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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

David Roth

NBA and FanDuel online sports betting signage is displayed on the side of a building in Phoenix, Arizona.

Podcasts

Doing Cocaine In An MRI Machine, With Arif Hasan

Jae Towle Vieira [they/them] works as a producer for Normal Gossip. Their fiction has been published in The Normal School, New England Review, Carve Magazine, Passages North, Fairy Tale Review, and elsewhere.

Jae Towle Vieira

Normal Gossip logo with cartoon characters gossiping

Something Stinks With The Fishmonger’s Cousin

Closeup of painted Oakland Raiders fans in Black Hole during game vs New York Jets in Oakland in 2003. They've got like weird helmets and skull stuff going on.

A Taste Of That Football-Shaped Bread, With Ray Ratto

Bromance Languages 101

Kamala Harris smiling out at the crowd at her big rally in Washington, D.C. on October 29, 2024. There's a bunch of people cheering behind her and she's wearing a suit.

Watching The Game, With Denny Carter

Night Of The Flying Fruit Snatchers

Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees grimaces/smirks after a strikeout in the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians during Game Four of the ALCS.

There’s No Rutgers Football In The Champagne Room

It’s Always Garbage Man Appreciation Week In Our Hearts

Harrison Bader (left) and Jesse Winker (right) celebrate in the outfield at CitiField after the Mets defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. Bader is yelling; Winker, also yelling, kind of looks like a snake a little bit.

The Hazards Of Beef Tourism, With Rohan Nadkarni

Illegal Casino Night Is For The Children

circa 1955: Studio image of a father flexing his bicep for his young freckle-faced son to feel, 1950s. (Photo by Harold M. Lambert/Lambert/Getty Images)

Let’s Remember Some Dad

All’s Fair In Love And Fanfiction

Artist Yan Chuan paints his figurine creation of Garrosh Hellscream from World of Warcraft on June 8, 2016 in Shenyang, China. Chuan is a fan of Blizzard Entertainment, producer of online game World of Warcraft.

Lost In The Orc Section, With Jason Schreier

Wide receiver Plaxico Burress #17 of the New York Giants warms up for the game with the Arizona Cardinals on November 23, 2008. It looks like he's looking at the Distraction logo at upper right of the frame.

The Plaxico Continuum

So It’s Come To This: The Normal Gossip Updates Episode

Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) gestures as he runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Red Sox at Comerica Park.

Mild Card Season, With Maitreyi Anantharaman

Head coach Mike Norvell of the Florida State Seminoles reacts to a play during the first half of a game against the Boston College Eagles at Doak Campbell Stadium. You can tell from the reaction that the Noles would go on to lose.

How Not To Make It In College Football, With Israel Daramola

Head coach Antonio Pierce of the Las Vegas Raiders stands on the sidelines during the national anthem prior to an NFL preseason football game against the San Francisco 49ers, at Allegiant Stadium on August 23, 2024.

The Good, The Bad, And The Kalyn, With Kalyn Kahler

Manhattan sky is seen after the rain storm in New York City.

Some Kind Of Summer Vibes

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 Point B. Handsomest man in the world.

Drew Magary

An Airplane Seating Brain Teaser, With Rohan Nadkarni

View of the podcast studio of the Saxon State Library (SLUB) before the reopening of the media library.

A Legacy Of Discarded Podcasting Equipment, With Rachelle Hampton

Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. He is very dramatically backlit, naturally.

Hollywood’s Dampest Era, With Chris Nashawaty

Former footballer Zinedine Zidane carries the torch during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris.

Getting Slightly Too French With It, With Patrick Redford

A dancer performs during the Breakdance contest "Paris Battle Pro" at La Seine Musicale in Paris on February 23, 2019.

Popping And Locking With Pablo Torre

Storm drain on street during Tropical Storm Hilary. August 19, 2023.