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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

Enter Our Raffle To Win A Visit And Home-Cooked Meal From Drew Magary

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tip jar sweepstakes

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Soraya Roberts

Two characters from I Saw The Tv Glow sit side by side

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Arts And Culture

How Many Times Is Too Many Times?

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Tom Scocca is the editor of <a href="http://indignity.net">Indignity</a>, a subscription-supported newsletter of news, essays, and commentary.</div>
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Tom Scocca

U.S. Senator JD Vance takes pictures as Former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Manhattan criminal court, Monday, May 13, 2024, in New York.

J.D. Vance

Margin Of Error

Dress For The Job You Want

<p>A Rockies fan by birth and a White Sox fan by geographic proximity, Annie Howard spends her non-suffering sports moments ardently rooting for the Nuggets and the Orioles.</p>


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Annie Howard

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‘I Saw The TV Glow’ Unfurls The Great Trans Unknown

<p>Nick Zarzycki is a Toronto-based writer whose work has appeared in the <i data-stringify-type="italic">Washington Post</i>, <i data-stringify-type="italic">Deadspin</i> and <i data-stringify-type="italic">Toronto Life</i>.</p>


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Nick Zarzycki

A wizard dressed in a suit looks upon a fortress on a hill as lightning bolts and dollar bills dot the sky

Games

The Creator Of ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Knows Exactly Where It All Went Wrong

<p>Puja Changoiwala is an award-winning journalist and author based in Mumbai. <a href="https://www.pujachangoiwala.com/">This</a> is her website.</p>


Puja Changoiwala

An image of the frontline in the Russia/Ukraine war, with an image of Mohammed Sufiyan, who was lured into that conflict by an Indian YouTube influencer.

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Politics

How A YouTuber Duped Indians Into The Russia-Ukraine War

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<div dir="auto">Corbin Smith is a writer and photographer from Vancouver, Washington. His work has appeared in Deadspin, The Daily Beast, and <em>Rolling Stone</em>. He is also the host of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pacific-northwest-insurance-corporation-moviefilm/id1712416222"><em>The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm Podcast</em></a> a podcast about movies.</div>
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Corbin Smith

Joe Montana attends the FanDuel Fantasy Golf Classic on July 11, 2017 in New York City.

FanDuel Fantasy Golf Classic

Gambling

Sports Is Betting It All On Gambling

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


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Nicholas Russell

DJ FRONT COVER

Music

Cindy Lee’s ‘Diamond Jubilee’ Is A Gift Worth Savoring

An NYPD officer in riot gear looms over a student protestor on the ground and appears to be gripping her arm.

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Going Off Script

<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>


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John Loeppky

PARIS, FRANCE - APRIL 04: "La Beaute et le Geste" exhibition by French Artist Laurent Perbos is displayed in front of the French National assembly ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on April 04, 2024 in Paris, France. On the occasion of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the National Assembly celebrates sport by welcoming the visual artist Laurent Perbos and his 6 metamorphosed Venus de Milo. A universally known work, the Venus here finds her arms and is endowed attributes of six sporting disciplines: tennis, surfing, para archery, basketball, boxing and javelin throwing. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)

Landmarks Around Paris Ahead Of The Summer Olympics

Parasports

Why Is It So Hard To Add New Paralympic Sports?

Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor sitting on a bed in a scene from Challengers

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You Can’t Not Surrender To The ‘Challengers’ Soundtrack

<div>Nate Jackson is a former NFL tight end and author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/slow-getting-up-a-story-of-nfl-survival-from-the-bottom-of-the-pile-nate-jackson/6430451?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote9JzWMngZDpSjF2eoL1_JlyPm2QhDfkNgOzqvaB4n9ic0qqUNQ4iCwaAsasEALw_wcB"><em>Slow Getting Up</em></a>. He lives in Denver.</div>
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Nate Jackson

Drawing of cannabis industry people chasing after a football player.

NFL Weed

I Wish I’d Never Become The NFL Weed Guy


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


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Corey Atad

Ethan Hawke and Maya Hawke attend a screening of "Wildcat" at Angelika Film Center on April 11, 2024 in New York City.

Dior, Cinema Society & Oscilloscope Laboratories Host A Screening Of “Wildcat”

Ethan Hawke Wants To Make Movies That Begin At The End

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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

Wally and a participant in Major League Memories.

Wally

The Therapeutic Value Of Remembering Some Guys

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‘Ripley’ Turns Black And White To Color

<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>


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Hamilton Nolan

KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 28: Jacksonville Jaguars fans cheer during Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station on April 28, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

2023 NFL Draft – Rounds 2-3

Jaguars Junction: Draft Day

<p>Asher Elbein is <a href="https://www.asherelbein.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.asherelbein.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712179533443000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2CJ0U-vHMdK0s6sOdzlGGF">a journalist and fiction writer</a> based in Austin, Texas. Among other places, his work has appeared in The New York Times, Scientific American, Undark Magazine, Audubon, and Texas Monthly.</p>


Asher Elbein

An illustration of Magneto placing a yarmulke atop his head.

Magneto (1)

History

The Judgment Of Magneto

<p><span class="il">Hoang</span>&#8211;<span class="il">Kim</span> Vu is the co-editor of the Defector Crossword. His puzzles have appeared in multiple venues, including the New York Times, L.A. Times, and USA Today.</p>


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Hoang-Kim Vu

Three competitors take part in the ACPT final

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The World’s Fastest Crossword Solvers Can’t Tell You How To Do This

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Abigail Segel

PWHL – Toronto v Montreal

PWHL

I Heard The Roar Of Possibility At The PWHL’s Record-Breaking Sellout 

A big outdoor sign reading USC University of Southern California, with a student riding a skateboard in the background.

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The Speech-Free Campus

<div dir="ltr">Victoria Zeller is a writer and reformed podcaster from Buffalo, New York. Her debut novel, <i>One of the Boys,</i> is forthcoming.</div>
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Victoria Zeller

Stefon Diggs #14 of the Buffalo Bills warms up prior to a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Highmark Stadium on September 17, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York.

Las Vegas Raiders v Buffalo Bills

Stefon Diggs Fixed Buffalo Before We Could Fix Him

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<div>Casey Taylor is a writer living and working in Pittsburgh. He is currently writing a book for St. Martin&#8217;s Press about cannabis religions, Haile Selassie I, and the Cold War in the Caribbean. He also writes a free newsletter called <a href="https://weedchurch.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://weedchurch.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1709306863919000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1mVH2xiID6S0zvlyj6yHco">Weed Church</a> covering foolish spiritual things that occur to him. His work has appeared in The New Republic, WIRED, New York Magazine, and a sports blog he can’t currently recall the name of. You can <a href="mailto:caseyt7@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email</a> him if you’d like.</div>
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Casey Taylor

Having escaped a raging war at home, Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia face more conflict and insecurity as the border region of Amhara is plagued by unrest and clashes that sees the Ethiopian National Defense Force battling an ethnic Amhara militia known as 'Fano'. According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) over 100,000 people have crossed into Ethiopia from Sudan since April 2023. Sudanese and other refugees in the border camps in Amhara lament a lack of security, difficult communication with the outside world - the Ethiopian government has disrupted access to mobile internet in the region since August 2023 - and a general sense of abandonment, raising the question if they fled a dire situation to end up in similar one. (Photo by )

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Journalismism

How Do You Get Americans To Care About A War?

<p>Alex Prewitt is a writer in Brooklyn. He shoots free throws the normal way.</p>


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Alex Prewitt

The inside of Jamsil Arena, home of the Korean Basketball League's Seoul Thunders.

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Life's Rich Pageant

A Journey To Korea In Search Of The Bank-Shot Free Throw

<p>Stephen Lurie is a writer and facilitator in Brooklyn, NY.</p>


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Stephen Lurie

A box of essentials - body glide, water, bagel, banana, Advil, and Accel Gel. The 116th Boston Marathon starts in Hopkinton in Hopkinton, Mass. on Monday, April 16, 2012.

116th Running Of The Boston Marathon: Pre-race

The Great Outdoors

The Sublime Clarity Of Goo

A photo from the set of The Kid Detective

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‘The Kid Detective’ Is Too Good To Be Forgotten

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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

College Basketball: NCAA Final Four, North Carolina State David Thompson (44) victorious with net after winning game vs UCLA, Greensboro, NC 3/24/1974

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