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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.

Defector

Charlotte Rosen

Books

How Cops Consolidated So Much Power Over Local Governments

Ray Ratto

Houston Rockets Kenny Smith (C) gets squeezed out on a screen play by Seattle Supersonic Detlef Schrempf (R) as his teammate Gary Payton (L) dribbles past during game one of their Western Conference semifinal series on May 4 in Seattle.

A Basketball Team Can Be Sold, But Who Owns Its History?

Samer Kalaf

Interviews

Cherien Dabis Discusses The Challenges Of Writing, Filming, And Distributing A Palestinian Movie

Dave McKenna

The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) agents walk on patrol near Nationals Park on August 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. An increased presence of law enforcement has been seen throughout the nation's capital since U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to deploy federal officers and the U.S. National Guard.

Politics

Notes From The D.C. Clampdown

David Roth

Police officers are seen outside the Supreme Court of the United States is seen on Thursday May 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. The court is hearing arguments about lower courts' ability to block President Donald Trump's policy to end birthright citzenship.

Podcasts

Notes Of Sparkling Authoritarianism, With Jason Steinhauer

Barry Petchesky

ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 15: Filip Gustavsson #32 of the Minnesota Wild celebrates his empty net goal against the St. Louis Blues on October 15, 2024 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Rovak/NHLI via Getty Images)

A Short History Of The Goalie Goal

Israel Daramola

Darold DeNgohe and Khairi Manns of the James Madison Dukes react after recovering a turnover against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of the game on September 21, 2024 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. James Madison would win 70-50.

College Football

The Dukes Ran The Tar Heels Out Of Their Own Building

<p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-kelly-180886217/"><span style="font-weight: 400">Christopher “Kit” Kelly</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> is a professor of criminal justice at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.</span></p>


Kit Kelly

<p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-spraggins-49638227b/"><span style="font-weight: 400">Ray Spraggins</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> graduated in 2024 from Saint Joseph’s University with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice.</span></p>


Ray Spraggins

Lady Justice, wearing an Eagles helmet and weighing a football and some alcohol.

Eagles Court Could Only Have Existed In Philadelphia

APR 28 1968; READY FOR ROCKET-TICKET CAMPAIGN; Jack Grunwald, right, will serve as general chairman of the Denver Rockets' season-ticket drive that will be launched with an organizational dinner meeting for 60 area businessmen Monday evening at the Denver Athletic Club. Grunwald headed last year's drive that set an ABA high of nearly 700 season tickets. Mapping plans are, from left. Rockets owner J. W. Ringsby, cochairmen Max Moore and Frank Byrne.; (Photo By The Denver Post via Getty Images)

It’s An Upset That The Nuggets Exist

Patrick Redford

An engraving depicting Robert Houdin's automaton - chess player. 19th century. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Chess

A Non-Exhaustive History Of The Theory And Practice Of Cheating In Chess

Marlins reliever Richard Bleier looking incredulous after being called for the last of three straight balks in a game against the Mets on September 27, 2022.

Richard Bleier Balked Himself Into Red-Ass History

Lauren Theisen

Rays Week

How Seattle Fell In Love With The Worst Hitter On A Doomed Expansion Team

<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif">Marc Normandin currently writes on baseball’s labor issues and more at </span><a style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif" href="http://marcnormandin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://marcnormandin.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1758998321491000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ZpjG5RUFwdpapWqR1u4bd">marcnormandin.com</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif">, which you can read for free but support </span><a style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif" href="https://www.patreon.com/marcnormandin">through his Patreon</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif">. His baseball writing has appeared at FOX Sports, SB Nation, Defector, Global Sport Matters, Deadspin, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Sports on Earth, The Guardian, The Nation, FAIR, and TalkPoverty, and you can read his takes on video games at Retro XP and Endless Mode.</span></p>
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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

Antique dueling pistols, on view at The Grange, the home of American Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in New York, New York, 1933. These pistols were not used in Hamiltons's fatal duel.

Senators Week

A Somewhat Comprehensive History Of U.S. Senators Who Have Died In Duels

<div id=":g4.ma" class="Mu SP" title="January 26, 2021 at 2:34:42 PM UTC-5" data-tooltip="January 26, 2021 at 2:34:42 PM UTC-5"><span id=":g4.co" class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/GoStevenGoldman">Steven Goldman</a> is a former BP editor-in-chief and current consulting editor. He is the author of the Casey Stengel biography <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Forging-Genius-Making-Casey-Stengel/dp/1574888749">Forging Genius</a> </i>and host of the long-running <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/show/the-infinite-inning/"><i>Infinite Inning </i>podcast</a>, which sits at the crossroads of baseball, history, politics, and culture. His most recent book, which has an introduction by David Roth, is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Baseballs-Brief-Lives-Inspired-Infinite/dp/B0BBJTPGDF"><i>Baseball&#8217;s Brief Lives: Player-Stories Inspired by the Infinite Inning</i></a>.</span></div>
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Steven Goldman

The late Don Sutton holding three baseballs marked to reflect the 324 games he won during his Hall of Fame career.

The Secret Success Of Don Sutton


<p>Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.</p>


Dan McQuade

A collage of newspaper headlines about George Ringo, the Wrestling Beatle. Overlaid with them is a photo of George Ringo from the Los Angeles Times, and another of a poster from an advertisement that says George Ringo, with Jayne Mansfield, manager, vs. Gary Hart

Pro Wrestling

The Short And Winding Road Of George Ringo, The Wrestling Beatle

The Case For Elgin Baylor High School

A goat rodeo, with a tweet from Jon Rothstein on it, it says "College basketball scheduling in 2020: Wilder than a goat rodeo"