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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

David Roth

An Enchanted Tools robot called the Mirokai is displayed during the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show CES in Las Vegas.

Podcasts

The Future Feels Like The Raiders, With Ed Zitron

Samer Kalaf

A recall notice on a case of Boar's Head products.

Life's Rich Pageant

“Residual Ham Material,” And Even More Evocative Phrases From USDA Inspections Of Boar’s Head Plants

Kathryn Xu

The Philadelphia 76ers' home arena in South Philly.

76ers Not Moving Across Town After All

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

A Comprehensive And Maddening History Of Color Star, Would-Be Titans Of Just About Anything

Patrick Redford

The Logic Of Private Equity Explains The Park City Ski Patrol Strike

NFL Christmas Gameday signage advertising the NFL's two Christmas Day marquee games.

NFL Schedule Creep Is Getting Out Of Control

Rachelle Hampton

Two reflective gold wine glasses emblazoned with "Love is Blind" are held up against the sky.

Could Unionizing Protect Contestants From The Reality Of Reality TV?

Welch, who might soon need to Talk Tuah lawyer

The Hawk Tuah Memecoin Rug Pull Is The Apotheosis Of Bag Culture

Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.

Dan McQuade

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 08: Xavier Legette #17 of the Carolina Panthers drops a pass while being guarded by C.J. Gardner-Johnson #8 of the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth quarter of a game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 08, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Gambling

Sports Gambling Thrives On Clicks, Not Community

A giant screen above the ring shows US retired pro-boxer Mike Tyson sitting on the corner stool between rounds during the heavyweight boxing bout against Jake Paul on November 15, 2024.

The Fights

Tyson/Paul Was A Boxing Match That Felt Like Netflix

Albert Burneko

Large bags of Halloween candy for sale in Walgreens pharmacy, Queens, New York.

Elder Wisdom

Bring Back Weird Halloween Candies

Amos Barshad

People walk by a banner outside of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for the IPO of Flutter Entertainment, the parent company of FanDuel, on January 29, 2024 in New York City. The company, which is already on the London Stock Exchange, will be listed under the “FLUT” symbol. Wall Street observers are watching to see if an upcoming Fed announcement on rate policy and the most recent violence in the Middle East will have any effect on the markets.

The Gambling Industry’s Cynical Play For Your Vote

Tom Ley

Journalismism

Jeff Bezos Made Someone Else’s Business Decision

David Gardner is a writer based in New York. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, GQ, The Ringer, and other outlets.

David Gardner

Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99

Diana Moskovitz

Taylor Swift performs onstage for night one of Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on July 07, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri.

How Public Stadiums Keep Some Profits Private

<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}]]">Neil deMause</a> has covered sports economics for more publications than even he can shake a stick at. He’s co-author of the book <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>, and runs <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}]]">the website of the same name</a>.

Neil deMause

Philadelphia skyline with white puffy clouds focusing on William Penn Statue Broad Street area, Pennsylvania. (Photo by: Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Philadelphia Has A Lot To Lose On The New 76ers Arena

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Sisters Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen pose for photos at the CFDA Fashion Awards, at the Brooklyn Museum in 2019

Arts And Culture

When Quiet Luxury Gets Loud

An adaptation of the "Oh, the Places You'll Go" cover with a Robert Moses statue.

Oh, The Power You’ll Broker!

A wide view of the desolate Martian landscape, captured by the Perseverance rover.

Science

Neither Elon Musk Nor Anybody Else Will Ever Colonize Mars

A picture of Donald Trump at the first presidential debate next to a rendering of a trading card which includes a swatch of the suit he wore in that debate, taken from the website selling those cards.

Donald Trump Is Still Selling NFTs, Now Also Selling Trading Cards With Bits Of His Suit Embedded In Them

Boar's Head deli meats Recall notice at Deli counter in grocery store, Queens, New York.

“Heavy Meat Buildup,” And More Alarming Phrases From A USDA Inspection Of A Boar’s Head Plant

Richard Staff is a <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardStaff" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">weapons-grade Twitter goblin</a> and hostage of the Mets. That is his real name.

Richard Staff

An illustration of several baseball mitts trying to catch the same ball

The Minor League Shrink And The Growing Gap Between Triple-A And The Bigs

Alex Shultz is a journalist based in Brooklyn. He&#8217;s a writer for <a href="https://www.hardresetmedia.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hardresetmedia.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1763581679564000&amp;usg=AOvVaw07bi0TNndgTXDN2QH72s3J">Hard Reset,</a> a newsletter about tech, labor, and power.

Alex Shultz

The lobby of the Javits Center during Fanatics Fest