defector-orange-no-empty-space

lede_post_card_default

lede_post_card_stacked

lede_post_card_featured_post

lede_post_card_featured_posts_hero

lede_post_card_featured_posts_sidebar

lede_post_card_highlighted_post

lede_post_card_horizontal_a

lede_post_card_horizontal_c

lede_post_card_related_post

lede_article_featured_16x9

lede_article_featured_3x2

lede_article_featured_flexible

lede_article_content

lede_article_content_wide_width

lede_article_content_full_width

lede_byline_avatar_post_card

lede_byline_avatar_highlight

lede_profile_coral_avatar

lede_logo

lede_logo_banner

lede_logo_footer_banner

lede_logo_simple_header

lede_sponsorship_logo

lede_sponsorship_logo_river_card

lede_sponsorship_homepage_card_logo

lede_sponsorship_homepage_card

Footer Legal

Header - Categories

Header Menu

The last good website.

Topics

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-no-empty-space

Defector

NYC: Come To Our WNBA Comedy Show On May 16

10-minute-quarters-3-2-fix (1)

Live Event

photo

Rafaela Bassili

Nicolas Cage on a beach holding a surfboard.

thesurfer

Arts And Culture

‘The Surfer’ Mostly Sputters And Flails

Vivian Blaxell grew up in rural Australia and co-founded Tiresias House, Australia’s first shelter and resource centre for and by trans people. Her essay &#8220;Nuclear Cats&#8221; was shortlisted for the 2021 Melbourne Prize for Literature. She lives in Naarm/Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Copy of IMG_3747

Vivian Blaxell

Coke Sign at corner of William Street and Kings Cross, Sydney

GET THE FUCK OFF THIS CORNER

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

“Get The Fuck Off This Corner. It’s Mine.”

Abigail Segel is a writer based in Montreal.

Screenshot 2023-06-14 at 10.34.24 AM

Abigail Segel

USA's forward #9 Ally Sentnor celebrates scoring her team's first goal during the SheBelieves Cup football match between USA and Japan at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California, on February 26, 2025.

FBL-WOMEN-SHEBELIEVES-USA-JPN

Soccer

Emma Hayes Shows Us The USWNT She Believes In

Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and co-founded the website <a href="http://popcorntennis.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://popcorntennis.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726234676777000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0PFWw6PL-FUqaCMME5TLqP">popcorntennis.com</a>. He wrote 63,000 words about the Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal rivalry that can be accessed for free at <a href="https://thegoldenrivalry.substack.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://thegoldenrivalry.substack.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726234676777000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2OjAHpo4PVIhkx8Xd21lRJ">thegoldenrivalry.substack.com</a>.

baby owen

Owen Lewis

fed square

Life Lessons

I Don’t Ever Want My Favorite Things To Change

AJSfPYY9_400x400-1

Kelsey McKinney

Vincent Namatjira (Western Aranda people) with Vincent Namatjira: Australia in colour, installation view

Screenshot 2024-05-21 at 4.50.30 PM

Australian Billionaire Not Rich Enough To Control Art

authorpic1294q9q7qfnn

Soraya Roberts

Madeleine Sami as Eddie Redcliffe in Deadloch

Screenshot 2024-02-21 at 9.27.06 AM

Australians Just Have More Fun (On TV)

ratto-ray_400x400

Ray Ratto

Sam Kerr of Australia scores the teams first goal during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia &amp; New Zealand 2023 Semi Final match between Australia and England at Stadium Australia on August 16, 2023 in Sydney, Australia.

Australia v England Semi Final – FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023

Sam Kerr Struck, But England Squeezed

Australia and France women's national team players react to Australia's win in the 2023 World Cup quarterfinal.

aussie france semi

The Matildas Turned My Hair White And They Haven’t Even Faced England Yet

Image from iOS (36)

Luis Paez-Pumar

Caitlin Foord of Australia celebrates after scoring her team's first goal with teammates during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia &amp; New Zealand 2023 Round of 16 match between Australia and Denmark at Stadium Australia on August 7, 2023 in Sydney, Australia.

Australia v Denmark: Round of 16 – FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023

Root, Root, Root For The Host Team

bh def prof pic

Billy Haisley

Mary Fowler of Australia celebrates after scoring a goal with her teammates that was later cancelled as a result of VAR consultation during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 Group B match between Canada and Australia at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne, Australia on July 31, 2023.

Canada v Australia – FIFA Women’s World Cup

Canada And Spain Ate Shit And Deserved It

Asisat Oshoala of Nigeria celebrates with teammates after scoring her team's third goal during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia &amp; New Zealand 2023 Group B match between Australia and Nigeria at Brisbane Stadium on July 27, 2023 in Brisbane, Australia.

Australia v Nigeria: Group B – FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023

Nigeria Was Ready For Its Moment

Alanna Kennedy of Australia celebrates the team's 1-0 victory in the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Group B match between Australia and Ireland at Stadium Australia on July 20, 2023 in Sydney / Gadigal, Australia.

Australia v Ireland: Group B – FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023

Australia Beat Ireland And Bought Time

Mary Fowler of the Matildas celebrates scoring a goal with Sam Kerr of the Matildas during the Women's International Friendly match between the Australia Matildas and Brazil at CommBank Stadium on October 23, 2021 in Sydney, Australia

GettyImages-1348205768

The Matildas Have Australia’s Hopes On Their Shoulders

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Typing

Sabrina Imbler

A dung-rolling weevil in the genus Tentegia props up a piece of marsupial dung

IMG_9153 copy

Creaturefector

Rookie Dung-Roller Is Learning On The Job

-b9trzb

Lauren Theisen

20230318_224539

Music

Save The Music You Like

An illustration of the absolute unit of a wombat, the extinct Ramsayia, standing next to a puny modern wombat.

file-20221209-16432-imxwza

This Ancient Wombat Was An Absolute Unit

A dejected Joachim Andersen of Denmark at full time after being knocked out the FIFA World Cup in the group stages during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D match between Australia and Denmark at Al Janoub Stadium on November 30, 2022 in Al Wakrah, Qatar

Australia v Denmark: Group D – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Denmark Was Something Rotten

headshot1

Patrick Redford

SOCCER: OCT 11 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Japan at Australia

Australia Has One Cool Old Guy And One Cool Young Guy

Dejected Peru players support each other after being defeated by Australia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Playoff match between Australia Socceroos and Peru at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on June 13, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.

Australia v Peru – 2022 FIFA World Cup Playoff

This Is Why No One Should Play Soccer In Qatar During The Summer

IMG_3819

Tom Ley

Screen Shot 2022-06-13 at 5.51.31 PM

Defector Up All Night

The Sports Lowlight Of The Day Is This Dancing Aussie Keeper

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.

drewkid-1-e1599592436888

Drew Magary

TOPSHOT-AUSTRALIA-NZEALAND-HISTORY-ANZAC-HEALTH-VIRUS

Elder Wisdom

My Weird Australia Thing

IMG_6025-800

Albert Burneko

GettyImages-479904261

Media Meltdowns

The Blog Of The Year Is This Deranged Book Excerpt

Image-from-iOS-2-1

Zillowing Out

A $900,000 (Maybe?) Home That Someone Loved Very Much

Novak Djokovic of Serbia is seen during a practice session ahead of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 12, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia.

2022 Australian Open: Previews

Tennis

Novak Djokovic’s Australian Adventure Has Ended For Good

Members of the local Serbian community gather for a vigil outside a hotel where Serbia's tennis champion Novak Djokovic is reported to be staying in Melbourne on January 6, 2022, after Australia said it had cancelled Djokovic's entry visa after having failed to "provide appropriate evidence" of double vaccination or a medical exemption. (Photo by William WEST / AFP) (Photo by WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

TOPSHOT-TENNIS-AUS-OPEN-DJOKOVIC

Detained Novak Djokovic Is Jesus And Spartacus All Rolled Into One, According To Novak Djokovic’s Father

australia