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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>Patrick T. Dorsey is the writer of and a producer on the feature film FUTURE DATE, which had its world premiere at the 2024 Cinequest Film Festival and won the Audience Award for Best Comedy Feature. You can hear him Thursdays on Defector Trivia, whenever Diana Moskovitz shouts, “Baaaaaaabe!”</p>


Patrick T. Dorsey

PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 02: Chase Budinger of Team United States reacts during a Men's Preliminary Phase match on day seven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Eiffel Tower Stadium on August 02, 2024 in Paris, France.

Beach Volleyball – Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 7

Olympics

Chase Budinger Completed His Journey From Guy To Olympian


<p>Rose Eveleth is the host of the podcast&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flashforwardpod.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Flash Forward</a>, and author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flashforwardpod.com/book/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the book by the same name</a>.&nbsp;<br></p>


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Rose Eveleth

An illustration of a skeleton with running shoes on sliding into an MRI machine

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What Can We Learn From The Biology Of Dead Athletes?

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Soraya Roberts

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Arts And Culture

Should I Die For Orville Peck?

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<p>Mike Tanier has covered the NFL for 20 years for Football Outsiders, the New York Times, The Messenger, Bleacher Report, Sports on Earth, and other ancient empires. He&#8217;s a co-author of Aaron Schatz&#8217;s FTN Football Almanac and the author of the Y/A novel for grownups <i>Long Snapper&#8217;s Blues. </i>He lives off Exit 3 of the New Jersey Turnpike with his long-suffering wife, two sons and a 70-pound American Bully named Frank the Tank. <span style="font-weight: 400">His new Substack, <a href="https://miketanier.substack.com/">Too Deep Zone</a>, has officially launched.</span></p>
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Mike Tanier

Will Levis #8 of the Tennessee Titans signs autographs before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Nashville, Tennessee at Nissan Stadium on January 7, 2024 in Houston, Texas. The Titans defeated the Jaguars 28-20.

Jacksonville Jaguars v Houston Texans

Why Your Team Sucks

Why Your Team Sucks 2024: Tennessee Titans

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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

Olga Kharlan of Ukraine celebrates as she wins bronze medal after competing against Choi Se-bin (not seen) of South Korea in the Fencing Women's Foil Individual on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Grand Palais in Paris, France on July 29, 2024.

Olympic Games Paris 2024 – Fencing

Olga Kharlan Came All The Way Back In Paris

<div>Isle McElroy is the author of the novels <i>The Atmospherians </i>and<i> People Collide</i>, which was named a best book of 2023 by Vogue, NPR, Them, and the New York Times Critics.</div>
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Isle McElroy

Emma Stone in a scene from Kinds of Kindness

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Defector At The Movies

‘Kinds Of Kindness’ Isn’t Supposed To Be Funny

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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 flyer with information about Project 2025's plan to expand oil drilling inside the United States, stapled to a pole on a city street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

2024 Republican National Convention

Margin Of Error

Who Wants To Talk About The Issues

<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

Los Campesinos concert stage - two fists surrounded by a ring of shards pointing at them

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Music

A Small Catalog Of Reflections On Aging Made Possible By Los Campesinos!

(from left) Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Tyler (Glen Powell) in Twisters, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.

TWISTERS

‘Twisters’ Can’t Singlehandedly Drag Us Back To The ’90s

<p>Alex Shultz is a journalist based in Brooklyn.</p>


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Alex Shultz

An illustration of a guy opening his coat to display items for sale

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Politics

59 Blu-Rays, A Nazi Trinket, And Everything Else I Found In A Right-Wing Senate Candidate’s Robust eBay Store

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


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Nicholas Russell

Chief Technology Officer of X Elon Musk speaks onstage during the "Exploring the New Frontiers of Innovation: Mark Read in Conversation with Elon Musk" session at the Lumiere Theatre during the Cannes Lions International Festival Of Creativity 2024 - Day Three on June 19, 2024 in Cannes, France.

Cannes Lions International Festival Of Creativity 2024 – Day Three

Elon Musk Keeps Digging In

<p>Matt Ufford is the head of video and audio at Yahoo Sports.</p>


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Matt Ufford

A yellow-headed caracara close to reasonably priced children’s clothes and locked-up deodorant. Photo: Matt Ufford

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Wings Week

Let The World Come To You On The Wings Of Vagrant Birds


<p>Amy Schneider is a software engineer, cat owner, and Jeopardy champion who posts about her experiences on Twitter @Jeopardamy. She used to have a podcast, and odds are she will again some day.</p>


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Amy Schneider

380357 05: Orville Wright flying over Dayton, OH in September of 1910. (Photo by National Archive/Newsmakers)

Orville Wright flying over Dayton

You Motherfuckers Forgot About Dayton

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‘Longlegs’ Can’t Quite Carry The Weight Of Expectations

<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

Welterweight contender Jaron Ennis trains during a media workout for his upcoming fight against Custio Clayton at Churchill Boxing Club on May 11, 2022 in Santa Monica, California.

Jermell Charlo Media Workout

The Fights

Philly Has A Hero Named Boots

US President Joe Biden speaks as he hosts a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (out of frame) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 10, 2024.

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What’s The Story With Joe Biden?


<p>Corey Atad is a freelancer writer based in Toronto with an unhealthy Air Bud obsession.</p>


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Corey Atad

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‘The Bear’ Misses What’s Truly Toxic About Fine Dining

John Turturro's character holds a tomato in Box of Moonlight

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‘Box Of Moonlight’ Is A Gem From The ’90s Indie Boom

Donald Trump and Joe Biden, looking like a couple of brain-ruined old mummies during their presidential debate.

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Debate Losers

Team USA celebrate victory during the ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies &amp; USA 2024 match between USA and Pakistan at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium on June 06, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.

USA v Pakistan – ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024

Cricket

How The United States Is Finally Getting Kind Of Good At Cricket

<p>Rachel is a writer, performer and improv instructor from Boston, Massachusetts. She has written for McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Reductress, and Frankie Boyle’s New World Order. She thinks the sports horror novel she is working on could be her <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1325514-max-landis" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1325514-max-landis&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1718077591839000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0XT84xOkGfzjDGoFo6dhG7"><em>Bright</em></a>.</p>


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Rachel Andelman

Luka Doncic does kind of a weird follow-through as he watches a shot against the Golden State Warriors in the first half at American Airlines Center on March 13, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.

Golden State Warriors v Dallas Mavericks

A Field Guide To Luka Doncic’s Many Busted Sports-Watching Setups

19th October 1964: A robot designed by Claus Scholz of Vienna answers the phone, unfortunately he can't speak.

Answerphone

Garbage In, Garbage Out

<p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-kelly-180886217/"><span style="font-weight: 400">Christopher “Kit” Kelly</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> is a professor of criminal justice at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.</span></p>


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Kit Kelly

<p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-spraggins-49638227b/"><span style="font-weight: 400">Ray Spraggins</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> graduated in 2024 from Saint Joseph’s University with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice.</span></p>


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Ray Spraggins

Lady Justice, wearing an Eagles helmet and weighing a football and some alcohol.

Eagles Court

Eagles Court Could Only Have Existed In Philadelphia

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<div><a href="http://lillianstone.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://lillianstone.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1718218980346000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2u5kEh7Ge04YvIIiNqdkoU">Lillian Stone</a> is a culture writer and the author of the humorous essay collection <i>Everybody&#8217;s Favorite.</i></div>
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Lillian Stone

Los Angeles Kings music director, Dieter Ruehle, plays a 1941 Wurlitzer organ during the ribbon cutting and reopening of the LA Kings Iceland at Paramount on October 26, 2022 in Paramount California.

Ribbon Cutting And Reopening of LA Kings Iceland at Paramount

The Stadium Organ Is Alive And As Goofy As Ever

Conner O'Malley performing in his latest stand-up special

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