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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

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Israel Daramola

Kendall Roy, sitting on the ground, crying.

Kendall Roy

The ‘Succession’ Misery Index: Season Preview

Dominique Fishback in 'Swarm'/ Amazon Prime

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The Star Of ‘Swarm’ Stings, Even When The Show Doesn’t

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.

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Nicholas Russell

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‘Physical: 100’ Asks What A Body Is For

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David Roth

Shohei Ohtani looking swole as hell during Samurai Japan's training before the 2023 World Baseball Classic, with The Distraction logo at upper left.

Japan Training Session

Podcasts

My Fabulous Vacation Home On Naboo, With Michael Schur

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Ray Ratto

Richard Belzer during 55th Annual Writers Guild of America East Awards - Arrivals at The Pierre Hotel in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage)

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Richard Belzer Was An Old Crank To The End

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Samer Kalaf

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Giri Nathan

Maria Sakkari saying "Go to hell. Nothing goes in." during a match in Netflix's Break Point

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Tennis

How Much Can Tennis Fans And Novices Learn From ‘Break Point’?

Felix Kent

A woman sits on the floor of her hotel room in her underwear, leaning against the bed and with a magnum of champagne turned up to her mouth. Her clothes are strewn about the bed and floor of the room. (Photo by Graphic House/Getty Images)

Woman Drinks Magnum Of Champagne

Arts And Culture

How To Drink Alone, The Madison Avenue Way

2019-01-01 00:15:14.989

Maitreyi Anantharaman

knocks-final

‘Hard Knocks’ With The Cardinals Was A Dark Workplace Comedy Starring Kliff Kingsbury

<a href="https://twitter.com/petesegall?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pete Segall</a> lives in Chicago. His fiction has appeared in The Bennington Review, Conjunctions, The Drift, and elsewhere.

Pete Segall

The eponymous hospital in Lars Von Trier's supernatural soap "Kingdom"

Kingdom-Exodus

After Two Decades Of Chaos, Lars Von Trier’s Supernatural Soap Opera ‘Kingdom’ Returns

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Kelsey McKinney

the-mole

Two Fans Of ‘The Mole’ Discuss How To Properly Be The Mole

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If You Don’t Come Back To 10,000 B.C. With Me, Your Family Can’t Go Home

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Tom Ley

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I Can’t Fucking Believe How Good ‘Andor’ Is

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Soraya Roberts

Still image from the TV show 'Cunk on Earth.'

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Philomena Cunk And The Wisdom Of Learning From The Dumbest Person On Earth

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Sometimes You Just Need Ice Zombies

A League Of Their Own

‘A League Of Their Own’ Is A Reminder Of How Little Women’s Baseball Still Has

<a href="mailto:tara@taraariano.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tara Ariano</a>&nbsp;co-hosts the podcasts&nbsp;<a href="https://www.extrahotgreat.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Extra Hot Great</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://listentosassy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Listen To Sassy</a>,&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.againwiththis90210.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Again With This</a>. She is also the co-author, with Sarah D. Bunting, of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Very-Special-90210-Book-Absolutely/dp/1419747460?tag=decider08-20" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">A Very Special 90210 Book: 93 Absolutely Essential Episodes From TV’s Most Notorious Zip Code</a>.&nbsp;Her byline has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Collider, Vanity Fair, New York, Slate, Mel Magazine, Vulture,&nbsp;Salon,&nbsp;and&nbsp;The Awl, among many others. She lives in Austin.

Tara Ariano

The cast of Amazon's "A League Of Their Own" series, seen here looking determined in their Rockford Peaches uniforms.

LeagueOfTheirOwn

The Future Of Television Looks A Lot Like The Past

Still image from the TV show, "The Bear."

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‘The Bear’ Is Why We Must End The Reign Of TV’s Vibes Cartel

Visual Editor. Runs <a href="http://defectorstore.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">defectorstore.com</a>. Philadelphia-based, if you couldn’t tell.

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Dan McQuade

The animated Ray Jay Johnson as he appeared in a season 13 episode of The Simpsons.

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Rays Week

Ray Jay Johnson And Other People I Know Only From ‘The Simpsons’

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Ray Velcoro Was The Truest Detective

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Turns Out ‘Ray Donovan’ Isn’t A Cop Show

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 Point B. Handsomest man in the world.

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Drew Magary

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 26: &lt;&gt; at 230 5th Ave on May 26, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images) (NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 26: &lt;&gt; at 230 5th Ave on May 26, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by B

Stranger Things VIP Event 230 5th Ave

Funbag

‘Stranger Things 4’ Is A Masterpiece

Multiple Exposure Television

Interviews

An Anonymous TV Writer Offers An Inside Look At Why Special Effects Seem So Bad Right Now

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Who Does A True Crime Convention Really Serve?

US actor Ben Stiller attends the premiere of Apple TV+'s "Severance" at the DGA (Directors Guild of America) theatre in Los Angeles, April 8, 2022.

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Ben Stiller Explains How ‘Severance’ Became The Rare Streaming Show That’s Actually Good

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, as seen in the HBO series "Winning Time"

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HBO’s ‘Winning Time’ Is Overstated, But Says What Other Sports Entertainment Won’t