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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

The Defector Crewneck Sweatshirt Is Back In Stock

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Merch v3

<p>Former Defector intern, now freelancer.</p>
<p>For professional inquiries or tips please write lucybl00m@protonmail.com or yuck.20 on Signal.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


Capture

Lucy Bloom

TORONTO, ONTARIO - OCTOBER 20: Manager Dan Wilson #6 of the Seattle Mariners takes the ball from Bryan Woo #22 during a pitching change in the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game seven of the American League Championship Series at the Rogers Centre on October 20, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario.

American League Championship Series – Seattle Mariners v Toronto Blue Jays – Game Seven

How Not To Run A Bullpen

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Justin Raden

AI Academia

The Machines

Higher Ed’s Rush To Adopt AI Is About So Much More Than AI

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Soraya Roberts

TCL Chinese Theatre Hosts Handprint And Footprint In Cement Ceremony For Actress Diane Keaton

Arts And Culture

Diane Keaton’s Solo Act

<p>Keith Paradise is a freelance writer who somehow won a Keystone Press Award during his<br />
decade spent as a newspaper reporter in Pennsylvania, where he covered sports, education, and<br />
the murder of a neighborhood turkey. Originally from Pittsburgh, he is a senior writer for<br />
Billiards Digest magazine and his name has appeared twice in the notable section of The Year’s<br />
Best Sports Writing anthology—including in 2024 for his Defector article on the rise and fall of<br />
sports clothing icon Starter.</p>


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Keith Paradise

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 4: A general overall interior view of PNC Park in the fourth inning during a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park on September 4, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Dodgers v Pittsburgh Pirates

Why Are There Still Pirates Fans?

<p>Hamilton Nolan is a journalist based in New York City. Subscribe to his work at <a href="https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1687350200913000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0naFbUVOe-5ZgtPDtIM3gz">HamiltonNolan.com</a>.</p>


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Hamilton Nolan

Joey Dawejko is knocked down by Damian Knyba

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The Fights

Getting Beat Up In A Mostly Empty Arena Is Just A Job

OBAA-robe

The Robe Runner

Jaya and Matt!

Jaya Saxena

Tyra Banks Celebrates The Opening Of SMiZE & Dream Ice Cream

Food

Tyra Banks Please Explain What The Hell You Mean By “Hot Ice Cream”

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<p class="sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY">Vince Guerrieri is an award-winning journalist and author in the Cleveland area. He likes Lake Erie perch sandwiches, Jim Traficant and long walks on the field at League Park. His website is <a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="http://vinceguerrieri.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;http://vinceguerrieri.com/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]">vinceguerrieri.com</a>, and you can follow him on Twitter <a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="https://twitter.com/vinceguerrieri" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https://twitter.com/vinceguerrieri&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]">@vinceguerrieri</a>.</p>
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Vince Guerrieri

USA - CIRCA 1950s: Otto Graham of the Cleveland Browns runs with the ball circa 1950s. (Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images)

Otto Graham of the Cleveland Browns

The Day The Browns Crafted A Playbook Entirely Out Of Spite

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Veronica de Souza

man apartment

Make It Nice

Make It Nice: Windows And Floors

<p>Abigail Segel is a writer based in Montreal.</p>


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Abigail Segel

Jaedyn Shaw #2 of NY/NJ Gotham FC attempts a shot during the match against Portland Thorns at Sports Illustrated Stadium on September 26, 2025 in Harrison, New Jersey.

NY/NJ Gotham FC v Portland Thorns

Soccer

Jaedyn Shaw’s Redemption Arc Is Underway

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Jack Hanson

A total lunar eclipse, known as a ''blood moon,'' rises beside the illuminated Parthenon temple at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, on September 7, 2025.

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The Pleasures Of Reading Jane Ellen Harrison

JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 06: Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) celebrateswith teammates after scoring a touchdown during the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 6, 2025 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire)

NFL: OCT 06 Chiefs at Jaguars

Jaguars Junction: Week 5

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Dylan Fugel

Happy 28th birthday gold foil balloon greeting background.

This Is So Stupid

Name A 28-Year-Old

<div dir="auto">
<div dir="auto">Corbin Smith is a writer and photographer from Vancouver, Washington. His work has appeared in Deadspin, The Daily Beast, and <em>Rolling Stone</em>. He is also the host of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pacific-northwest-insurance-corporation-moviefilm/id1712416222"><em>The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm Podcast,</em></a> a podcast about movies.</div>
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Corbin Smith

A booth at The Materials Show in Portland, Ore. in February of 2025. It's an empty couple of tables with a big banner behind it with the word BLOOM on it and some stuff about sustainability.

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Capital

The Future Of The Sneaker Business First Requires A Future

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Nick Sturm

Good Riddance To ‘The Best American Poetry’

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<p>Charles P. Pierce is a writer at <em>Esquire</em> and the author of four books, most recently <em>Idiot America</em>, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston with his wife but no longer his three children.</p>
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Charles P. Pierce

Worcester, MA - May 11: Opening Day at the new Polar Park for the Worcester Red Sox in Worcester on May 11, 2021. Spectators watch from above home plate as Syracuse Mets and the WooSox line the field. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Worcester Red Sox Vs. Syracuse Mets at Polar Park

A Million Lives Lead Back To Worcester

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Tom Scocca is the editor of <a href="http://indignity.net">Indignity</a>, a subscription-supported newsletter of news, essays, and commentary.</div>
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Tom Scocca

Schumer and Jeffries

Margin Of Error

What Makes A Loser

thesimpsons

To Artistic Freedom: The Cause Of, And Solution To, All Of Life’s Problems

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


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Nicholas Russell

Daniel Rossen

Interviews

Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen Talks Old Scenes And A New Tour

<p><a href="https://tomwhyman.com/">Tom Whyman</a> is a British philosopher.</p>


Tom Whyman

MP Zarah Sultana speaks at a Your Party rally in South London

MP Zarah Sultana Speaks At Your Party Rally

Politics

Surely The British Left Is Taking Full And Strategic Advantage Of This Moment

<div>Nate Jackson is a former NFL tight end and author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/slow-getting-up-a-story-of-nfl-survival-from-the-bottom-of-the-pile-nate-jackson/6430451?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote9JzWMngZDpSjF2eoL1_JlyPm2QhDfkNgOzqvaB4n9ic0qqUNQ4iCwaAsasEALw_wcB"><em>Slow Getting Up</em></a>. He lives in Denver.</div>
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Nate Jackson

Denver Broncos Training Camp at their training facility on July 29, 2008 in Englewood, Colorado.

Denver Broncos Training Camp

I Played In The NFL. Should I Care If My Son Doesn’t Like Football?

Sarah Puntigam #17 of Houston Dash shoots during the NWSL match between San Diego Wave and Houston Dash at Snapdragon Stadium on September 07, 2025 in San Diego, California.

San Diego Wave v Houston Dash

In A Typically Chaotic NWSL Season, The Only Safe Place Is The Very Top

American actor Robert Redford wearing a grey tweed blazer over a matching waistcoat and a white shirt, with a diagonally striped tie, with a grey fedora, in a scene from 'The Sting', filmed in the United States, 1973.

‘The Sting’ Publicity Still

Robert Redford Made An Art Of The Double Take


<p>Robert Weintraub is the author of four books, including <em>The Divine Miss Marble</em>, now <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Miss-Marble-Tennis-Mystery/dp/1524745367/ref=asc_df_1524745367/?tag=hyprod-20&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;hvadid=459515946640&amp;hvpos=&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=6202131795131082661&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvdvcmdl=&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=9010752&amp;hvtargid=pla-926582175995&amp;psc=1">out in paperback</a>. He has also written for the <em>New York Times</em>, ESPN/Grantland, Slate, Columbia Journalism Review, the <em>Guardian</em>, Football Outsiders, and many other outlets. Follow on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/robwein" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@robwein</a>.</p>


Robert Weintraub

Bubblegum card (from the Bowman Gum Company) features baseball player Hank Thompson, of the New York Giants, 1955.

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