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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

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

Podcasts

Everyone Will Be Abuzz About The Season 8 Finale

David Roth

St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Brendan Donovan (33) as seen during a Major League Baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals on May 18, 2025. Just a real Cardinals-looking guy.

A Residence At One Cardinal Way, With Will Leitch

Spontaneous Diffusions Of Vocal Energy

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks to his right, seemingly at The Distraction logo, with a towel over his shoulder, after the team's Game 4 loss in the Western Conference Finals.

Activating The Dunk Machine

The Champagne Socialist And The Espresso Martini Capitalist

Police officers are seen outside the Supreme Court of the United States is seen on Thursday May 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. The court is hearing arguments about lower courts' ability to block President Donald Trump's policy to end birthright citzenship.

Notes Of Sparkling Authoritarianism, With Jason Steinhauer

Brie Is A Promise

Honorary pace car driver, Alan Ritchson attends the "Reacher" activation on the midway prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Distraction logo is at upper right.

Hands Like Small Turkeys, With Brandy Jensen

Stewing In Anger

A copy of "The Onion," a satirical newspaper, is seen on a lamppost in downtown Washington, DC on November 14, 2024. The lead headline reads "America Defeats America."

The State Of The Onion, With Ben Collins

Rolling The 20-Sided Dice On Love

Owner Steve Ballmer of the Los Angeles Clippers reacts against the Denver Nuggets during the fourth quarter in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs.

I’m Feeling Like Steve, With Patrick Redford

A Run-In With The Mysterious Steve

Shedeur Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes runs with the ball during the first half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field on November 29, 2024 in Boulder, Colorado.

Journey Within The Football Guy Brain, With Mike Tanier

The Fine Line Between A Prank And A Crime

Fruit Plate, Menges Lakeside Hotel and Resort, Livingston Manor, New York, USA, John Margolies Roadside America Photograph Archive, 1978. It looks real messed up. Cottage cheese in the middle and such.

At Beautiful Mount Airy Lodge

Lit Up On Bleep Island

Elon Musk speaks during a cabinet meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 26, 2025. He's backlit and is doing his Thinking Hands and is wearing a stupid hat. The Distraction logo is at upper right.

Beavises In The Code Base, With Tim Marchman

Season 8 Kicks Off With A Couch And A Fuckboy

Paige Bueckers exults in a basket under the basket against the USC Trojans during the Elite Eight round of the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at Spokane Arena on March 31, 2025.

Where’d She Go To College? With Maitreyi Anantharaman

Left to right, Jason Narducy, Bob Mould, and Jon Wurster playing a set at Riot Fest in Chicago in 2019.

Catching The Rain, With Bob Mould

Bruce Pearl yelling with his hand cupped around his mouth, looking pretty insane, during a game against Texas A&M on March 4, 2025.

Through The Transfer Portal, With Ken Pomeroy

New York Jets running back Zonovan Knight (27) catches a pass from New York Jets quarterback Mike White (5) during the NFL game between the New York Jets and the Minnesota Vikings on December 4th, 2022.

Yearning For The Mike White Era, With Jasper Wang

Vice President JD Vance speaks during a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border on March 5, 2025 in Eagle Pass, Texas. His eyes are closed and he looks like he's singing. Beard looks like shit.

Live From The Bad Times, With Denny Carter

Twitch CEO Dan Clancy attends TwitchCon 2024 San Diego on September 20, 2024 in San Diego, California.