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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

Kelsey McKinney

History

An Historical Correction Needs To Be Seen


<p>Louis Keene is a writer for the Forward and the creator of <a href="http://unstatable.com">Unstatable</a>, a newsletter about the Clippers. He’s on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/thislouis">@thislouis.</a></p>


Louis Keene

The late Malik Sealy and Brent Barry at a Los Angeles Clippers game in the Arrowhead Pond, in 1997.

25 Years Ago, The Clippers Came Closer To Moving To Anaheim Than Anyone Knew

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/ericnus">Eric Nusbaum</a> (words) is a writer based in Tacoma, Washington. He is the author of the book <i><a href="https://bookshop.org/books/stealing-home-los-angeles-the-dodgers-and-the-lives-caught-in-between-9781541742222/9781541742215">Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between</a></i>. He is also a former editor at VICE.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/adamvillacin">Adam Villacin</a> (pictures) is an illustrator based in Joshua Tree, California. He has written, illustrated, and self-published roughly one hundred zines. He has worked with clients such as Nike, Jordan Brand, Adidas, Dr. Martens, and Fender in addition to editorial work for VICE and The Ringer. He’s also been drawing a musician every day for the last year and a half.</p>


Eric Nusbaum and Adam Villacin

Bodybuilder Rachel McLish, as drawn by Adam Villacin.

Women’s Bodies, Men’s Rules, And The Indiscreet Draw Of ‘Pumping Iron 2: The Women’


<p><a href="http://Feldman.cool" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brian Feldman</a> is a software engineer living in Brooklyn.</p>


Brian Feldman

Defector At The Movies

At The Turtle Club In The Shadow Of 9/11

Dave McKenna

The biggest crowd in Europe on Saturday will not be watching detached professionals kissing the badge of their latest football team, but at the All-Ireland Gaelic football final. Two amateur teams, Dublin and Mayo, will attempt to win the coveted All-Ireland trophy for Gaelic football in a replay following a rare draw two weeks ago.

Bottled Up In Cork: A Loss In Hurling Is More Than A Loss


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<div>Hallie Lieberman is a historian and journalist. Her book <em>Gigolos: An Exploration of the Men Who Sell Sex and The Women Who Buy It</em> will be published by Beacon Press in January 2027. She is also the author of <em>Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy</em>. Her writing has appeared in <em>Esquire</em>, <em>The New York Times</em>, <em>The Washington Post</em>, and other outlets. </div>
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Hallie Lieberman

The Long, Complicated History Of Trevor Bauer’s “Rough Sex” Defense

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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

Ed Hardy Went To Japan And Brought Back A Myth

An illustration by Adam Villacin of Eddie Feigner's barnstorming softball crew "The King And His Court"

The Blustering, Barnstorming Softball Brilliance Of ‘The King And His Court’


<p>Patrick Wyman is the host of the <em>Tides of History</em> podcast, which is currently covering prehistory from the dawn of humanity to the Bronze Age. Prior to that, he was the host of the <em>Fall of Rome</em> podcast, which you might remember from Deadspin back in the day, where he also contributed pieces on mixed martial arts. In previous lives, he wrote about MMA for Bleacher Report and the <em>Washington Post</em>, and completed a PhD in History at the University of Southern California.</p>


Patrick Wyman

A statue of Christopher Columbus in Bogota, Colombia, defaced by protestors, is protected by armed police.

Christopher Columbus And The Replacement-Level Historical Figure

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

Götz von Berlichingen Had A (Literal) Iron Fist And A Front-Row Seat To The Military Revolution

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


Dan McQuade

Triptych of McGruff, an ad promoting McGruff's album, and McGruff again

This McGruff Drug Album Might As Well Be By Weird Al

A collage of Babe Ruth headlines from newspapers at the time

101 Years Ago, Babe Ruth’s Career Could Have Ended In A Car Crash In Wawa, Pennsylvania

Adam Villacin's illustration of German tennis star Gottfried von Cramm

Tennis

The Baron Of Wimbledon

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<p>Charles P. Pierce is a writer at <em>Esquire</em> and the author of four books, most recently <em>Idiot America</em>, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston with his wife but no longer his three children.</p>
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Charles P. Pierce

The Wimbledon Finalist With The Body In His Suitcase

A rendering of the Hungarian flag by Adam Villacin

Blood In The Water

Albert Burneko

Senators Week

Stop Referring To The “Caning” Of Charles Sumner!

Patrick Redford

An opposing batter takes a big cut against the Sacramento Solons during a game in 1975.

Every Game Was A Home Run Derby For The 1974 Sacramento Solons

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Who Was Lady Byng, And What Was Her Deal?

Antique dueling pistols, on view at The Grange, the home of American Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in New York, New York, 1933. These pistols were not used in Hamiltons's fatal duel.

A Somewhat Comprehensive History Of U.S. Senators Who Have Died In Duels

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<p class="sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY">Vince Guerrieri is an award-winning journalist and author in the Cleveland area. He likes Lake Erie perch sandwiches, Jim Traficant and long walks on the field at League Park. His website is <a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="http://vinceguerrieri.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;http://vinceguerrieri.com/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]">vinceguerrieri.com</a>, and you can follow him on Twitter <a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="https://twitter.com/vinceguerrieri" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https://twitter.com/vinceguerrieri&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]">@vinceguerrieri</a>.</p>
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Vince Guerrieri

Torso Murders, An Olympic Sex Scandal, And The Cleveland World’s Fair That Wasn’t

A Man Can’t Live On His Own

The Art World Has Bigger Enemies Than Forgers

The Greatest Pool Player In History Just Wanted To Hustle

The Great Outdoors

The Dark Legacy Of The CIA’s Bungled Plot To Have Famous Climbers Plant Nuclear-Powered Sensors In The Himalayas

Lola Falana, who was a celebrity but never actually a part owner of the Mets.