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


Lucy Bloom

Ivy Cummings changing a tyre on a 1925 Singer 10/26, London, c1925. The car is jacked up; Ms Cummings uses a spanner to tighten the bolts on the new wheel. Ivy Cummings was a racing driver who also ran a garage in Putney Bridge Road, London. She carried out all the repairs herself as well as selling second-hand cars. The Duke of York congratulated her for her many motor racing wins.

Life Lessons

How Can You Not Be Romantic About An Old Rusty Truck Almost Ruining Your Life?

Dan Schindel

Interviews

Paula González-Nasser Gives Location Scouts Their Due

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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

The NWSL’s Struggling Teams Are Falling Behind

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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

Defector At The Movies

Two Indie Action Films, One Clear Winner

<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>


Josh Levin

Drawing of a fake-injured football player preparing to take part in a trick play.

College Football

How One Trick Play Tells The History Of Football

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


Nicholas Russell

China Miéville On The “Completely Defining” Book It Took 20 Years To Write

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

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