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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

Dave McKenna

A National Guard officer walks through an emptied out area of The Great American State Fair

Politics

Trump’s State Fair Was Ass In All The Ways I’d Been Warned 

Sohini Desai

Arts And Culture

Eight Years Of Rituals With Rosalía


<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

Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu performs during the Skating Club of Boston's annual benefit ice show "Ice Chips 2026: A World Journey" at the Tenley E. Albright Performance Center on February 28, 2026.

Figure Skating

You Don’t Know Alysa Liu’s Power Until You See It In Person

<p>E.Y. Zhao is a writer and editor from St. Louis. Her debut novel, <a href="https://astrapublishinghouse.com/product/underspin-9781662603266/"><i>Underspin</i></a>, set in the world of competitive table tennis, is out now. She holds a BA in history from Harvard College and an MFA from the University of Michigan.</p>


E.Y. Zhao

Berkeley's Sid Naresh hits a forehand on the move.

Table Tennis

The Biggest Tournament In Collegiate Table Tennis Is Underdog Utopia

<p>John Semley is a writer and researcher based in Philadelphia.</p>


John Semley

The merch table at the Rob Schneider comedy show

Life's Rich Pageant

A Rob Schneider Comedy Show May Be Long And Expensive, But At Least It’s Boring

<p>Heather Chen is a former Defector intern and the managing editor at the <em>Columbia Daily Spectator</em>. She loves hockey, photography, and the good ol’ state of Michigan.</p>


Heather Wei-Xi Chen

The New York Sirens and the Seattle Torrent shake hands following their game at Madison Square Garden

PWHL

What Comes After The Garden?

Patrick Redford

Food

Erewhon Is Not A Grocery Store

Lauren Theisen

Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche scores a goal during a shootout after overtime to win the game against the Minnesota Wild

I Have So Many Nice Things To Say About The Avalanche And The Wild

Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers faces off against Sebastian Aho

I Bought A Ticket To The Connor McDavid Show And A Hurricanes Game Broke Out

A general view of the exterior of the Saddledome

It’s A Dome That’s Shaped Like A Saddle

view from my seat: Ishii and Boltin lock up

Pro Wrestling

New Japan Makes, The World Takes

<p>Libby Watson is a writer, <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/libtron">streamer</a> and <a href="https://www.patreon.com/whatsallthisthen">podcaster</a>.</p>


Libby Watson

The exterior of breakfast, lunch, and pizza

I Traveled 800 Miles To Eat Breakfast, Lunch, And Pizza At Criss Angel’s Breakfast, Lunch, And Pizza

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<div>Abigail Segel is a contributing writer at Defector. She is also an editor for The IX Soccer and the Equalizer. Her work has been published in the Guardian and the Montreal Gazette.</div>
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Abigail Segel

SAN JOSE, CA - NOVEMBER 22: Rose Lavelle #16 of NY/NJ Gotham FC celebrates scoring the winning goal with teammates during the 2025 NWSL championship game between Washington Spirit and NJ|NY Gotham City FC at PayPal Park on November 22, 2025, in San Jose, CA. (Photo by Elysia Su/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

Soccer

Gotham Grabs The Crown Of An NWSL At A Tipping Point

Tech leaders, including Sam Altman (C), CEO of OpenAI, and Tim Cook (2nd L), CEO of Apple, attend a dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump with tech leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 4, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

Capital

An Evening With Sam Altman And Steve Kerr

Emmanuel Rivera #26 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates with teammates after walking off the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 06, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland

[Affecting A Maryland Accent] “Whoa! Go O’s!”

Aaron Timms

A view of the park from behind police barriers

Tennis

The U.S. Open Could Be More Than A Fortress For Capital

Samer Kalaf

Samer Kalaf in a Hell Gate hat at the Mets game

TNT Sports Airs Guerrilla Marketing For Worker-Owned Website That Isn’t Defector

Albert Burneko

A pure black field. Nothing whatsoever is visible.

What’s ‘Mönch’ Thinking?

Life Lessons

Seeking Closure At Planet Hollywood, Where My Life Once Exploded

Felix Lebrun of France competes in the Men's Singles Semifinal match against Wang Chuqin of China on day 7 of the United States Smash 2025 World Table Tennis at the Orleans Arena on July 12, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sweating Through The Existential Angst Of A Las Vegas Table Tennis Tournament

Bills Week

Bill’s Wines & Liquors: The Defector Review

<p>Alexandra Tey is a writer, photographer, and birdwatcher living in Queens, New York.</p>


Alexandra Tey

The Anti-Fascist Power Of Trans Women Wrestling In Nacho Cheese

<p>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 <em>Point B</em>. Handsomest man in the world.</p>


Drew Magary

James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich of Metallica perform during the M72 World Tour at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on June 03, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Music

Metallica Is Forever

A large bitcoin guy regards the world they will take over

What World Does Bitcoin Want To Build For Itself?

Kelsey McKinney

image of the screen at the Wells Fargo center displaying the words WORSHIP, WISDOM, WORK, WEALTH