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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

Ray Ratto

Cristiano Ronaldo looking pensive in a Manchester United game, in May of 2022.

Soccer

Cristiano Ronaldo And Kevin Durant Can Choose To Leave, But Not What Comes Next

David Roth

Phil Mickelson tees off on the third (and final) day of the inaugural LIV Golf event.

Golf

The Saudi Golf League’s Big Bet Is On Gravity

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene saying some stuff about being shadowbanned. The Distraction logo is over her face, sadly.

Podcasts

The Thin Line Between Owning Twitter And Being Owned By Twitter, With Matt Levine

The Los Angeles Marathon making its way down Hollywood Boulevard in 2021.

Marathon To The Mall And Other Public/Private Partnerships, With Adam Conover

Reds reliever Art Warren pitches at home against the Cardinals.

Where Is The Window For The Cincinnati Reds?

Cincinnati Reds team president Phil Castellini, seen here preparing to make an ass of himself on TV.

Reds President And CFO Asks Fans To Consider Whether Maybe This Is Actually All Their Fault

Colorado Governor Jared Polis, dressed like a child, sits with Rockies owner Dick Monfort at a home game in June 2021.

The Rockies Are Doing Less Than The Least

<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

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred leaving the MLB owners meetings with that look on his face.

MLB’s Owners Want To Make Their Favorite Loopholes Into Law

Rob Manfred, seen here perhaps inevitably wearing a vest and talking on the phone.

MLB Owners Would Rather Play PR Games Than Negotiate

Kelsey McKinney

Zillowing Out

A $35 Million Mansion Fit For  A Mad King

Investor Michael Milken at his own institute's annual event in 2017, back when he was still a convicted financial criminal.

Capital

Here Are The Seven Best Sentences From The Financial Times’ Story About Michael Milken’s High-Finance Jamboree

Lauren Theisen

Overexplained Lists

Let’s Remember Some Sports Leagues That Defector Has Outlived

A $4 Million Home Some Rich People Ruined With Their Bad Taste

Rockies shortstop Trevor Story discards his bat after striking out.

The Rockies Are The Old, Weird Kind Of Bad

Charles and Ann Johnson at a charity benefit that's not for like Laura Loomer.