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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

<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

Arts And Culture

‘Marty Supreme’ Bears Us Into The New World

<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>


Hamilton Nolan

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 21: Mascot Jaxson de Ville of the Jacksonville Jaguars leaps from the light towers prior to the game against the Houston Texans at EverBank Field on September 21, 2025 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

Jaguars Junction: Week 17

<p>Eva Holland is a freelance writer and editor based in Whitehorse, Yukon. She&#8217;s a correspondent for Outside magazine and the author of the books <i>Nerve </i>and <i><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/no-sleep-til-fairbanks#/">No Sleep &#8216;Til Fairbanks</a>.</i></p>


Eva Holland

‘Heated Rivalry’ Is Bringing Me Back To Hockey

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


Matt Ufford

Reginald Owen, playing Scrooge, confronts the Ghost of Christmas Present, played by Lionel Braham, in the 1938 MGM production of "A Christmas Carol." Undated movie still.

Jamboroo

You Can’t Defeat Christmas, But You Can Survive It

Veronica de Souza

Make It Nice

Make It Nice: How To Shop For A Couch

<p>Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and has written for The Guardian, The Second Serve, The Athletic, and other publications.</p>


Owen Lewis

Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers looks on in street clothes during player introductions before a game against the Detroit Pistons

Following The Damned Pacers Through The Pits Of Hell

Dan Schindel

Interviews

Filmmaker Ian Bell On ‘WTO/99’ And The Legacy Of The Battle In Seattle


<div dir="auto">Liz Cook is a freelance writer and recipe developer based in Kansas City. Her work appears in places like Serious Eats, Eater, the BBC, and Condé Nast Traveler. She also writes the experimental food newsletter <a href="https://haterade.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Haterade</a>. </div>


Liz Cook

The entrance to 1587 Prime, a steakhouse that… looks like a steakhouse

Food

Two Nights Playing With Fire At Patrick Mahomes And Travis Kelce’s Steakhouse

Becca Young

Maggie Nelson Sputters And Stalls In ‘The Slicks’

Jack Hanson

Patricia Lockwood’s Inexhaustible Mind

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


Nicholas Russell

Seth Harp Talks About The Rot At The Core Of America’s Empire


<p><a href="http://Feldman.cool" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brian Feldman</a> is a software engineer living in Brooklyn.</p>


Brian Feldman

tim robinson using the computer in the chair company

‘The Chair Company’ Is A Show About How Fun It Is To Use The Computer

<p>August <span class="il">Prum</span> is a writer and filmmaker based in Queens.</p>


August Prum

Martin Donovan, Elina Lowensohn, and Bill Sage, left to right, dance in an empty restaurant in a scene from Hal Hartley's film "Simple Men."

Hal Hartley Is Still Figuring It All Out Onscreen

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<p>Robert Rubsam writes fiction and nonfiction. His work has appeared in the NYT Magazine, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Baffler, and Liberties. He is a contributing writer for Commonweal Magazine.</p>
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Robert Rubsam

‘Train Dreams’ Is Afraid Of Its Own Shadow

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 30: Andrew Wingard #42 of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates after a victory against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on November 30, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

Jaguars Junction: Week 13

Ralph Jones

An Illuminating Conversation With The Man Who Was Willem Dafoe’s Stunt Penis

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<div><a href="https://www.bystefanfatsis.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bystefanfatsis.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1759235100786000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1mlCW5_XUY56jklGr11a_z">Stefan Fatsis</a> is the author of four books: <a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/unabridged/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://groveatlantic.com/book/unabridged/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1759235100786000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0jbw5ZscOBp6w-1um3R6yu"><i>Unabridged</i></a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-few-seconds-of-panic-a-sportswriter-plays-in-the-nfl-stefan-fatsis/7891278" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-few-seconds-of-panic-a-sportswriter-plays-in-the-nfl-stefan-fatsis/7891278&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1759235100786000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0MpNNngIOKaj-715hSNVZD"><i>A Few Seconds of Panic</i></a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/word-freak-heartbreak-triumph-genius-and-obsession-in-the-world-of-competitive-scrabblep-layers-stefan-fatsis/11648962" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bookshop.org/p/books/word-freak-heartbreak-triumph-genius-and-obsession-in-the-world-of-competitive-scrabblep-layers-stefan-fatsis/11648962&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1759235100786000&amp;usg=AOvVaw02LL51Wrka0A0lLkwOxYUj"><i>Word Freak</i></a>, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Outside-Renegade-Baseball-Heartland/dp/0802712975" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Outside-Renegade-Baseball-Heartland/dp/0802712975&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1759235100786000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1YzbrZGW2KCbIttDDLhkPn"><i>Wild and Outside</i></a>. He&#8217;s also a former cohost of “Hang Up and Listen,” commentator on NPR&#8217;s &#8220;All Things Considered,&#8221; and reporter for <i>The Wall Street Journal</i>.</div>
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Stefan Fatsis

Life's Rich Pageant

How A Campy 1970s Game Show Became Part Of Canada’s National Lexicon

Jasper Nathaniel

Politics

Good Settler, Bad Settler

David Benavidez exchanges punches with Anthony Yarde in a WBC and WBA light-heavyweight title fight during Ring IV: Night of the Champions at ANB Arena on November 22, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Boxing

The Fights Got Bloody In Riyadh

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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

Sarah York

A general view during Derek Steven's New Sportsbook Venture "Circa Sports" Launch at Golden Gate Hotel &amp; Casino on June 1, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sports Gamblers Are Dorks

<p>Lesley Ryder is a writer and a host covering the Chicago Red Stars. She co-created <a href="https://galpalsports.com/">Gal Pal Sports</a>, a platform that lives to make women’s sports fun for everyone.</p>


Lesley Ryder


<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

A detail of the NWSL logo on a game ball prior to the NWSL match between the Houston Dash and the Angel City FC at Shell Energy Stadium on April 12, 2025 in Houston, Texas.

NWSL

The NWSL Received 43 Complaints In 2024, And Five In The First Half Of This Year, Public Records Show

<p>Alex Shultz is a journalist based in Brooklyn. He&#8217;s a writer for <a href="https://www.hardresetmedia.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hardresetmedia.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1763581679564000&amp;usg=AOvVaw07bi0TNndgTXDN2QH72s3J">Hard Reset,</a> a newsletter about tech, labor, and power.</p>


Alex Shultz

US Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, looks at his cellphone in between Senate votes to reopen the government on day 41 of the government shutdown at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, November 10, 2025. The longest-ever US government shutdown appeared headed Monday to an eventual resolution, after several Democratic senators broke ranks to join Republicans in advancing a compromise deal -- sparking intra-party backlash.

John Fetterman’s Memoir Is As Low-Effort As His Senate Tenure

Joel Pinckney

‘The High Heaven’ Is A Beautifully Grounded Debut Novel

<p><span style="color: #000000">Julie Kliegman is a writer and editor in Queens, New York. They wrote <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/mind-game-9798216378051/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/mind-game-9798216378051/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1763134080975000&amp;usg=AOvVaw15Dx3xf4fCxIqYQnD4bF_R"><em>Mind Game: An Inside Look at the Mental Health Playbook of Elite Athletes</em></a>. Their next book, the biography <i>Finding Renée Richards</i>, is due out in August 2026. Kliegman’s work has also appeared in outlets including <em>The New York Times</em>,<em> Sports Illustrated</em>, <em>The Washington Post</em>, Bookforum, Slate, The Ringer, <em>Texas Monthly</em>, Vulture, BuzzFeed News, and The Verge.</span></p>


Julie Kliegman

art of a swimmer with their head half above water

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