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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

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.

Lesley Ryder

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

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

Patrick Redford

Kalshi's logo appears on a smartphone placed on a reflective surface, with a blurry betting curve projected in the background in Creteil, France, on March 9, 2026, during a major scandal and $54 million lawsuit concerning bets related to recent strikes in Iran. (Photo by Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Gambling

Kalshi Lawsuit Pits States Against Trump Family’s Corruption Machine

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 16: David Ellison, CEO of Paramount, speaks onstage at the Paramount Pictures presentation at The Dolby Colosseum at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon, the official convention of Cinema United, on April 16, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)

Capital

David Ellison’s Bid To Control Warner Bros. Hits The Rocks

Sohini Desai

A wide shot of the campus of Texas Tech University.

Politics

Here’s What Texas Tech’s Leadership Is Being Sued For Censoring

Down judge Robin DeLorenzo #134 during the NFL game at State Farm Stadium on December 25, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona.

Female Ref Sues NFL For Discrimination, Says She Was Told To “Shut Your Fucking Mouth” By Another Official

Culture Writer

Israel Daramola

Life's Rich Pageant

Let’s Catch Up On The Hilarious Afroman Defamation Trial

The Ticketmaster logo is displayed on a smartphone screen in this photo illustration. Ticketmaster's parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, currently faces a major antitrust trial in the United States, where regulators accuse the live-events giant of monopolizing the concert ticketing and promotion market, allegations the company denies, in Brussels, Belgium, on March 5, 2026. (Photo by Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto)

Live Nation Gets To Keep Its Monopoly Thanks To Trump’s Department Of Justice

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.