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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

Tom Ley

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 01: U.S. Rep. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) departs a House Republican conference meeting in the basement of the U.S. Capitol on September 01, 2026 in Washington, DC. Republicans are working to pass a continuing resolution that would fund the federal government through the midterm elections before the Labor Day holiday break. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

College Football

The Protect College Sports Act Reveals The Dark Heart Of Management

Dave McKenna

Dublin , Ireland - 18 September 2026; Bohemians supporters display a banner, protesting the upcoming Republic of Ireland matches against Israel, during the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between Bohemians and Drogheda United at Dalymount Park in Dublin. (Photo By Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Soccer

Ireland Going Ahead With Israel Matches Against Everybody’s Wishes

Patrick Redford

David Ellison at the "Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)" Los Angeles Premiere held at Village Theatre on May 06, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

States Roll Over And Show Bellies To Paramount, Will Allow Warner Bros. Merger

Barry Petchesky

Russian Alexander Ovechkin talks to media in a locker room after the charity hockey "Match of the Year" between Russian players of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) at the CSKA arena in Moscow on July 13, 2025. (Photo by TATYANA MAKEYEVA / AFP via Getty Images)

Alex Ovechkin Finally Faces Some Pushback For Supporting Vladimir Putin

Grace Byron is a critic, reporter, and novelist based in Queens. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, Bookforum, and elsewhere. Her debut novel Herculine is out now.

Grace Byron

Books

A New Book Examines The Wickedness Of Trump. Sort Of.

Gambling

There’s Always More Angry Problem Gamblers Where Those Came From

See The Algorithm’s Dark Gleam In The Hunter Biden-Andrew Callaghan Crypto Scam Email Whoopsie

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

LeBron James smiles and gestures from the stage of some dumb event.

Life's Rich Pageant

LeBron James Wants Your Paycheck To Become His Paycheck, By Way Of Polymarket

An AI-generated map of the united states that has incorrect borders and puts Detroit in Canada.

The Jets May Want To Reconsider Being “AI-First”

Luisa Rollenhagen is a German-Argentinian freelance journalist based in Berlin. She&#8217;s written for publications such as The Guardian, BuzzFeed News, Deutsche Welle, and GQ.

Luisa Rollenhagen

A basecap with the lettering 'Make Germany Great Again' is seen in a shelf behind co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the party's candidate for chancellor Alice Weidel prior to a live discussion with US tech billionaire and businessman Elon Musk on social network X, formerly known as Twitter, in her office at the Jakob Kaiser Building in Berlin on January 9, 2025. Musk is set to host a discussion on X with AfD's leader Weidel on Thursday. (Photo by Kay Nietfeld / POOL / AFP)

Politics

The Far Right Had Its Biggest Electoral Win In Germany Since The Nazis. What Now?

US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks during the second day of the Republican National Committee midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on September 10, 2026. US Republicans are betting that putting President Donald Trump at the center of their campaign can rescue a party facing grim election forecasts, despite the president's negative approval ratings. A day earlier, on the first day of the midterm convention, he promised $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans retain control of Congress in November. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP)

Death To The NCAA

The Protect College Sports Act Finally Has Its Suitably Off-Putting Mascot

Giri Nathan

A huge group of fans mill around at the 2026 U.S. Open

Tennis

The State Of The U.S. Open Is The State Of Us

The author can be reached at postpostdoc@protonmail.com.

Post-Postdoc

A visual representation of the Navier Stokes proof

What Gets Left Out Of Math’s New Era?

Albert Burneko

Filming at the BBC Ealing studios for Dr Who story call "Moonbase" which sees the return of the Cybermen. Our picture shows: The Cybermen building a weapon on the moons surface, 19th January 1967.

What If We Could Have A Future?

Brandy Jensen

Journalismism

CBS News Now Performing Oafish Racism On Behalf Of Bari Weiss

Kalshi's logo appears on a smartphone placed on a reflective surface, with a blurry betting curve projected in the background in Creteil, France, on March 9, 2026, during a major scandal and $54 million lawsuit concerning bets related to recent strikes in Iran. (Photo by Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Kalshi Lawsuit Pits States Against Trump Family’s Corruption Machine

Justin Ellis

Hasan Piker, Streamer &amp; Creator, Night, at a press conference during day two of Web Summit Vancouver 2026 at Vancouver Convention Centre. The Reds Week logo is at right.

Reds Week

We Are Living In The Dumbest Age Of Red-Baiting

Matt Calkins being interviewed on News Nation

Seattle Times Dipshit Quits Because His Editors Were Smart Enough To Spike His Stupid Columns

AUSTIN, TEXAS - JULY 28: From left, Brandon Creighton, chancellor of the Texas Tech University System; Wynn Rosser, commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; Michael Williams, chancellor of the University of North Texas System; and Brandon Simmons, ombudsman for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, testify during a Texas Senate Committee on Higher Education hearing on Senate Bill 37 at the Capitol in Austin, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)

Texas Tech’s  Administration Is Just As Embarrassing As Its Football Program

Mychal Denzel Smith is the author of Stakes Is High, winner of the Kirkus Prize for Non-Fiction.

Mychal Denzel Smith

The Crazy Thing About “Woke 1” Was How It Was Exploited

Studious robot on an ocean liner cruising the North Sea.