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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

NYC: Come To Our WNBA Comedy Show On May 16

10-minute-quarters-3-2-fix (1)

Live Event

2019-01-01 00:15:14.989

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) slides after scrambling up field during a NFL game between the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts on December 22, 2024 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN.

NFL: DEC 22 Titans at Colts

Crosswords

The Crossword, April 7: Block By Block

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Barry Petchesky

Washington Capitals v New York Islanders

Alex Ovechkin Scores

Azzi Fudd #35 of the UConn Huskies celebrates during the trophy ceremony after beating the South Carolina Gamecocks 82-59 to win the National Championship of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Amalie Arena on April 06, 2025 in Tampa, Florida.

Uconn v South Carolina

College Basketball

Azzi Fudd And The Huskies Finally Got Their Crowning Moment

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Kathryn Xu

Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing arrives in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan.

F1 Grand Prix Of Japan

Racing

No Matter The Car, Max Verstappen Is Inevitable

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


Typing

Sabrina Imbler

two caterpillars having a face-off on a leaf tip until one launches itself off the leaf

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Creaturefector

This Leaf Tip Ain’t Big Enough For The Two Of Us

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Justin Ellis

J'Wan Roberts of the Houston Cougars defends the shot attempt of Cooper Flagg of the Duke Blue Devils in the final minutes of the 2025 Mens College Basketball semi final

Houston v Duke

Houston Showed Why You Play To The Final Buzzer

People attend the 'Trans Day of Visibility Rally' hosted by the Christopher Street Project on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Someone holds up a sign saying "I WANT MORE TRANSSEXUAL FRIENDS LOVERS TEACHERS STUDENTS NEIGHBORS AUTHORS ARTISTS LEADERS LAWYERS PREACHERS & COMRADES.

Trans-Day-of-Visibility-Rally-Near-US-Capitol

Science

What It Means To Fund Studies In Transition “Regret”

Sarah Strong #21 and Paige Bueckers #5 of the UConn Huskies react on the bench against the UCLA Bruins during the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at Amalie Arena on April 4, 2025 in Tampa, Florida.

NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament – Final Four

Sarah Strong Doesn’t Act Her Age

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates after scoring his 894th career NHL goal in the third period against the Chicago Blackhawks at Capital One Arena on April 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. Ovechkin's goal ties him with Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goal scoring record. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Chicago Blackhawks v Washington Capitals

Ovechkin Skates Down Gretzky

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Patrick Redford

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 30: (L-R) Phoenix Suns player Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer and owner Mat Ishbia attend the game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Indiana Fever at Footprint Center on June 30, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Fever defeated the Mercury 88-82. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Indiana Fever v Phoenix Mercury

Here Lie The Phoenix Suns, Who Did It All Wrong

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Kelsey McKinney

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: JAN 09 CFP Semifinal Capital One Orange Bowl – Notre Dame vs Penn State

Media Meltdowns

Patrick McAfee You Are 37 Years Old

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Tom Ley

Ja Morant (R #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies reacts with teammate Scotty Pippen Jr. #1 during the third quarter against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center on April 03, 2025 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.

Memphis Grizzlies v Miami Heat

Ja Morant Will Not Stop Doing His Little Gun Thing

<p>Marc Normandin writes about old video games at <a href="https://retroxp.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://retroxp.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1618674670611000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHfh-tiUJRghT9MV1BNxbtAOlI5Aw">Retro XP</a>, and on baseball’s labor issues at <a href="https://marcnormandin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://marcnormandin.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1618674670611000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGLkSx4sN271GhHVvriAoLN_UFOKQ">marcnormandin.com</a>, which you can read for free but <a href="https://www.patreon.com/marcnormandin" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.patreon.com/marcnormandin&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1618674670611000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGC_1Zx4sq480759Z-PK-RWn8hF8w">support through his Patreon</a>. He is one of the founding members of <a href="http://pubtbnl.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://pubtbnl.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1618674670611000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGs0Hu7YMHRvAsFNZ2kh6CU-Bmwhw">Publication To Be Named Later,</a> and his writing has appeared at Baseball Prospectus, SB Nation, Deadspin, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Sports on Earth, The Guardian, The Nation, and TalkPoverty.</p>


Marc Normandin

Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting speaks during the 2024 Pirates Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony before the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on August 24, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is kind of shrugging and looks like he is wearing a disguise somehow.

Cincinnati Reds v Pittsburgh Pirates

Are The Pittsburgh Pirates Really In Dire Straits?

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Ray Ratto

Decorative bunting blows in the wind at Sutter Health Park which is decked out in opening day decorations for the A’s home opener in Sacramento, Calif., on Monday, March 31, 2025.

Athletics vs Chicago Cubs

West Sacramento Has The A’s, Whether They Want Them Or Not

A FanDuel gambling advertisement on the exterior of a building prior to Super Bowl LIX on February 08, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will face each other on Sunday.

Super Bowl LIX Previews

Gambling

Baltimore Sues DraftKings And FanDuel For Exploiting Gamblers

a photo of Tara Kerin, an infectious disease epidemiologist who lost her job as a result of the DOGE layoffs

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Interviews

An Interview With An Epidemiologist Who Lost Her Job Because Of The DOGE Layoffs

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Israel Daramola

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Listening Habits

Gangsta Grillz Is Forever


<p>Investigations Editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99</p>


DFM New Headshot

Diana Moskovitz

TCU Horned Frogs forward Sedona Prince (#13) dribbles up court during the Big 12 college basketball game between the TCU Horned Frogs and Baylor Bears on January 26, 2025 at Ed &amp; Rae Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Sedona Prince

The Silence Surrounding Sedona Prince Is A Look Into Sports’ Future

<div>Paola Rosa-Aquino is a freelance journalist covering science, space and the environment. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she now lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her canine co-worker Cece.</div>
<div></div>


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Paola Rosa-Aquino

Flames are seen after Starship's Super Heavy Booster splashed down for a water landing off the coast of, Texas, on its sixth flight test on November 19, 2024. SpaceX aborted an attempt to catch the first stage booster of its Starship megarocket in the "chopstick" arms of its launch tower, opting instead for an ocean splashdown, a live feed showed November 19. The hitch came as President-elect Donald Trump joined SpaceX chief Elon Musk at the company's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas to watch the test flight, the latest sign of the budding bromance between the two billionaires. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

US-SPACE-AEROSPACE-SPACEX-STARSHIP

We’re Littering The Earth With Space Trash

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David Roth

Paige Bueckers exults in a basket under the basket against the USC Trojans during the Elite Eight round of the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at Spokane Arena on March 31, 2025.

NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament – Elite Eight – Spokane

Podcasts

Where’d She Go To College? With Maitreyi Anantharaman

Normal Gossip: portraits

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Michael Townsend descends the stairs from the space where the secret mall apartment used to be.

Artist who was banned for life from Providence Place Mall returns to his secret mall apartment

Arts And Culture

Watching ‘Secret Mall Apartment’ In The Secret Apartment Mall

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.09</p>


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Chris Thompson

Rafael Devers smiles

With Two Hits, Rafael Devers Makes Dylan Crews Mayor Of Bozo Town

Team Visma-Lease a Bike's Belgian rider Wout van Aert (C) reacts at the end of the men's elite race 'Dwars Door Vlaanderen', 184,2 km from Roeselare to Waregem, on April 2, 2025. (Photo by DIRK WAEM / Belga / AFP) / Belgium OUT

CYCLING-BEL

Cycling

Wout van Aert Tried So Hard To Win, He Forgot Not To Lose

<p>Columnist. Author of many <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Drew-Magary/e/B001JS8R52/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1">fine works of literature</a>, including <em>Point B</em>. Handsomest man in the world.</p>


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Drew Magary

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell on the show Hard Knocks

dan-campbell-lions

You Say You’re A Dawg, But Are You A Motherfucker?

Screenshot 2025-03-03 at 5.14.33 PM

Mark Asch

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In Praise Of ‘The Pitt,’ The Most Normal Show On Television

Posts