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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

Barry Petchesky

Year In Review

What Horrible Things Did We Do To Our Penises Last Year?

What Did We Get Stuck In Our Rectums Last Year?

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Some kids who are fans of the Charlotte Hornets.

Hornets Cruelly Bait-And-Switch Child By Promising PS5 But Giving Him PS5 And Hornets Tickets

Patrick Redford

Mounted police officers remove the riot gear from their police horse outside the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN, site of the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Defector Up All Night

They Defunded The Ponies

Welch, who might soon need to Talk Tuah lawyer

Life's Rich Pageant

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

Kathryn Xu

Shoppers walk past an MLB store during the National Day Golden Week holiday at Raffles City Chongqing on October 5, 2024, in Chongqing, China.

In Search Of A Phillies Hat In Chinese MLB Stores

Dave McKenna

An illustration depicting high school football player attempting to catch a gigantic football

High School Sports

How An Imported State Champion Blew Up Virginia High School Football

Giannis Antetokounmpo smiles after pranking Jaylen Brown.

NBA Friendship Wobbled By Ill-Timed Fake Handshake

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

Dan McQuade

Split image of Magic Johnson rubbing his hands in front of the AOL logo. Other side is David Hasselhoff, as Mitch Buchannon in Baywatch, pointing while in an America Online NASCAR racing suit

“You’ve Got Mail” Reminds Me Of A Specific Time And Place

Dubliners line the sidewalks waiting for a Halloween parade that will never begin.

The Machines

Thousands Turn Out For Nonexistent Halloween Parade Promoted By AI Listing

Heather Chen is a former Defector intern and the managing editor at the Columbia Daily Spectator. She loves hockey, photography, and the good ol’ state of Michigan.

Heather Wei-Xi Chen

Kristin Merrilees is a writer based in New York covering technology and the internet.

Kristin Merrilees

A Timothee Chalamet lookalike in a Wonka costume showcases an empty briefcase

We Went To The Timothée Chalamet Lookalike Contest And Didn’t See Timothée Chalamet

David Roth

Split photo. Dan stands in front of some giant pastel mural, wearing a Pizza Plus shirt and sweapants, holding up an old Captain Planet costume. Dave stands in front of a giant helmet that says SPORTS CITY. They're both in a mall.

Dan And Dave Visit A Mall Over The Ocean

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

a giant red-eyed tree frog sculpture at the rainforest cafe

Who Lives At The Rainforest Cafe?

Conkers in boxes at the annual World Conker Championships at the Shuckburgh Arms in Southwick, Peterborough. Picture date: Sunday October 13, 2024.

Criminy! King Conker Charged With Cheeky Cheating At Conkers Contest

An illustration of a little league baseball player trying to swing an oversized gavel as parents look on

A Very Ugly Year In The Life Of A D.C. Little League

Giri Nathan

A screencap of some unhappy Detroit Bridgerton Themed Ball attendees

‘Bridgerton’ Fans Paid Hundreds To Attend Sham Ball Organized By Uncle-Niece Duo

Alex Sujong Laughlin

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

Oh, The Power You’ll Broker!

Dan and Dave split image on Wildwood boardwalk. In middle are two shirts: Trump as 50 Cent: Many men wish death upon me A shirt that says My favorite people call me pop-pop

Dan And Dave Hit The Wildwood Boardwalk: A 2024 T-Shirt Report

Shohei Ohtani holds Decoy in his arms while Decoy licks at his face.

Just A Bunch Of High-Resolution Photos Of Shohei Ohtani And His Dog

Samer Kalaf

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

Ray Ratto

Bocce is played near the ferry building, Wednesday, April 8, 2015, in San Francisco, Calif.

A Bocce Loser’s Guide To Losing At Bocce

Justin McHenry is an archivist and historian from West Virginia, and the author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/lemuria-the-true-story-of-a-fake-place/19663689">Lemuria: A True Story of a Fake Place</a> and the upcoming book, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/raising-philadelphia-the-making-of-america-s-first-great-city-1750-1775-justin-mchenry/20390701?ean=9781955041201">Raising Philadelphia: The Making of America&#8217;s First Great City</a>.

Justin McHenry

MILL CREEK, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 6: Smoke shrouds Mt. Shasta as the Park Fire burns on August 6, 2024 in Mill Creek, California. (Photo by Ethan Swope/Getty Images)