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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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Capital

Climate

Margin Of Error

Policing

The Machines

Politics

David Roth

Duke wing player Brian Davis seen on the team's bench in 1991.

In Praise Of Brian Davis’s Very Possibly Fake $7 Billion Bid For The Washington Commanders

<p>Katharine Trendacosta writes about tech policy, the entertainment industry, pop culture, and where those things intersect. In her day job, she&#8217;s the Associate Director of Policy and Activism for the digital civil liberties nonprofit the Electronic Frontier Foundation. (Her writing here reflects her views alone and not those of EFF.) In her spare time, she writes things like this.</p>


A photo of the author, Katharine Trendacosta

Katharine Trendacosta

Actor and writer Daheli Hall, left, joins WGA members as they cheer on the first day of their strike in front of Paramount Studios in Hollywood on May 2, 2023.

The Writers Are Striking For The Future Of Entertainment

Patrick Redford

Steph Curry carves a Bored Ape ice sculpture.

The NBA’s New Social Justice Champion Has A Few Demerits

Albert Burneko

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who sucks at his job

Media Meltdowns

How Not To Interview A Transportation Secretary


<p>Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.</p>


Dan McQuade

Split image: Dan McQuade (left) wearing an American Dream EST. 2019 hoodie standing next to a cardboard cutout of Shrek at the DreamWorks Water Park inside a mall. David Roth (right) pointing up at the "WINNERS CIRCLE" entrance at the old Meadowlands Arena.

Life's Rich Pageant

Dan And Dave Explore The American Dream (Mall)

<p>Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.</p>


Nicholas Russell

Aerial view of urban sprawl, Las Vegas, Nevada

What Comes After Meeting The Neighbors?

Elon Musk and his mom doing some uncanny shit in costume at Heidi Klum's Halloween party.

Burning Down The House

SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 17: Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes moves through security while on her way to court on March 17, 2023 in San Jose, California. Holmes is appearing in court for a restitution hearing. (Photo by Philip Pacheco/Getty Images)

Everyone Who Knows What Elizabeth Holmes Did Wrong, Step Forward (Not So Fast, The New York Times)

<p>Dan Berger teaches at the University of Washington Bothell and writes about activism, Black Power, and the carceral state. His latest book is <em>Stayed on Freedom: The Long History of Black Power Through One Family’s Journey</em>.</p>


Dan Berger

In The Fight For Justice, The Police Can Only Be On One Side

An NYC subway car with an MTA badge by the door

Jordan Neely Just Needed Some Help


<p>Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99</p>


Diana Moskovitz

A BuzzFeed News logo adorns a wall inside BuzzFeed headquarters, December 11, 2018 in New York City.

Journalismism

Greed Is Still The Problem

Laura Wagner

Elder Wisdom

What Can A Hoop Do?

<p>Jen Ramos Eisen is a Central California-based minor league baseball writer.</p>


Jen Ramos Eisen

An image of the baseball field at Stockton Ballpark in Stockton, California. There's a baseball field, and rows of plastic chairs for fans to sit in.

Minor League Baseball’s New CBA Still Won’t Solve All Its Transportation Woes

Lisbon , Portugal - 1 November 2022; Changpeng Zhao, Co-founder &amp; CEO, Binance at Centre Stage during the opening night of Web Summit 2022 at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile for Web Summit via Getty Images)

Binance Crackdown Reveals How Rigged The Crypto Game Is

Striking Los Angeles Unified School District employees and their supporters, including teachers, rally outside LAUSD headquarters in Los Angeles on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 during the first day of a three-day strike. At the center of the photo, a person is holding up a sign. It reads: "Mortgage: $$$$ Food: $$$$$ Utilities: $$$$$ My pay: ¢¢¢¢¢¢"

Why L.A.’s Education Workers Had No Choice But To Strike

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 10: A Brinks armored truck sits parked in front of the shuttered Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) headquarters on March 10, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. Silicon Valley Bank was shut down on Friday morning by California regulators and was put in control of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Prior to being shut down by regulators, shares of SVB were halted Friday morning after falling more than 60% in premarket trading following a 60% declined on Thursday when the bank sold off a portfolio of US Treasuries and $1.75 billion in shares to cover declining customer deposits. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The Collapse Of Silicon Valley Bank Is Testing Tech’s Loudest Evangelists

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/johnwilmeswords">John Wilmes</a> is a writer and professor in Chicago. His work has appeared in The Ringer, <em>GQ</em>, <em>Chicago Reader</em>, and <em>The New Republic</em>, among other places. He is the author of the novella <i>Jad&#8217;s Dad Milo</i>.</p>


John Wilmes

A Compass Group employee works the hot dog concession at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.

A Fight Is Brewing In Chicago Between A Multinational Concessions Business And Its Workers

<p>Micah Herskind is an organizer, policy advocate, and writer based in Atlanta, GA.</p>


Micah Herskind

A police car near the site of Atlanta's proposed Cop City

Abolition Requires Struggle

Stuffed rabbits copulating are on display at the Palais de la Decouverte (scientific museum) in Paris on October 23, 2012 as part of an exhibition.

How To Have More Sex

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19</p>


Chris Thompson

Marc Caputo Leaves NBC News One Week After Gloating About Evicting Tenant

Sad: Steph And Ayesha Curry Are NIMBYs

<p>Jonathan Ben-Menachem is a PhD student in Sociology at Columbia University, where he researches the politics of criminalization. He has written about similar topics for the Washington Post, Slate, The Appeal, and more.</p>


Jonathan Ben-Menachem

Prison Abolition Is Pragmatic

NBC Politics Reporter Gloats About Evicting Tenant: “I Hope He Enjoys The Sex In Prison”

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<div>Casey Taylor is a writer living and working in Pittsburgh. He is currently writing a book for St. Martin&#8217;s Press about cannabis religions, Haile Selassie I, and the Cold War in the Caribbean. He also writes a free newsletter called <a href="https://weedchurch.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://weedchurch.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1709306863919000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1mVH2xiID6S0zvlyj6yHco">Weed Church</a> covering foolish spiritual things that occur to him. His work has appeared in The New Republic, WIRED, New York Magazine, and a sports blog he can’t currently recall the name of. You can <a href="mailto:caseyt7@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email</a> him if you’d like.</div>
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Casey Taylor

SAN FRANCISCO - JUNE 09: Apple CEO Steve Jobs watches a video of the new iPhone 3G as he delivers the keynote address at the Apple Worldwide Web Developers Conference June 9, 2008 in San Francisco, California. Jobs kicked off the 2008 WWDC conference with a keynote where he announced an upgraded version of the popular iPhone called the iPhone 3G. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Quiet Quitting Is A Stupid New Name For An Old Fight

Goodell, wearing a Damar Hamlin No. 3 hat, poses with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula prior to a game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York.