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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

Buy a Defector Gift Subscription, Get A (Different) Gift Subscription

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2025 gift subs

Normal Gossip: portraits

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Two joggers run in an autumnal park between two trees.

Sunny autumn weather in Cologne

Life Lessons

Falling Back In Love With Running

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Kelsey McKinney

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Albert Burneko

A barren Dust Bowl wasteland with a single fencepost standing in the foreground.

dust bowl

Now Let Us Survey Our Summer’s Gardening Bounty

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Rachelle Hampton

A young woman at home, feeling sick. She is, appropriately, holding her lower back.

Young woman feeling sick

I Hurt My Back

<p>Former Defector intern, now freelancer.</p>
<p>For professional inquiries or tips please write lucybl00m@protonmail.com or yuck.20 on Signal.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


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Lucy Bloom

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You Can’t Be Too Careful

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Lauren Theisen

“Annie” Opening Night Celebration

Seeking Closure At Planet Hollywood, Where My Life Once Exploded

<div id="message-list_1754580289.636299" class="c-virtual_list__item" role="listitem" data-qa="virtual-list-item" data-item-key="1754580289.636299">
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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Puja Patel is a writer, editor, and curator who has served as the Editor-in-Chief of Pitchfork and <em>Spin</em>, a culture editor for Deadspin, and a columnist for MTV and the <em>Village Voice</em>. Her work has appeared in publications such as the <em>New Yorker</em>, <em>Harper&#8217;s Bazaar</em>, and <em>Rolling Stone,</em> among others. She serves on the advisory board of NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and Building Beats, a nonprofit organization that provides music education to underserved youth across New York City and Los Angeles.</div>
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Puja Patel

Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue

Mods Asleep

Just A Tip

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Bills Week

I Have Found A Personal Finance Influencer Who Isn’t As Bad As “Personal Finance Influencer” Sounds

Bill Laimbeer #40 takes the ball during the NBA playoffs against the Boston Celtics

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Bill Laimbeer Made Me A Youth Basketball Maniac

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Arts And Culture

My New Glasses Have Ruined My Ability To Read! Help Me!

<p>Emily Bice is a Brooklyn-based writer. Her work centers on explorations of how we navigate love and life in the 21st century. These investigations have taken her to a fishmonger, inspired meditations on dating, and even led to rollerblading a marathon. You can find more on her Substack, <a href="https://129waysto.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://129waysto.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1728739707762000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1SlDWyDATtJJ90_yxFN0B1">129 Ways to Get a Life</a>.</p>
