Read The Defense sees sports as more than wins and losses but a culmination of happenings throughout the year that consume our conversations. Whether a player’s decision to seek a new start in free agency, a team looking for a midseason jolt through a move at the trade deadline, and an organization searching for a young nucleus through the draft, they always give us something to talk about. March Madness, Opening Day, the NFL Draft, the NBA and NHL playoffs consume our spring, the MLB ushers us through the Dog Days of Summer, college football and the NFL seasons begin as summer turns to fall — and before we know it, we’re watching October Baseball — and then winter is dominated by NFL and college football teams making playoff runs.

And every couple years, we throw an international soccer tournament in there.

I’m Giuseppe Pagano, and I started Read The Defense to bring smart, thoughtful commentary on these moments straight to your inbox. I have been published on Yahoo and other publications, but I have had a number of sports-related op-eds appear in Syracuse.com — from Shohei Ohtani’s record-breaking contract chase, to MLB’s 2022 lockout, to Aaron Judge’s pursuit of the American League home run record. With this newsletter, I expand on those kinds of pieces with deeper analysis and context.

A couple times each week, I’ll send you a read that cuts through the noise — focusing primarily on MLB, the NFL, the NBA, and NCAA football and men’s basketball, with the occasional dive into other corners of the sports world.

The goal isn’t just to recap the news. It’s to create new conversations around it. Whether you agree with me or not, I hope Read The Defense gives you something fresh to bring to the water cooler, the group chat, or the dinner table.