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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>John Loeppky is a freelance writer and theatre artist currently based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. His work has appeared for outlets such as FiveThirtyEight, CBC, and <em>Maclean’s</em>.</p>


John Loeppky

PARIS, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 05: Zhiqiang Yan of Team People's Republic of China competes with teammates Zhijian Lan and Qi Zhang (not in frame) in the Mixed Team - BC1/BC2 Gold Medal Match #294 against Muhamad Syafa, Felix Ardi Yudha and Gischa Zayana of Team Indonesia on day eight of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at South Paris Arena on September 05, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Parasports

When Competing Means Being Able To Afford The Right Equipment

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


Matt Ufford

A split image: On the left, a beatific Manuel Neuer with his fists raised in triumph; on the right, a feral roaring Gianluigi Buffon with his fists low, also in triumph.

Soccer

Which Type Of Big Weird Guy Is Your Goalkeeper?

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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

Sophia Wilson of United States fights for the ball with Isadora Haas of Brazil during the international friendly match between Brazil and United States on June 06, 2026 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The USWNT And Brazil Stretched The Definition Of “Friendly”

<p>Heather Chen is a former Defector intern and the managing editor at the <em>Columbia Daily Spectator</em>. She loves hockey, photography, and the good ol’ state of Michigan.</p>


Heather Wei-Xi Chen

Arts And Culture

‘Off Campus’ Can’t Sell The Hockey Player Fantasy

Aaron Timms

A big inflatable soccer ball fills with air at the houston world cup fan zone.

The World Cup For Nobody Is Almost Here

Veronica de Souza

Make It Nice

Make It Nice: Bathrooms, Backyards, And DIY Ambitions

<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

Tennis

Marta Kostyuk Will Not Break

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


Nicholas Russell

‘Backrooms’ Doesn’t Quite Capture The Weirdness Of The Originals

Janine Sonis of the Denver Summit FC celebrateds her second goal of the second half against the Orlando Pride with teammates Kaleigh Kurtz and Eva Gaetino.

The Denver Summit May Not Be Good, But They Sure Are Fun

James Webster

‘The Vivisectors’ Is A Brilliant Novel In Any Reality

Interviews

How The U.S. Military Rots American Masculinity

The Montreal Victoire celebrate their victory

Women's Hockey

The Montreal Victoire Make A Living As Champions

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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

‘Blue Heron’ Is A Revelation

<p>Sean T. Collins has written for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vulture, Decider, Pitchfork, and many others. He lives with his family on Long Island.</p>


Sean T. Collins

Kill Grogu

<div><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mattribel.bsky.social">Matt Ribel</a> writes about the intersection of science, technology, and politics. His features have appeared in WIRED, Washingtonian, and elsewhere.</div>


Matt Ribel

An illustration of a hand taking a circuitous route to a mailbox to send in a tax return, while a number of other hands try to block it.

Politics

Free, Easy, Dead: The Difficult Birth And Predictable Death Of IRS Direct File

<p>Grace Byron is a critic, reporter, and novelist based in Queens. Her writing has appeared in <em>The New Yorker</em>, <em>Granta</em>, <em>Bookforum</em>, and elsewhere. Her debut novel <em>Herculine</em> is out now.</p>


Grace Byron

Patrick Radden Keefe’s ‘London Falling’ Tries To Separate Fact From Fiction

PWHL

Five Nights With The Montreal Victoire, Who Dragged Me To Hockey Heaven

<p><a href="https://katedries.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://katedries.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1778682596117000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0nTLmZnCJ7W_WrwEZAFeZH">Kate Dries</a> is the Executive Editor of Dwell. She previously worked at VICE, Jezebel, BuzzFeed and WBEZ, and has written for many other publications.</p>


Kate Dries

Anna Wintour and Meryl Streep attends the world premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2

The Devil Wears Prada, Too

<p>Ben Dowsett is a freelance technology and sports nerd based in Utah. His other recent work can be found at Wired, ESPN and elsewhere.</p>


Ben Dowsett

Scientists look at a digital rendering of a basketball player taking a jumper

Can The Jumper Be Hacked? Inside Basketball’s Next Arms Race

Mason Westfall

The Machines

The Claude Delusion

Boxing

Fabio Wardley Was Too Brave For His Own Good

<p>Jake Romm is a New York City-based writer and the Associate Editor of Protean Magazine.</p>
