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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

VictorPortraitWClaw

David Roth

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.

Oklahoma City Thunder v Minnesota Timberwolves – Game Three

Podcasts

Activating The Dunk Machine

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 headshot

Jae Towle Vieira

Normal Gossip logo with cartoon characters gossiping

Normal_Gossip_16-9_V2

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.

Supreme Court – Washington, DC

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.

NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500

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."

US-MISINFORMATION-THEONION-SOCIAL-MASS-MEDIA

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.

steve-ballmer-distraction

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.

Oklahoma State v 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.

Fruit Plate, Menges Lakeside Hotel and Resort, Livingston Manor, New York, USA, John Margolies Roadside America Photograph Archive, 1978

At Beautiful Mount Airy Lodge

Lit Up On Bleep Island