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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

The Defector Crewneck Sweatshirt Is Back In Stock

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Merch v3

<p>Mohammed Mhawish is a Palestinian journalist and writer from Gaza. He is currently a contributing writer for <em>The Nation</em>. Mohammed, a contributor to the book <em>A Land With a People</em>, has reported for Al Jazeera, <em>The Economist</em>, MSNBC, +972 Magazine, and more. Subscribe to his newsletter <a href="https://www.mohammedmhawish.com/">here</a>.</p>


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Mohammed R. Mhawish

The rubble of the author's house in Gaza. A child's toy is visible.

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Stories

One Year Ago, Israel Buried Me Alive. I’m Still Clawing My Way Out.

<p>Patrick Dubuque is a writer and editor at Baseball Prospectus.</p>


Patrick Dubuque

American baseball pitcher Wilbur Wood, of the Chicago White Sox, demonstrates his 'knuckle ball' at the club's Comiskey Park stadium in Chicago, Illinois, 30th July 1973.

Wilbur Wood, American Baseball Pitcher

The Last Pitcher

Amos Barshad

People walk by a banner outside of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for the IPO of Flutter Entertainment, the parent company of FanDuel, on January 29, 2024 in New York City. The company, which is already on the London Stock Exchange, will be listed under the “FLUT” symbol. Wall Street observers are watching to see if an upcoming Fed announcement on rate policy and the most recent violence in the Middle East will have any effect on the markets.

Markets Open As Concerns Grow Over Conflict Escalation In The Mideast After U.S. Troops Killed In Jordan

Gambling

The Gambling Industry’s Cynical Play For Your Vote

<p><a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="http://demause.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;http://demause.net/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]"><em>Neil deMause</em></a><em> has covered sports economics for more publications than even he can shake a stick at. He’s co-author of the book </em><a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="https://www.amazon.com/Field-Schemes-Stadium-Swindle-Private/dp/1567511384?ascsubtag=c9dca64cfbbd6c35085d286f4423ee39b8350b2f&amp;rawdata=%5Br%7Chttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F%5Bks%7Cgoogle%5Bt%7Clink%5Bp%7C1800657108%5Ba%7C1567511384%5Bau%7C5722120546910826704%5Bb%7Cdeadspinascsubtag%3D4eba2da0f6cc83fe1f221e8d8ca5894cd93bf2a7ascsubtag%3D33f4f2a16c1eda72859c34ee8aa577410b04a0d8&amp;tag=deadspinamzn-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-ga="[[&quot;Commerce&quot;,&quot;deadspin - Baseball Doesn't Need Collusion To Turn Off The Hot Stove&quot;,&quot;1567511384&quot;]]" data-amazonasin="1567511384" data-amazontag="deadspinamzn-20" data-amazonsubtag="[r|https://www.google.com/[ks|google[t|link[p|1831644811[a|1567511384[au|5722120546910826704[b|deadspin[lt|text" data-commerceready="true">Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money Into Private Profit</a><em>, and runs </em><a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="http://fieldofschemes.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;http://fieldofschemes.com/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]"><em>the website of the same name</em></a><em>.</em></p>


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Neil deMause

A rendering of the future Willets Point soccer stadium.

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Capital

How NYC Gave Hundreds Of Millions To The Yankees And An Oil Baron Sheikh For The Willets Point Soccer Stadium—No Questions Asked

<p>Tommy Craggs is an editor and writer, late of <i>Game Theory With Bomani Jones</i> on HBO, <i>Mother Jones</i> (no relation), HuffPost, Slate, Gawker Media, and Deadspin. He&#8217;s part of the Flaming Hydra cooperative of independent writers and artists. <a href="https://flaminghydra.com/#/portal/signup" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://flaminghydra.com/%23/portal/signup&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1720555755229000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0dYzV3TRg8TTAptAnFcs6h">Subscribe to the newsletter here</a>.</p>


Tommy Craggs

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives past New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones (35) and goes in for two during a WNBA game between the New York Liberty and the Indiana Fever

caitlin-clark-fever-liberty

WNBA

Who Made Caitlin Clark A Good White Girl?

<p>Brad <span class="il">Balukjian</span>, PhD has chosen two careers—journalist and scientist—which converge on pursuit of the truth. He has been published in <i>Rolling Stone, Smithsonian, National Geographic,</i> and many others. His first book, <i>The Wax Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Baseball’s Afterlife</i>, hit #7 on the <i>LA Times</i> bestseller list and was named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020. He is a Research Associate at the California Academy of Sciences, and he discovered 17 species of insects (green flash bugs) in Tahiti, one of which he named after Harrison Ford. He lives on the road, where he’s in an open relationship with his VCR.</p>


Brad Balukjian author photo courtesy of author

Brad Balukjian

An image of Tito Santana in the ring during his time in WWF, with the cover of Brad Balukjian's book "The Six Pack" visible at lower left.

Tito-Santana-book

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

Before He Became A Wrestling Legend, Tito Santana Needed A Name


<p>charismatic megafauna (they/them)</p>


Typing

Sabrina Imbler

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Defector Up All Night

It’s A Lovely Day In The Pleistocene And You Are A Horrible Giga-Goose

<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

A general view of the DraftKings Bet Live Now signage during the Major League Baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals on July 7, 2022.

MLB: JUL 07 Nationals at Phillies

Gambling For Life

Actress Tiffani Thiessen hosts the Grand Opening of Bowlero on March 12, 2016 in Woodland Hills, California.

Tiffani Thiessen Hosts Grand Opening Of Bowlero Woodland Hills

Bowling

The Rise Of Bowlero Has Put Bowling In The Jaws Of Private Equity

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Lauren Theisen

Godzilla standing and I guess yelling, as seen during the trailer to the film Godzilla Minus One.

GodzillaMinusOneScreenshot

An Observation About ‘Godzilla Minus One’

Gita Jackson

Riley MacLeod

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Journalismism

Kotaku EIC Resigns Over New Editorial Edict

<p>A professional baseball player. This is not his real name.</p>


John Wholestaff

Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani (17) in action, pitching vs San Francisco Giants.

Los Angeles Angels vs San Francisco Giants

A Pitcher’s View On The Tommy John “Epidemic”

<p>Brian Merchant writes, mostly about technology, culture and labor. He&#8217;s the former tech columnist at the <em>LA Times</em>, and the author of <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/?lens=little-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/?lens%3Dlittle-brown&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1708054039723000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3ZYJqk866F8lCizxq0W5MD"><em>Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech</em></a> and the <a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1708054039723000&amp;usg=AOvVaw38SvjFhr3e98pTryqBSmV9">newsletter</a> of the same name.</p>


Brian Merchant

Firemen extinguish a Waymo autonomous vehicle that was set on fire by a crowd in San Francisco. It's a screengrab of news footage.

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Life's Rich Pageant

Torching The Google Car

Washington Nationals v San Diego Padres

The Padres Squandered The Greatest Gift

<p>Joshua Needelman is a freelance writer living in Astoria who spends way too much time thinking about professional wrestling. His work has appeared in the <em>New York Times</em>, the <em>Washington Post</em>, the <em>Guardian</em>, and more.</p>


Joshua Needelman

Eddie Kingston, with his eyes closed, in the ring.

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Pro Wrestling

How New York’s Eddie Kingston Became Pro Wrestling’s “King of the Bums”

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/cdgoldstein">Craig Goldstein</a> is the editor-in-chief of <em>Baseball Prospectus</em> and the co-host of <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/show/five-and-dive/">the Five &amp; Dive podcast</a>.</p>


Craig Goldstein

Juan Soto, then of the San Diego Padres, high-fives a teammate during a road game against the Giants.

San Diego Padres v San Francisco Giants

How Does Juan Soto Keep Getting Traded?

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a news conference at the Fulton County Government building on August 14, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. A grand jury today handed up an indictment naming former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies over an alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election results in the state.

Georgia Grand Jury Delivers Indictment In 2020 Election Case

Politics

Who Does The RICO Case Against Young Thug Actually Serve?

<p>Luke Plunkett is a co-founder of the website <a href="https://aftermath.site/">Aftermath</a>.</p>


Luke Plunkett

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Video Games

Most Video Game Artwork Will Never Be Seen

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<p>Robert Rubsam is a writer and critic in Brooklyn, N.Y.</p>
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Robert Rubsam

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Arts And Culture

Charles Bissell Has Finally Moved On From The Wrens

<p>Mark Dent is a writer at The Hustle. His work has appeared in <em>The New York Times</em>, <em>Texas Monthly</em>, Vox, <em>Wired</em>, <em>The Kansas City Star</em>, and elsewhere. He lives in Dallas.</p>


Mark Dent

<p>Rustin Dodd is a writer at The Athletic and a 2023-24 Knight-Wallace fellow at the University of Michigan. He previously worked as a sportswriter at <em>The Kansas City Star</em> from 2010 to 2017. He lives in Brooklyn.</p>


Rustin Dodd

Mike Garrett of the Kansas City Chiefs rushing against the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I, on Jan. 15, 1967.

Mike Garrett in Football Action

The Scout Who Integrated The Kansas City Chiefs

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Tom Scocca is the editor of <a href="http://indignity.net">Indignity</a>, a subscription-supported newsletter of news, essays, and commentary.</div>
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Tom Scocca

BALTIMORE, MD - CIRCA 1970's: Third baseman Brooks Robinson #5 of the Baltimore Orioles in action sets to make a throw during a circa 1970's Major League Baseball game at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Robinson played for the Orioles from 1955-77. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Baltimore Orioles

Third Base, Heading For Home

<p>Rob Mains is a writer at Baseball Prospectus.</p>


Rob Mains

Baltimore Orioles co-owner John Angelos seen looking into space at the press conference introducing Mike Elias as the team's GM back in 2018.

Baltimore Orioles Introduce Mike Elias – News Conference

John Angelos Speaks, Or Count The Number Of Things Wrong With This Paragraph

Domingo German of the New York Yankees leaves the mound during a home game against the Chicago Cubs in July of 2023.

Chicago Cubs v New York Yankees

Underneath The Bottle

<p>Adlan Jackson is a writer-editor at Hell Gate. He has written for <em>The New York Times Magazine</em>, <em>The New Yorker</em>, Pitchfork, Study Hall and more.</p>


Adlan Jackson

The central branch of Brooklyn Public Library, wrapped in Jay-Z lyrics.

hell-gate-jayz-exhibit-top

Is ‘The Book Of Hov’ Really For Anyone But Jay-Z?

<p>Ginny Searle is a writer and editor at Baseball Prospectus.</p>


Ginny Searle

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks to the assembled press before a Brewers home game in May of 2023.

republished