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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

Patrick Wyman is the host of the Tides of History podcast, which is currently covering prehistory from the dawn of humanity to the Bronze Age. Prior to that, he was the host of the Fall of Rome podcast, which you might remember from Deadspin back in the day, where he also contributed pieces on mixed martial arts. In previous lives, he wrote about MMA for Bleacher Report and the Washington Post, and completed a PhD in History at the University of Southern California.

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Patrick Wyman

A statue of Christopher Columbus in Bogota, Colombia, defaced by protestors, is protected by armed police.

Christopher Columbus

History

Christopher Columbus And The Replacement-Level Historical Figure

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>

Dvora Meyers

Gymnastics – Artistic – Olympics: Day 2

Olympics

Tenths Do Matter, Even When You’ve Got Simone Biles

Priyanka Borpujari is an award-winning independent journalist currently based in Tokyo, and has extensively reported from across India, El Salvador, Indonesia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Argentina, and Japan. She has been published in National Geographic, Columbia Journalism Review, CNN, The Guardian, The Boston Globe, News Deeply, Al Jazeera, TRT World, and several others.

Priyanka Borpujari

OLY-1964-TOKYO-OPENING CEREMONY

The 1964 Tokyo Olympics Captured Their Hearts, But They Can’t Find Much To Love About This Summer’s Games

<a href="https://twitter.com/mollylambert" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Molly Lambert</a> is a writer and podcaster in LA. Her podcast Heidi World about Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss comes out later this year.

Molly Lambert

Police officers and protestors at a July protest against the Tokyo Olympics.

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The Lies The Olympics Tells About Itself Have Never Rung More False

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 Maclean’s.

John Loeppky Headshot

John Loeppky

BEIJING - SEPTEMBER 14: Jonathan Hall of Great Britain battles with Brendan Dowler of Australia in the Wheelchair Basketball match between Australia and Great Britain at the National Indoor Stadium during day eight of the 2008 Paralympic Games September 14, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)

Paralympics Day 8 – Wheelchair Basketball

Parasports

Where Do Able-Bodied Athletes Belong In Wheelchair Basketball?

Simone Biles after landing a Yurchenko double pike dismount at the GK U.S. Classic.

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Women’s Gymnastics Is Blasting Into The Future, But Its Scoring Code Is Stuck In The Past

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.

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Nicholas Russell

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Defector At The Movies

All It Takes To Make A Half-Decent Marvel Movie Is For The Main Character To Be Dead

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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

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The Wimbledon Finalist With The Body In His Suitcase

<a href="https://twitter.com/austinlouisray" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Austin L. Ray</a> is an ATLien who spends most of his time writing, growing, and fundraising. He works for Mailchimp by day and writes for places like Rolling Stone, Tip Top Proper Cocktails, Creative Loafing (RIP), The Outline, Atlanta magazine, GQ, and more on nights and weekends. He loves reading in front of large groups of people, listening to loud rap music, and losing himself in Twitter. Zach Galifianakis once screamed in his face.

Austin L. Ray

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The Great Outdoors

Let’s Grow Some Things

Anonymous

An eviction notice is posted and the lock is changed on a residence in the unincorporated community of Galloway on March 3, 2021 west of Columbus, Ohio.

Eviction

Capital

The U.S. Is Failing Tenants, And It’s About To Get Even Worse

Felix Kent

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 7: Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs waits for a faceoff against the Montreal Canadiens during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on April 7, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canadiens 3-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mitchell Marner

Montreal Canadiens v Toronto Maple Leafs

The Salary Cap Is A Psyop

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Soraya Roberts

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Cold Comforts

Watching ‘Touching The Void’ Should Qualify As An Extreme Sport

Amy Pedulla is a writer and audio producer. She can be reached at pedullaa@gmail.com.

Amy Pedulla

Yoga_unionize_01

Inside The Fight To Unionize CorePower Yoga

<a href="https://jeremygordon.xyz/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jeremy Gordon</a>&#8216;s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Nation, and Pitchfork.

Jeremy Gordon

Atlanta Hawks v Philadelphia 76ers – Game Seven

A Grand Unified Theory For Achieving Total Basketball Enlightenment

<a href="https://twitter.com/Dwayne_Media" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dwayne</a> is a baseball fan from Atlanta, Georgia.

Dwayne

An illustration of Braves owner John Malone.

BHAO_John-Malone_braves

Better Hate An Owner

John Malone Hasn’t Really Thought About It

Fran Hoepfner is a writer and teacher.

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Fran Hoepfner

A still image from the set of Taskmaster.

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Watch ‘Taskmaster,’ And Indulge In The Simple Pleasure Of Watching Funny People Do Weird Things

Charles Farrell has spent his professional life moving between music and boxing, with occasional detours. He has managed five world champions, and has played and recorded with many of the musicians he most admires&#8211;Evan Parker and Ornette Coleman among them. Farrell currently resides in the Boston, Massachusetts area.



His new book, <a href="https://hamilcarpubs.com/books/lowlife-a-memoir-of-jazz-fight-fixing-and-the-mob/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(Low)life: A Memoir of Jazz, Fight-Fixing, and The Mob</a>, will be published June 29.

Charles Farrell

TOPSHOT - Former world welterweight king Floyd Mayweather (L) and YouTube personality Logan Paul face-off during their weigh-in event in Miami, Florida on June 5, 2021. - Former world welterweight king Floyd Mayweather said May 4, 2021 he will face off against YouTube personality Logan Paul in an exhibition bout at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium on June 6, 2021. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

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Boxing

Clown Vs. Clown

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 02: Jack Eichel #9 of the Buffalo Sabres stretches in warm-ups prior to the game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on March 02, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Buffalo Sabres v New York Rangers

Elder Wisdom

How Does Coachspeak Work?

Amos Barshad

Very cool illustration of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

BHaO_Abramovich

Roman Abramovich Owns A Club He’s Not Even Allowed To Watch

Atlanta Braves v Boston Red Sox

All Of A Sudden, The Red Sox Are Too Good To Be Angry With

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‘Love & Anarchy’ Has Liberated The Rom-Com From Its Neoliberal Shackles

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All The Lessons I Didn’t Learn From Watching ‘Seinfeld’

Marc Normandin currently writes on baseball’s labor issues and more at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marcnormandin.com/">marcnormandin.com</a>, which you can read for free but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.patreon.com/marcnormandin">support through his Patreon</a>. His baseball writing has appeared at SB Nation, Deadspin, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Sports on Earth, The Guardian, The Nation, and TalkPoverty.

Marc Normandin

An employee rolls out the new Sony PS5 in Japan.

Video Games

Gaming’s All-Digital-Everything Future Threatens To Erase The Past

Claire Watkins is a musician and writer living in Chicago, IL.

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Claire Watkins

NY/NJ Gotham FC v Portland Thorns: Championship – 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup

Soccer

The Portland Thorns Are Ready To Be The NWSL’s Villains

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

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Hockey’s Cold War Was The Summit Of Two Photographers’ Careers