| The last good website. | |
 | |
| Type | Sports, social commentary |
|---|---|
| Format | Digital |
| Editor-in-chief | Tom Ley |
| Deputy editor | Barry Petchesky |
| Managing editor | Samer Kalaf |
| Staff writers | 12 |
| Founded | September 2020 |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| Circulation | 40,000 (as of 2024) |
| Website | defector |
Defector Media is a subscription-based sports and culture blog and media company founded in September 2020 and based in Manhattan.
The Defector blog is primarily written by former employees of the Deadspin sports blog. In October and November 2019, all writers at Deadspin quit en masse following an edict from the blog's owner, G/O Media, to "stick to sports" and the firing of editor-in-chief Barry Petchesky.[1] On January 31, 2020, Tom Ley and several other former writers established an interim site sponsored by Dashlane, which operated over Super Bowl LIV weekend.[2] The site reopened for the week of April 20, sponsored by a cannabis oil company.[3]
In July 2020, they announced their new subscription-based sports website, Defector Media.[4] Ley is the editor-in-chief. The company had 19 employees, each of whom owned approximately 5% of the company.[5]
- ^ Booker, Brakkton (November 1, 2019). "Staffers Quit Deadspin After Order To 'Stick To Sports'". NPR. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ "Ex-Deadspin Writers Reunite for Super Bowl Blog Sponsored by a Tech Company". The Daily Beast. January 30, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ^ Tani, Maxwell (April 19, 2020). "Ex-Deadspin Writers Reunite Once Again, This Time for 4/20". The Daily Beast. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- ^ Tracy, Marc (July 28, 2020). "After Quitting Deadspin in Protest, They're Starting a New Site". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ^ Scott, Nate (July 28, 2020). "Defector sports blog launches: All we know about the 'new Deadspin'". USA Today. Retrieved August 17, 2020.