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Defector

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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

Soccer

Rory Dames’s SafeSport Suspension Has Ended

<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

Books

A New Book Examines The Wickedness Of Trump. Sort Of.

<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 Ryder


<p>Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99</p>


Diana Moskovitz

A detailed view of a Nike NWSL ball prior to the NWSL match between Angel City FC and Gotham FC at BMO Stadium on August 23, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

NWSL

Docs: NWSL Received Eight Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Harassment, Or Retaliation Complaints This Year

<p><span class="il">Frankie</span> de la Cretaz is an award-winning independent journalist whose work sits at the intersection of sports and gender. They are the co-author of <em>Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League</em>, and their writing has been featured in the <em>New York Times</em>, <em>Sports Illustrated</em>, and many more publications.</p>


Frankie de la Cretaz

An illustration showing a silhouette of a player in a Miami Sol jersey being grabbed by two silhouette of men in suits

WNBA

The Miami Sol’s Needless Demise Provided A Familiar Lesson


<p>Luisa Rollenhagen is a German-Argentinian freelance journalist based in Berlin. She&#8217;s written for publications such as <em>The Guardian</em>, BuzzFeed News, Deutsche Welle, and <em>GQ</em>.</p>


Luisa Rollenhagen

A basecap with the lettering 'Make Germany Great Again' is seen in a shelf behind co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the party's candidate for chancellor Alice Weidel prior to a live discussion with US tech billionaire and businessman Elon Musk on social network X, formerly known as Twitter, in her office at the Jakob Kaiser Building in Berlin on January 9, 2025. Musk is set to host a discussion on X with AfD's leader Weidel on Thursday. (Photo by Kay Nietfeld / POOL / AFP)

Politics

The Far Right Had Its Biggest Electoral Win In Germany Since The Nazis. What Now?


<p><a href="http://Feldman.cool" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brian Feldman</a> is a software engineer living in Brooklyn.</p>


Brian Feldman

New yorkers throw garbage at the green goblin from the Queensboro bridge

Arts And Culture

How An Unsubtle 9/11 Tribute Was Added To Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’

Laura Wheatman Hill

Emily St. John Mandel, author of Exit Party

Interviews

Talking To Emily St. John Mandel About Revision, Timeline Corruption, And Living Without A Floor

<p>The author can be reached at postpostdoc@protonmail.com.</p>


Post-Postdoc

A visual representation of the Navier Stokes proof

The Machines

What Gets Left Out Of Math’s New Era?

Becca Young

‘Furious’ Makes You Face It

<p>Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and has written for The Guardian, The Second Serve, The Athletic, n+1, Texas Monthly, Air Mail, and other publications.</p>


Owen Lewis

Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic reacts to defeating Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in the fourth round on Day 8 of the US Open

Tennis

There’s Still Tennis At The U.S. Open

Summer May Be Ending, But We’ll Always Have ‘Sterling Point’

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<div>Rena Behar is a Brooklyn-based writer and editor specializing in responsible travel and various international oddities.</div>
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Rena Behar

Fernando Romero’s “El Sol” exhibition

Art Can Be What You Smell

Vikram Murthi

Defector At The Movies

‘It Ends’ Is The Gen Z Horror Movie Of The Year

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines celebrates defeating Mary Stoiana of the United States in the first round on Day 3 of the US Open

Alex Eala Is The Best Show In Town

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


Matt Ufford

Head coach Sean McVay celebrates after a third quarter touchdown from Puka Nacua #12 of the Los Angeles Rams against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game

Why Your Team Sucks

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Los Angeles Rams

Joel Pinckney

What Do Booksellers Make Of “The End Of Reading”?

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<p>Mike Tanier has covered the NFL for 20 years for Football Outsiders, the New York Times, The Messenger, Bleacher Report, Sports on Earth, and other ancient empires. He&#8217;s a co-author of Aaron Schatz&#8217;s FTN Football Almanac and the author of the Y/A novel for grownups <i>Long Snapper&#8217;s Blues. </i>He lives off Exit 3 of the New Jersey Turnpike with his long-suffering wife, two sons and a 70-pound American Bully named Frank the Tank. <span style="font-weight: 400">His newsletter, <a href="https://too-deep-zone.ghost.io/">Too Deep Zone</a>, has officially launched.</span></p>
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Mike Tanier

Why Your Team Sucks 2026: Houston Texans

<p>Peter Coviello is Professor of English at UIC. He writes about normal things: Walt Whitman, Mormon polygamy, stepparenthood, Prince.</p>


Peter Coviello

Dolly, Josephine, And Me

Kate Wagner

Reds Week

There Is Only One Lesson Of Red Vienna


<p><a href="mailto:tara@taraariano.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tara Ariano</a> co-hosts the podcasts <a href="https://www.extrahotgreat.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Extra Hot Great</a>, <a href="https://listentosassy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Listen To Sassy</a>, and <a href="https://www.againwiththis90210.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Again With This</a>. She is also the co-author, with Sarah D. Bunting, of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Very-Special-90210-Book-Absolutely/dp/1419747460?tag=decider08-20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>A Very Special 90210 Book: 93 Absolutely Essential Episodes From TV’s Most Notorious Zip Code</em></a>. Her byline has appeared in the <em>New York Times Magazine</em>, <em>GQ</em>, <em>Vanity Fair</em>, <em>New York</em>, <em>Slate</em>, Vulture, Salon, and The Awl, among many others. She lives in Austin.</p>
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It's a photo of Tara Ariano. She has big sunglasses on.

Tara Ariano

The Cozy-Looking Sweaters In ‘Reds,’ Ranked


<p>Amy Schneider is a software engineer, cat owner, and Jeopardy champion who posts about her experiences on Twitter @Jeopardamy. She used to have a podcast, and odds are she will again some day.</p>


Amy Schneider

13 Short Blogs About The Cincinnati Reds

The NWSL’s Golden Boot Race Is Red Hot

<p>Mitch Therieau is a writer living in Virginia.</p>


Mitch Therieau

The Red Hot Chili Peppers Beyond Good And Evil

Felix Kent

03 June 2024, Brandenburg, Fürstenwalde: A traffic light at an intersection in the city center shows red and green for vehicles turning right. Photo: Monika Skolimowska/dpa (Photo by Monika Skolimowska/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Every Right On Red Frays The Social Contract A Little Further

Sarah York

Head coach Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars stand for the national anthem prior to a NFL football game against the Houston Texans