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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

Brad Balukjian, PhD has chosen two careers—journalist and scientist—which converge on pursuit of the truth. He has been published in Rolling Stone, Smithsonian, National Geographic, and many others. His first book, The Wax Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Baseball’s Afterlife, hit #7 on the LA Times 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.

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.

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Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

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

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Lauren Theisen

Kevin Von Erich poses at The Iron Claw premiere

“The Iron Claw” Dallas World Premiere

Pro Wrestling

‘The Iron Claw’ And The Real Von Erich Story Go Together Like Pizza And Muffins

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Kelsey McKinney

An illustration of several people, each one passing some juicy gossip on to the next one.

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Podcasts

Who Knew Orchids Could Cause This Much Drama?

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Laura Wagner

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Animals

Say Hello To The Horny Lizard In My Yard

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Zillowing Out

A $1.3 Million House To Help Erode The Soul Of A Town

A pedestrian walks on a bridge over a road

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Politics

On Bridges

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Maitreyi Anantharaman

A Covid-19 restriction signs hang outside of H-E-B supermarket on March 3, 2021 in Austin, Texas. The popular Texas supermarket chain will not require customers to wear masks when the statewide mask mandate ends on March 10, 2021.

Texas Governor Abbott Lifts Statewide Mask Mandate

College Basketball

Texas Lifts Its Mask Mandate Just In Time To Host Some Basketball Tournaments

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Samer Kalaf

Team owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys talks with the media during a press conference at the Ford Center at The Star on January 08, 2020 in Frisco, Texas.

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Jerry Jones Finally Has Something Go His Way

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Albert Burneko

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Look Man, Sometimes Being A Responsible Dad Means Taking An Impromptu Beach Vacation In The Middle Of A Catastrophe

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It’s Always The Same Lie

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