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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

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David Roth

NBA and FanDuel online sports betting signage is displayed on the side of a building in Phoenix, Arizona.

US-SPORTS-BETTING

Podcasts

Doing Cocaine In An MRI Machine, With Arif Hasan

Artist Yan Chuan paints his figurine creation of Garrosh Hellscream from World of Warcraft on June 8, 2016 in Shenyang, China. Chuan is a fan of Blizzard Entertainment, producer of online game World of Warcraft.

World Of Warcraft Fan From Shenyang Creates His Own Figurine

Lost In The Orc Section, With Jason Schreier

Richard Staff is a <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardStaff" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">weapons-grade Twitter goblin</a> and hostage of the Mets. That is his real name.

Richard Staff

An illustration of several baseball mitts trying to catch the same ball

mattie-lubchansky-minor-league-shrink

The Minor League Shrink And The Growing Gap Between Triple-A And The Bigs

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 16: Actor Paul Rudd speaks about his latest movie "Ant Man" at the Apple Store Soho on July 16, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Debra L Rothenberg/FilmMagic)

Apple Store Soho: Meet The Filmmaker: Paul Rudd, “Ant-Man”

Funbag

Who’s On The List Of Universally Liked People?

Vice co-founders and executives Shane Smith and Suroosh Alvi looking kind of wet at the 20th Webby Awards in 2016.

The 20th Annual Webby Awards – Arrivals

Capital

The Coffee Machine That Explained Vice Media

Ripe red apples at farmer market. Natural red backdrop, copy space

Art, Commerce, And Frankly Irresponsible Apple Consumption, With Kathryn Xu

Jen Ramos Eisen is a Central California-based minor league baseball writer.

Jen Ramos Eisen

A cartoon of an outfield wall with an encroaching shadow over the player standing looking at it. It feels dark and desolate. The baseball stadium is empty.

Minors

The Life Of An International Minor League Baseball Player Has Never Been Simple

Boeing CEO David Calhoun speaks during a joint press event with United Airlines at the Boeing manufacturing facility in North Charleston, on December 13, 2022.

US-aviation-travel-UnitedAirlines-Boeing

How Will The Golden Age Of “Making It Worse” End?

Neal and Suit talking in what could honestly be any episode of the USA series "White Collar"

WhiteCollar

Arts And Culture

Background Television Isn’t As Easy As It Looks

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Jason England

Roger Goodell, Jay-Z and Blue Ivy Carter attend Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.

Super Bowl LVII Pregame

Music

50 Years Later, Is There Anything Left Of Hip Hop?

Visual Editor. Runs <a href="http://defectorstore.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">defectorstore.com</a>. Philadelphia-based, if you couldn’t tell.

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Dan McQuade

Bunch of people dressed like Rocky, woman standing on a blue car talking to them

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They Can’t Take The “Rocky Run” Away From Us

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.

The Stockton Ballpark

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

Colin Deppen is a reporter with Spotlight PA.

Colin Deppen

Barnstormers' Jake Hoover (20) slides into second base after hitting a two run double against the York Revolution during first inning action of the home opener at Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster Friday April 29, 2022.

Lancaster Barnstormers home opener vs. York

Why These Teams Got Left Out Of The Minor League Baseball Union

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Kelsey McKinney

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It Shouldn’t Be This Hard To Buy Concert Tickets

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Laura Wagner

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Journalismism

Semafor Is The Problem

Marc Normandin currently writes on baseball’s labor issues and more at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marcnormandin.com/">marcnormandin.com</a>, which you can read for free but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.patreon.com/marcnormandin">support through his Patreon</a>. His baseball writing has appeared at SB Nation, Deadspin, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Sports on Earth, The Guardian, The Nation, and TalkPoverty.

Marc Normandin

Amarillo Sod Poodles infielder Jordan Lawlar seen outlined against a bright blue sky in a game against the Frisco RoughRiders in September of 2022.

Arkansas Travelers v Amarillo Sod Poodles

Major League Baseball’s Hubris Helped Lead To Minor League Baseball’s Union

Malcolm Harris is the author of Kids These Days: Human Capital And The Making Of Millennials, Shit Is Fucked Up And Bullshit: History Since The End Of History, and the forthcoming Palo Alto: A History Of California, Capitalism, And The World.

Malcolm Harris

AUSTRIA-AVIATION-SHOW

Growth For What: The Shaky Promise Of Green Capitalism

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene saying some stuff about being shadowbanned. The Distraction logo is over her face, sadly.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Holds Press Conference On Elon Musk Buying Twitter

The Thin Line Between Owning Twitter And Being Owned By Twitter, With Matt Levine

Girl Scouts Sell Cookies From Street Trucks In New York City

Keep Girl Scout Cookies Away From The Damn Gig Economy

<a href="https://twitter.com/cdgoldstein">Craig Goldstein</a> is the editor-in-chief of Baseball Prospectus and the co-host of <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/show/five-and-dive/">the Five &amp; Dive podcast</a>.

Craig Goldstein

An image of Rob Manfred, blessedly altered to obscure his face.

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Artificial Scarcity Is Baseball’s Present, And Our Future

The error-strewn back text of the Topps Now cards commemorating Atlanta's 2021 World Series win.

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Those Extremely Wrong Topps World Series Cards Might Or Might Not Be The Future

Investor Michael Milken at his own institute's annual event in 2017, back when he was still a convicted financial criminal.

Milken Institute Global Conference 2017

Here Are The Seven Best Sentences From The Financial Times’ Story About Michael Milken’s High-Finance Jamboree

<a href="https://twitter.com/robertfoconnell" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Robert O’Connell</a> is a writer from Kansas living in New York. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and elsewhere.

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Robert O’Connell

Helmets (and a pair of eclipse glasses) in the dugout of a minor league baseball team in Columbia, SC.

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Minor League Baseball Is Optimized To Exploit

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Ray Ratto

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, NEVADA - JULY 11: NBA athlete Steph Curry tees off from the second hole during the final round of the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe South golf course on July 11, 2020 in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

American Century Championship – Final Round

Steph Curry, Crypto Cornball

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.

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Drew Magary

CEO of Amazon Jeff Bezos (R) gestures during the Amazon's annual Smbhav event in New Delhi on January 15, 2020. - Bezos, whose worth has been estimated at more than $110 billion, is officially in India for a meeting of business leaders in New Delhi. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP) (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Capitalism