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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

NYC: Come To Our WNBA Comedy Show On May 16

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Live Event

John Semley is a writer and researcher based in Philadelphia.

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John Semley

Clint Eastwood at a podium, it's an animated GIF, and different Clint Eastwood fake twitter accounts slowly fill the screen

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This Is So Stupid

A Fistful Of Eastwoos: Inside The Battle For Clint Twitter

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Ben Tippett

Grandmasters Ian Nepomniachtchi (L) from Russia and Ding Liren from China attend the first game of a 14-game match to decide who will be the new 17th World Chess Champion in Astana on April 9, 2023.

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Chess

Haymakers Are Flying At The World Chess Championship

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

NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 4: Domantas Sabonis #10 of the Sacramento Kings drives to the basket during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 4, 2023 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE

Sacramento Kings v New Orleans Pelicans

When Domantas Sabonis Leads The Kings Into The Playoffs, I Hope Dale Brown Is Watching

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

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Corey Atad

Defector At The Movies

‘How To Blow Up A Pipeline’ Is A Film About Action

Annie Rauwerda is a writer and comedian from Michigan. She loves Wikipedia, digital archives, and her cat.

Annie Rauwerda

wikipedia shrug guy

Life's Rich Pageant

In Search Of Wikipedia’s Shrug Guy

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Soraya Roberts

E2_N9A5822_credit Michella Bredahl

Arts And Culture

‘Cry Wolf’ Shows How Easy It Is To Blame The Victim

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>.

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Hamilton Nolan

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - APRIL 08: Shuichiro Yoshino of Japan and Shakur Stevenson of the United States exchange punches during their WBC Lightweight Final Eliminator match at Prudential Center on April 08, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey.

Shakur Stevenson v Shuichiro Yoshino

The Fights

Shakur Stevenson Punches Where It Hurts

MADRID, SPAIN - JULY 5: Russian Grandmaster competing under the FIDE flag Ian Nepomniachtchi receives the award as the winner of the competition (2nd from L) with Ding Liren of China, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaiyán and Jan-Krzysztof Duda of Poland during the 2022 FIDE Chess Candidates Tournament closing ceremony on July 5, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (

FIDE Chess Tournament Closing Ceremony In Madrid

The World Chess Championship Begins On The Edge Of The Unknown

Conor McKeon lives in New York. He can be reached at conorjmckeon@gmail.com.

Conor McKeon

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‘Keys To The VIP’ Unlocked The Modern Manosphere

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

Jen Ramos Eisen

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

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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>.
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Vince Guerrieri

(Original Caption) Cardinals Clinch NL pennant. St. Louis, Missouri: Redbird coach Wares (right) shakes hands with winning pitcher Max Lanier, after the first game of a double header with the Cubs when the Cardinals clinched the National League pennant again this year. (Left to right seated) Chuck Klein; Lanier; Stan Musial; (left to right standing) George Munger; Ernie White; manager Billy Southworth; Danny Litwhiler; owner Sam Breadon, and Wares.

Teammates Congratulating Max Lanier

How The Cardinals Nearly Lost The War For St. Louis

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.

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Nicholas Russell

Keanu Reeves as John Wick, holding a handgun, with the text "Check Out the JW Collection" and a "shop now" button

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The Gunplay Of ‘John Wick’ Is A Bit Too Real For Comfort

Felix Kent

Shoppers Looking at Records at Tower Records on Sunset Boulevard (Photo by nik wheeler/Corbis via Getty Images)

Shoppers Looking at Records at Tower Records on Sunset Boulevard

Music

The Lost Art Of Being Stuck With An Album

Emile is a freelance writer, originally from the U.S., now living in Barcelona. He writes about Spanish soccer, namely FC Barcelona and Barça Femeni, on Substack, at <a href="https://barcafemeni.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://barcafemeni.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753084000&amp;usg=AOvVaw14bYDiXeApFrdtb0hLPnFE">La Barça Soc Supporter</a> and appears regularly on <a href="https://twitter.com/TheBarcelonaPod" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/TheBarcelonaPod&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753084000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3pyv2PojdPBZ1Gkv3_aN-S">The Barcelona Podcast</a>. His work has previously featured at outlets including The Blizzard, <a href="https://urbanpitch.com/author/eavanessian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urbanpitch.com/author/eavanessian/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753084000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0I4zygG7AmIDTzwXlPE2u_">Urban Pitch</a>, The Squall, Barça Blaugranes, and <a href="https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/author/emile-avanessian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/author/emile-avanessian/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753084000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3g0kv0jxafpvL520xVCsVU">Sports Collectors Daily</a>.
Emile also writes about the NBA, at his new outpost League Pass in L’Eixample. His previous work can be found at Forum Blue and Gold and his own site, a living relic of the basketblog era, <a href="https://hardwoodhype.com/the-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://hardwoodhype.com/the-work&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753085000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2U949Uf-KXcPwkDPCbW129">Hardwood Hype</a>.

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Emile Avanessian

STADIO OLIMPICO , ROME, ITALY - 2023/03/21: Salma Paralluelo of FCB Barcelona celebrates with teammates after scoring the goal of 0-1 during the Women Uefa Champions League quarter finals football match between AS Roma and FCB Barcelona. Barcelona won 1-0 over AS Roma.

Salma Paralluelo of FCB Barcelona celebrates with teammates

Soccer

Barcelona Femeni Is Ready To Make The Climb

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TV Is Thinking Of Ending Things

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Hey It's That Guy

Djimon Hounsou’s Been Stuck In Big-Budget Purgatory For Too Long

<div>Dave Madden is the author of two books, and his essays have appeared in The Guardian, Harper&#8217;s, Lithub, Zyzzyva, and elsewhere. He teaches nonfiction in the MFA Program at the University of San Francisco, and publishes a newsletter named <a href="https://shennymag.substack.com/">Shenny</a>.</div>

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Dave Madden

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski congratulates UNC forward Brady Manek after his Blue Devils lost in the 2022 Final Four.

North Carolina v Duke

College Basketball

The Family Queer Flies Home For March Madness

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Three Oakland Roots Supporters

Amedspor supporters march to the stadium before a match against Sanlıurfaspor in 2015.

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The Scorpions Behind The Barricade

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‘Physical: 100’ Asks What A Body Is For

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How 1995’s ‘Party Girl’ Became The First Movie To Premiere Online

Libby Watson is a journalist who covers healthcare.

Libby Watson

A single-story ranch house surrounded by a chain link fence. It is pleasant and well-groomed. There is a mailbox in the front of the photo.

house

Politics

The Home-Sized Hole In The Safety Net

<a href="https://twitter.com/johnwilmeswords">John Wilmes</a> is a writer and professor in Chicago. His work has appeared in The Ringer, GQ, Chicago Reader, and The New Republic, among other places. He is the author of the novella Jad&#8217;s Dad Milo.

John Wilmes

A Compass Group employee works the hot dog concession at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.

Cleveland Indians v Chicago White Sox

Capital

A Fight Is Brewing In Chicago Between A Multinational Concessions Business And Its Workers

Boxing at Dodger Stadium

Boxing

Whoever Killed Davey Moore Also Killed Boxing At Dodger Stadium

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 23: Taynna Cardoso of Brazil (black trunks) trades punches with Heather Hardy (white trunks) during their Super Featherweights bout at BoxingInsider Fight Night at Sony Hall on February 23, 2023 in New York City. Hardy won by majority decision.

BoxingInsider Fight Night at Sony Hall

In New York, Some Legends Still Fight Underground

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AI Art Only Looks Like Art If You Don’t Care