virginia Gambit

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Tom Scocca is the editor of <a href="http://indignity.net">Indignity</a>, a subscription-supported newsletter of news, essays, and commentary.</div>
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Tom Scocca

Attorney Peter Angelos talks about his law practice and his hopes about buying the Orioles.