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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

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2025 gift subs

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


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Matt Ufford

A Tufted Titmouse stands on a branch as Robert DeCandido also known as "Birding Bob" leads a group of bird watchers during a tour in Central Park, New York on November 29, 2020. - On a recent sunny morning in New York a few dozen people gathered in Central Park's wooded Ramble area with a common goal: zero in on an elusive owl. Autumn leaves crunch under their shoes as "Birding Bob" -- a guide who has been organizing birdwatching tours in the park for more than three decades, with interest jumping since the coronavirus pandemic hit the city in March -- leads them along winding paths. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

US-HEALTH-VIRUS-LIFESTYLE-NEWYORK-BIRDS

Birdfector

A Bird Idiot’s Guide To Birding

<p><a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="http://demause.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;http://demause.net/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]"><em>Neil deMause</em></a><em> has covered sports economics for more publications than even he can shake a stick at. He’s co-author of the book </em><a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="https://www.amazon.com/Field-Schemes-Stadium-Swindle-Private/dp/1567511384?ascsubtag=c9dca64cfbbd6c35085d286f4423ee39b8350b2f&amp;rawdata=%5Br%7Chttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F%5Bks%7Cgoogle%5Bt%7Clink%5Bp%7C1800657108%5Ba%7C1567511384%5Bau%7C5722120546910826704%5Bb%7Cdeadspinascsubtag%3D4eba2da0f6cc83fe1f221e8d8ca5894cd93bf2a7ascsubtag%3D33f4f2a16c1eda72859c34ee8aa577410b04a0d8&amp;tag=deadspinamzn-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-ga="[[&quot;Commerce&quot;,&quot;deadspin - Baseball Doesn't Need Collusion To Turn Off The Hot Stove&quot;,&quot;1567511384&quot;]]" data-amazonasin="1567511384" data-amazontag="deadspinamzn-20" data-amazonsubtag="[r|https://www.google.com/[ks|google[t|link[p|1831644811[a|1567511384[au|5722120546910826704[b|deadspin[lt|text" data-commerceready="true">Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money Into Private Profit</a><em>, and runs </em><a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="http://fieldofschemes.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;http://fieldofschemes.com/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]"><em>the website of the same name</em></a><em>.</em></p>


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Neil deMause

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 01: Construction continues at Allegiant Stadium, the USD 2 billion, glass-domed future home of the Las Vegas Raiders on July 1, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raiders and the UNLV Rebels football teams are scheduled to begin play at the 65,000-seat facility in their 2020 seasons. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Allegiant Stadium Under Construction

Science

Which Teams Will Be The First Lost To Climate Change?

<p>Dvora Meyers is a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn. She writes about gymnastics and other topics in her newsletter, <a href="https://dvora.substack.com/">Unorthodox Gymnastics.</a></p>


Dvora Meyers

U.S. Gymnast Sam Mikulak, formerly of the University of Michigan, at the 2019 FIG Championships.

49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships – Day Ten

Gymnastics

Men’s College Gymnastics Must Choose Between The NCAA And Survival

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/ericnus">Eric Nusbaum</a> is a writer based in Tacoma, Washington. He is the author of the book <i><a href="https://bookshop.org/books/stealing-home-los-angeles-the-dodgers-and-the-lives-caught-in-between-9781541742222/9781541742215">Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between</a></i>. He is also a former editor at Vice.</p>


Eric Nusbaum

Kids photograph a pitcher for the Pacific Coast League's Oakland Acorns in 1952.

MLB’s Minor League Power Play Is An Offense Against Baseball History

<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 Headshot

John Loeppky

DIADEMA, BRAZIL - SEPTEMBER 19: Para Athlete Alan Fonteles Cardoso Oliveira rests during a training session at the shoulder of the Imigrantes Highway on September 19, 2020 in Diadema, Brazil. Alan had both his legs amputated below the knee since he was 21 days old. He specializes in speed tests and competes in T44 sprint events. He is a Paralympic and World Athletics Champion and will participate in his fourth Paralympics. Alan is being trained by Katsuhico Nakaya, who is going to his ninth Olympics. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

A Day with Track Athletes Amidst the Coronavirus (COVID – 19) Pandemic

Parasports

What Does The Pandemic Mean For Paralympians?

<p><a href="http://www.ddavisla.com"><span style="font-weight: 400">David Davis </span></a>is the author of <i>Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans From World War II Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights, and Inspired a Nation</i> and <i>Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku</i>. He lives in Los Angeles.</p>
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David Davis

FILE - Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron eyes the flight of the ball after hitting his 715th career homer in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Atlanta, Ga., in this April 8, 1974 file photo. Dodgers pitcher Al Downing, catcher Joe Ferguson and umpire David Davidson look on. Hank Aaron, who endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth but went on to break the career home run record in the pre-steroids era, died early Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death was given. (AP Photo/Harry Harrris, FIle)

Hank Aaron, David Davidson

Shots

The Man Who Shot The Home Run Kings

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Soraya Roberts

theinvestigation

‘The Investigation’ Might Be The Perfect Crime Series

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Soccer

The Man Who Captured The Hand Of God Has Been Erased From History

Anonymous

Convoy Of Ambulances Travels From Hospital To Fenway Park Honoring EMS Workers

Politics

I’m A Paramedic. Nothing Prepared Me For What I’ve Seen During The Pandemic

<p>Jason Jeong is a writer living in Brooklyn.</p>


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Jason Jeong

Tottenham Hotspur's Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld (L) celebrates with Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean striker Son Heung-Min after he scores his team's third goal during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on January 2, 2021.

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Son Heung-min Fancams Are More Than Just Internet Ephemera

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<p class="sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY">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>.</p>
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Vince Guerrieri

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The NFL As We Know It Was Born In Cleveland

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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

K. C. Jones

K.C. Jones Always Owned The Room

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Ashley Feinberg

US Vice President Mike Pence delivers an update on "Operation Warp Speed" in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC on November 13, 2020. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by

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Jamboroo

Is Mike Pence Packin’?

CAROLINA, PUERTO RICO - NOVEMBER 13: A remaining batting helmet sits on the field at the Roberto Clemente Municipal Stadium on November 13, 2018 in Carolina, Puerto Rico. The ballpark was once used for minor league AA baseball. The stadium is set to be demolished due to the extended damage it sustained from Hurricane Maria. The effort continues in Puerto Rico to remain and rebuild more than one year after the Hurricane Maria hit and devastated the island on September 20, 2017. The official number of deaths from the disaster is 2,975. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for Lumix)

The Spirit of Sport After Hurricane Maria In Puerto Rico

Why MLB Declared War On The Minor Leagues

<p>Leland Nally is a writer living in Los Angeles.</p>


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Leland Nally

A collage of children's letters to Santa.

COVID CROP

What I Learned From Reading Over A Thousand Letters To Santa

<p>Fran Hoepfner is a writer and teacher.</p>


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Fran Hoepfner

A scene from Bacurau, courtesy Kino Lorber.

Carmelita’s funeral 2 _ Victor Jucá

Defector At The Movies

‘Bacurau’ Is The Movie-est Movie You’ll See This Year

during the International Rules Series match between Ireland and Australia at Croke Park Stadium on November 21, 2015 in Dublin, Ireland.

Ireland v Australia – International Rules Series

History

100 Years On, Bloody Sunday Still Bleeds

Corey Sobel

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

The Running Back Who Reads Emily Dickinson

Svetlana Khorkina falls on the vault at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. It was not her fault.

Sydney 2000 Olympics Now In It’s Sixth Day

The Greatest Clusterfuck In Women’s Gymnastics History, Two Decades Later