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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

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<div>Casey Taylor is a writer living and working in Pittsburgh. He is currently writing a book for St. Martin&#8217;s Press about cannabis religions, Haile Selassie I, and the Cold War in the Caribbean. He also writes a free newsletter called <a href="https://weedchurch.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://weedchurch.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1709306863919000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1mVH2xiID6S0zvlyj6yHco">Weed Church</a> covering foolish spiritual things that occur to him. His work has appeared in The New Republic, WIRED, New York Magazine, and a sports blog he can’t currently recall the name of. You can <a href="mailto:caseyt7@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email</a> him if you’d like.</div>
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Casey Taylor

Having escaped a raging war at home, Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia face more conflict and insecurity as the border region of Amhara is plagued by unrest and clashes that sees the Ethiopian National Defense Force battling an ethnic Amhara militia known as 'Fano'. According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) over 100,000 people have crossed into Ethiopia from Sudan since April 2023. Sudanese and other refugees in the border camps in Amhara lament a lack of security, difficult communication with the outside world - the Ethiopian government has disrupted access to mobile internet in the region since August 2023 - and a general sense of abandonment, raising the question if they fled a dire situation to end up in similar one. (Photo by )

ETHIOPIA-SUDAN-CONFLICT-REFUGEES

Journalismism

How Do You Get Americans To Care About A War?

<p>Alex Prewitt is a writer in Brooklyn. He shoots free throws the normal way.</p>


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Alex Prewitt

The inside of Jamsil Arena, home of the Korean Basketball League's Seoul Thunders.

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Life's Rich Pageant

A Journey To Korea In Search Of The Bank-Shot Free Throw

<p>Stephen Lurie is a writer and facilitator in Brooklyn, NY.</p>


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Stephen Lurie

A box of essentials - body glide, water, bagel, banana, Advil, and Accel Gel. The 116th Boston Marathon starts in Hopkinton in Hopkinton, Mass. on Monday, April 16, 2012.

116th Running Of The Boston Marathon: Pre-race

The Great Outdoors

The Sublime Clarity Of Goo

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Soraya Roberts

A photo from the set of The Kid Detective

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Arts And Culture

‘The Kid Detective’ Is Too Good To Be Forgotten

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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

College Basketball: NCAA Final Four, North Carolina State David Thompson (44) victorious with net after winning game vs UCLA, Greensboro, NC 3/24/1974

North Carolina State David Thompson, 1974 NCAA Semifinals

College Basketball

50 Years Later, My First Final Four Is Still The Best

<p>A Rockies fan by birth and a White Sox fan by geographic proximity, Annie Howard spends her non-suffering sports moments ardently rooting for the Nuggets and the Orioles.</p>


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Annie Howard

an aerial view of an empty Guaranteed Rate Field

Ballparks Remain Empty On What Would Have Been Baseball’s Opening Day

How To Fix Chicago’s White Sox–Shaped Black Hole

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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

A Palestinian checks a damaged vehicle after Israeli strikes in central Gaza Strip city of Deir el-Balah, on April 2, 2024.

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Margin Of Error

Voting For Gaza

<p>Kevin Koczwara is a writer, reporter and dad in beautiful Worcester, Mass.</p>


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Kevin Koczwara

Pianist Vikingur Olafsson performs at a concert in 2018.

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Víkingur Ólafsson Plays The Familiar And Makes It His Own

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<div>Zach Buchanan has covered Major League Baseball for more than a decade, for the <em>Arizona Republic</em>, <em>Cincinnati Enquirer,</em> and most recently The Athletic. He also has been published in <em>The New York Times</em>, <em>Washington Post</em>, FanGraphs and <em>Baseball America</em>. He lives in Phoenix, where he prepares for the inevitable water crisis by living off Dr Pepper instead.</div>
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Zach Buchanan

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 15: Houston Astros hitting coach Troy Snitker watches infielder Grae Kessinger hit in the cages during workouts for Houston Astros pitchers and catchers at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Astros Spring Training Day 2

How Do Coaches Coach When Players Have Their Own Guys?

UConn center Donovan Clingan celebrates during the team's Elite Eight win in Boston during the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

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UConn Is Exhaustingly, Relentlessly Great

<div>Paola Rosa-Aquino is a freelance journalist covering science, space and the environment. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she now lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her canine co-worker Cece.</div>
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Paola Rosa-Aquino

&lt;&gt; on August 21, 2017 in Casper, Wyoming.

Solar Eclipse Visible Across Swath Of U.S.

Science

Solar Eclipses: No Longer Scary, Still Astonishingly Cool

<p>Libby Watson is a journalist who covers healthcare.</p>


Libby Watson

Picture shows an adult Halloween dinner party.

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Perfectly Fine Dinner Party Club

Let’s Make Dinner For Friends, Like For A Dinner Party, But Normal

Attorney Peter Angelos talks about his law practice and his hopes about buying the Orioles.

Peter-Angelos

Peter Angelos Was The Ultimate Team Owner

Still image of actress Katy O'Brian using gym equipment, taken from the movie Love Lies Bleeding.

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Defector At The Movies

In ‘Love Lies Bleeding,’ The Body Scores

<p>Dan Gentile is a writer, editor, and DJ based in San Francisco by way of Austin, TX. He works as the culture editor at SFGATE and has freelanced for publications like The Ringer, Rolling Stone, Texas Monthly, Wax Poetics, and more. Find more of his work at <a href="http://dangentile.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://dangentile.net&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1711040620694000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3XTZa73tUKo0JIWhdqylUa">dangentile.net</a> and on that <a href="https://twitter.com/Dannosphere" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/Dannosphere&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1711040620694000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3jvqFxajyG27FDs81Ssg-S">terrible social media site</a>.</p>


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Dan Gentile

sixstringsoldiers

Partying With The U.S. Army At South By Southwest

Felix Kent

watching football

Life Lessons

Why Can’t I Turn Off The Game?

<p>Sam Eagan is a freelance reporter and documentary producer based out of Brooklyn, by way of the high plains of Wyoming. He was a Division I wrestler for the University of Wyoming.</p>


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Sam Eagan

Wrestlers warm up on the mat during the 2017 NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis.

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College Wrestling

The Blood Round Is Where College Wrestlers With Nothing To Lose Have Something To Win

Agents of the Texas National Guard struggle with a migrant man after he crossed across the Rio Grande river to reach the US side, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on March 20, 2024.

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Amy Coney Barrett’s Charm Offensive

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


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Nicholas Russell

Wooden and iron spoons lie on the table at the folk museum, Kovpakivka village, Mahdalynivka district, Dnipropetrovsk Region, central Ukraine.

Museum in Kovpakivka village

The Fork And Spoon Method To A Better Life

<p>I am a freelance writer who has covered a wide variety of topics over the years. I’ve written about sports, crime, technology, fitness, and entertainment for a variety of outlets.</p>


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Trent Reinsmith

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The Fights

How Bloody Elbow Lost Its Soul

<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

Callum Walsh punches Dauren Yeleussinov during their junior middleweight fight at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2024 in New York City.

Callum Walsh v Dauren Yeleussinov

Small Nations In Big Wars

TV Personality Jonathan Van Ness attends the Build Series to discuss his new book "Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love" at Build Studio on September 25, 2019 in New York City.

Celebrities Visit Build – September 25, 2019

Of Course My Favorite TV Host Is An Asshole

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Terry Francona’s Next Act: Arizona Hoops Superfan

<p>I am an independent writer/journalist based in New Delhi, India. I mainly work on long-form reportage on conflict, gender, climate, culture, intersection of technology and human agency. Published with the Al Jazeera Journalism Review, Aljazeera Digital, Defector, C S Monitor.</p>


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Meher Qadri

Two divers jump into the foamy Yamuna River

Divers

Climate

The Yamuna River’s Treasure Divers Fight More Than Poverty To Survive

<p>Stefan Fatsis is the author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/word-freak-heartbreak-triumph-genius-and-obsession-in-the-world-of-competitive-scrabblep-layers-stefan-fatsis/11648962"><em>Word Freak</em></a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-few-seconds-of-panic-a-sportswriter-plays-in-the-nfl-stefan-fatsis/7891278"><em>A Few Seconds of Panic</em></a>, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Outside-Renegade-Baseball-Heartland/dp/0802712975"><em>Wild and Outside</em></a>, and is a co-host of Slate’s weekly sports podcast, “<a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/hang-up-and-listen">Hang Up and Listen</a>.” He used to write about sports for the <em>Wall Street Journal </em>and talk about them on NPR. His daughter has a much higher Scrabble rating than he does.</p>


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Stefan Fatsis

Scrabble World Champion Nigel Richards holds up a trophy and shows the final winning board in London in 2018

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