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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

<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 Photo

Lesley Ryder


<p>Investigations Editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99</p>


DFM New Headshot

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.

Houston Dash v Angel City FC

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>


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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.

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Politics

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

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Joel Pinckney

Gypsum dune fields at White Sands National Monument located within the Chihuahuan Desert and the Tularosa Basin near Alamorodo, New Mexico, USA

Arts And Culture

‘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>


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Julie Kliegman

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Swimming

What Does A Great Trans Athlete Deserve?

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Mark Asch

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‘Bugonia’ Makes A Crash Landing

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Veronica de Souza

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Make It Nice

Make It Nice: How Much Can One Room Do?

<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

Marty Reisman, holder of 18 International and US National table tennis titles, and author of the 1974 book "The Money Player" in which he described his life traveling the world, playing high-stakes matches. Reisman won the 1997 United States National Hardbat championship. Now at age 77, he is probably the oldest person ever to win an open US national title in a racquet sport. (Photo by Neville Elder/Corbis via Getty Images)

USA – Sports – Table Tennis legend Marty Reisman

Table Tennis

The Real Marty Supreme

<p>Jae Towle Vieira [they/them] works as a producer for Normal Gossip. Their fiction has been published in <i data-stringify-type="italic">The Normal School</i>, <i data-stringify-type="italic">New England Review, Carve Magazine, Passages North, Fairy Tale Review</i>, and elsewhere.</p>


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Jae Towle Vieira

KidsBooks (1)

Here Is What Reading To My Child Has Done To My Brain

<p><a href="https://josh-levin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://josh-levin.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762023504534000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2tqysV4T7Gh0gV7M0_bz7p">Josh Levin</a> is the creator and host of the sports history podcast “<a href="http://www.replaybooth.show/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.replaybooth.show&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762023504534000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1-rpGWGr1dKP0HBTa_zohZ">Replay Booth</a>.” He’s also the author of <em><a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/josh-levin/the-queen/9780316513272//?lens=little-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/josh-levin/the-queen/9780316513272//?lens%3Dlittle-brown&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762023504534000&amp;usg=AOvVaw357vGVOyJU7dDVIkjqFQxu">The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth</a></em>, the creator of the podcast “<a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/one-year/s6/1990" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://slate.com/podcasts/one-year/s6/1990&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762023504534000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1LJrco6Xq1YK3vAueOtmRC">One Year</a>,” the host of two seasons of “Slow Burn” (on <a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/slow-burn/s4/david-duke" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://slate.com/podcasts/slow-burn/s4/david-duke&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762023504534000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PiV8w71WaqaTvzDwNTrOS">David Duke</a> and <a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/slow-burn/s10/rise-of-fox-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://slate.com/podcasts/slow-burn/s10/rise-of-fox-news&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762023504534000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3LTehX3p4ZiFY9vhna8azk">Fox News</a>), and the former cohost of “Hang Up and Listen.”</p>


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Josh Levin

Illustration of Mr. Met wearing a deerstalker cap investigating some buttons reading "Huckle."

Mr. Met Wilbur Huckle

Stories

Wilbur Huckle For President: Solving A 61-Year-Old Mets Mystery

<p>Abigail Segel is a writer based in Montreal.</p>


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Abigail Segel

Chicago Stars FC fans chant Trans Rights are Human Rights while holding up a Transgender flag behind Alyssa Naeher #1 of Chicago Stars FC during the first half during a game between San Diego Wave FC and Chicago Stars FC at Seatgeek Stadium on April 26, 2025, in Bridgeview, Illinois.

San Diego Wave FC v Chicago Stars FC

Soccer

The Anti-Trans Grifters Are Coming For The NWSL

<p>Cat Fitzpatrick is the Editrix at <a href="http://www.littlepuss.net" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.littlepuss.net&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762370146099000&amp;usg=AOvVaw32JizYx318M3PPu4pk8ywT">LittlePuss Press</a> and teaches at Rutgers University—Newark. Her novel-in-rhyme<i> <a href="https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4458-the-call-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4458-the-call-out&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762370146099000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0x1xQpV0dOeP9rAfMJufQ_">The Call-Out</a> </i>won the 2023 Lambda Literary Award in Transgender Fiction. Her next book <i>The Dinner Party: A Book About Love</i> is due out in May 2026 and you can pre-order it <a href="https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4817-the-dinner-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4817-the-dinner-party&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762370146099000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2GA0SB3SAFIWLj_EdeVhey">here</a>.</p>


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Cat Fitzpatrick

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Unearthing The Hidden History Of A Singular Trans Punk Zine

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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

themastermind

Kelly Reichardt’s Labors Of Love

Aaron Timms

Javier Tebas, President of LaLiga, during the conference about 'Present and Future of the Football Industry' by ISDE Sports Convention at ISDE Madrid on March 27, 2025, in Madrid, Spain.

Presentation Of ISDE Sports Convention With Javier Tebas

In The Fight For Soccer’s Soul, Europe Wins A Battle But Is Still Losing The War

<p><a href="https://tomwhyman.com/">Tom Whyman</a> is a British philosopher.</p>


Tom Whyman

“Ghost Elephants” And Gold Lion For Lifetime Achievement 2025 To Werner Herzog Photocall – The 82nd Venice International Film Festival

Werner Herzog’s New Book Tackles The Problem Of Truth

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Jason England

Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another.

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‘One Battle After Another’ Isn’t Up For The Fight

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


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Nicholas Russell

YONKERS, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: A view of autumn foliage at the Untermyer Park and Gardens over the Hudson Valley on November 11, 2021 near New York City.

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Interviews

Erin Somers On The State Of Literary Fiction, Hudson Valley Life, And Reviving The Infidelity Novel

<p>Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and co-founded the website <a href="http://popcorntennis.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://popcorntennis.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726234676777000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0PFWw6PL-FUqaCMME5TLqP">popcorntennis.com</a>. He wrote 63,000 words about the Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal rivalry that can be accessed for free at <a href="https://thegoldenrivalry.substack.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://thegoldenrivalry.substack.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726234676777000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2OjAHpo4PVIhkx8Xd21lRJ">thegoldenrivalry.substack.com</a>.</p>


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Owen Lewis

Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada celebrates his win over Francisco Comesana of Argentina during day two of the Rolex Paris Masters 2025 on October 28, 2025 in Nanterre, France.

Rolex Paris Masters 2025 – Day 2

Tennis

Felix Auger-Aliassime Is Once Again Threatening To Turn The Corner

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Vikram Murthi

Getty Images Portrait Studio Presented By IMDb And IMDbPro At The Intercontinental Hotel Toronto, 2025

Jafar Panahi Returns With The Masterful Revenge Drama ‘It Was Just An Accident’

<p>Former Defector intern, now freelancer.</p>
<p>For professional inquiries or tips please write lucybl00m@protonmail.com or yuck.20 on Signal.</p>
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Lucy Bloom

TORONTO, ONTARIO - OCTOBER 20: Manager Dan Wilson #6 of the Seattle Mariners takes the ball from Bryan Woo #22 during a pitching change in the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game seven of the American League Championship Series at the Rogers Centre on October 20, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario.

American League Championship Series – Seattle Mariners v Toronto Blue Jays – Game Seven

How Not To Run A Bullpen

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Justin Raden

AI Academia

The Machines

Higher Ed’s Rush To Adopt AI Is About So Much More Than AI

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Soraya Roberts

TCL Chinese Theatre Hosts Handprint And Footprint In Cement Ceremony For Actress Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton’s Solo Act

<p>Keith Paradise is a freelance writer who somehow won a Keystone Press Award during his<br />
decade spent as a newspaper reporter in Pennsylvania, where he covered sports, education, and<br />
the murder of a neighborhood turkey. Originally from Pittsburgh, he is a senior writer for<br />
Billiards Digest magazine and his name has appeared twice in the notable section of The Year’s<br />
Best Sports Writing anthology—including in 2024 for his Defector article on the rise and fall of<br />
sports clothing icon Starter.</p>


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Keith Paradise

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 4: A general overall interior view of PNC Park in the fourth inning during a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park on September 4, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Dodgers v Pittsburgh Pirates

Why Are There Still Pirates Fans?

<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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