CULTURE

Footer Column 2

Footer Legal

Footer Main

Nav Bar

OTHER

SPORTS

Subscribe, at any level, to play

Thanks for your interest in Defector Crosswords!

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

Thanks for reading!

Plans start at $8/month.

Subscribers enjoy unlimited, ad-free browsing.

Register to continue

Or click here to subscribe for unlimited, ad-free access!

Our gift to you: This year's post is unlocked. Register your email to get even more free articles.

Welcome to the 2025 Hater's Guide!

Just register your email:

This blog is free to read.

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.

Defector

Israel Daramola

Arts And Culture

The Five New Playboi Carti Songs, Ranked

Giri Nathan

Daniil Medvedev retrieves a ball in his Australian Open quarterfinal against Hubi Hurkacz

Tennis

Daniil Medvedev Wins The Battle Of Enormous Counterpunchers

Ray Ratto

Adrian Beltre jokes around during batting practice prior to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at T-Mobile Park on Saturday, July 8, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.

Unanimity Is The Wrong Benchmark For Hall-Of-Fame Angst

Patrick Redford

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 17: Doc Rivers looks on before the Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Lakers game on January 17, 2024 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

Bucks Call Doc Rivers Off The ESPN Bench

Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99

Diana Moskovitz

Kevin Porter Jr. #3 of the Houston Rockets looks on during the game against the Golden State Warriors on March 20, 2023 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Kevin Porter Jr. Accepts Plea Deal, Will Avoid Jail Time

Billy Haisley

Real Madrid players celebrates after Daniel Carvajal goal during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Real Madrid CF and UD Almeria at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on January 21, 2024 in Madrid, Spain.

Soccer

Real Madrid Is The Good Guy

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.

Drew Magary

Woman plays Wordle on her smartphone at the kitchen table of her home on 26th November 2023 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Wordle is a web-based word game played by millions of users / players worldwide often on their mobile devices. The game was created and developed by software engineer Josh Wardle, and owned by The New York Times Company since 2022.

Overexplained Lists

New York Times Games, Ranked

Justin Ellis

Illustration of a father looking surprised at a baby on a changing table, surrounded by a pile of laundry and a vacuum cleaner.

Dadfector

No One Can Tell You How To Dad

Tom Ley

A detail shot of a Hall of Fame baseball during the Hall of Fame Press Conference at the 2023 MLB Winter Meetings at Gaylord Opryland Resort &amp; Convention Center on Monday, December 4, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Defector Up All Night

Here’s The Big Baseball News You’ve Been Waiting For

Kathryn Xu

Clayton Keller #9 of the Arizona Coyotes celebrates with teammate Sean Durzi #50 after a goal scored by Lawson Crouse.

Here’s How To Score On The Power Play Without Taking A Single Shot

Albert Burneko

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE - JANUARY 17: Republican presidential candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to supporters at LaBelle Winery on January 17, 2024 in Rockingham County, New Hampshire. DeSantis, who finished second behind frontrunner, former U.S. President Donald Trump in this week's Iowa caucuses, is campaigning in New Hampshire ahead of that state's primary on January 23 before moving on to South Carolina on Friday. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Politics

Nation Rejects Sweaty Pig

Luis Paez-Pumar

Palworld monster with a striking resemblance to Electabuzz in Pokemon

Video Games

Is ‘Palworld’ Plagiarism, Parody, Or Just Stupid?

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 12: NBC Sunday Night Football color commentator Cris Collinsworth (L) and play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico walk onto the field before a game between the New York Jets and the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Funbag

The Trouble With Cris Collinsworth

Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots the ball during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on January 22, 2024 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE

Karl-Anthony Towns’s Big Night Turned Into A Big Bummer

Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.

Dan McQuade

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 22: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts after being showered with water after defeating the San Antonio Spurs at the Wells Fargo Center on January 22, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Embiid scored a franchise-record 70 points in the game.

Joel Embiid’s Epic Performance Must Be Seen To Be Believed

Lauren Theisen

Pro Wrestling

Kazuchika Okada’s Exit Is A Warning Siren For The Rest Of Japan

Hubert Hurkacz shakes hands after beating Arthur Cazaux

A Tennis-Pilled Novice And Tennis Knower Discuss The Australian Open So Far

HONOLULU, HI - NOVEMBER 22: Head coach Shaka Smart of the Marquette Golden Eagles cheers his players in the first half during a college basketball game against the Purdue Boilermakers during the championship game of the Allstate Maui Invitational at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on November 22, 2023 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

College Basketball

Coaches Keep Running Onto The Court, But Can Any Of Them Actually Defend?

Josh Reynolds jumps into the stands after a touchdown catch

The Lions Are The Only Choice Left

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.

Nicholas Russell

The Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, MA on October 25, 2021.

What Comes After The Post-Crisis Reading List?

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 21: Head coach Tara VanDerveer of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates with her player Cameron Brink #22 after Stanford defeated the Oregon State Beavers 65-56 at Stanford Maples Pavilion on January 21, 2024 in Palo Alto, California. Tara VanDerveer recorded her 1,203 NCAA career victory passing Mike Krzyzewski with 1,202 NCAA career wins. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Women's Basketball

Tara VanDerveer Will Never Know A Hot Seat

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Jungkook of BTS performs on NBC's "Today" at Rockefeller Plaza on November 08, 2023 in New York City

Crosswords

The Crossword, Jan. 22: Line By Line

Fans celebrate on the floor after the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes in overtime on January 21, 2024, at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Elder Wisdom

Here Is The New Rule About Storming The Court

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 21: 1 #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after scoring a 22 yard touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the second quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Highmark Stadium on January 21, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

The Chiefs Are The NFL’s Traveling Circus

Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs scores against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on January 20, 2024 in Washington