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

Tom Ley

Head coach Kalani Sitake of the BYU Cougars, head coach Joey McGuire of the Texas Tech Red Raiders, head coach Matt Campbell of the Iowa State Cyclones, head coach Chris Klieman of the Kansas State Wildcats, head coach Scott Satterfield of the Cincinnatti Bearcats, head coach Scott Frost of the UCF Knights, head coach Dave Aranda of the Baylor Bears and head coach Kenny Dillingham of the Arizona State Sun Devils speak with the media during the Big 12 Media Days at The Ford Center at The Star on July 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.

Death To The NCAA

The Business Of Post-Settlement College Sports Is Already A Mess

Giri Nathan

Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates winning Championship point against Amanda Anisimova of United States in the Ladies' Singles Final on day thirteen of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 12, 2025 in London, England.

Tennis

Iga Swiatek Mastered All Terrain

Defector Reads A Book: The Art of Fielding

Defector Reads A Book

Defector Reads A Baseball Book


<div id=":2fi" class="ii gt adO">
<div id=":2ee" class="a3s aiL ">
<div id="avWBGd-876">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>Hallie Lieberman is a historian and journalist. Her book <em>Gigolos: An Exploration of the Men Who Sell Sex and The Women Who Buy It</em> will be published by Beacon Press in January 2027. She is also the author of <em>Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy</em>. Her writing has appeared in <em>Esquire</em>, <em>The New York Times</em>, <em>The Washington Post</em>, and other outlets. </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div id=":2gy" class="hq gt "> </div>


Hallie Lieberman

President Donald Trump delivers remarks before signing the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order in the East Room at the White House on February 5, 2025 in Washington, DC. The executive order, which Trump signed on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, prohibits transgender women from competing in women’s sports and is the third order he has signed that targets transgender people.

Politics

How Trans Prisoners Are Dealing With The Trump Administration’s Attacks

Dave McKenna

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 10: Madison Square Garden displays an advertisement for the Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano fight after the weigh-in on July 10, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty Images)

Boxing

After Two Iconic Fights, Why Is Taylor-Serrano III Such An Easy Ticket?

Veronica de Souza

A big empty top floor room with a fan and the make it nice logo over it

Make It Nice

Make It Nice: Ceiling Fans And Tricky Layouts

Patrick Redford

Ben Healy of Ireland and Team EF Education - EasyPost celebrates at finish line as stage winner during the 112th Tour de France, Stage 6 a 201.5km stage from Bayeux to Vire Normandie

Cycling

Ben Healy Wins One For The Romantics

Billy Haisley

Fluminense's Brazilian goalkeeper #01 Fabio concedes a second goal by Chelsea's Brazilian forward #20 Joao Pedro (2-L)during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal football match between Brazil's Fluminense and England's Chelsea at the MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 8, 2025.

Soccer

Who Is Winning At Soccer?

<p>Jen Ramos Eisen is a Central California- and Las Vegas-based baseball labor and economics reporter.</p>


Jen Ramos Eisen

Minor League Baseball: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Austin Hamilton (14) in action, pitching vs San Jose Giants at San Jose Giants Excite Ballpark. San Jose, CA.

Private Equity Now Owns More Than 40 Minor League Baseball Teams, And The Number Keeps Growing

Ray Ratto

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 05: NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell discusses the state of the union and its direction for the upcoming year before fielding questions from the media on February 05, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

The NFL Union-Busting Is Now Coming From Inside The Union

Bill Ackman, Founder and CEO, Pershing Square Capital Management, attends the 28th annual Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on May 6, 2025. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Capital

Bill Ackman Gets To Play Pretend In Sanctioned Tennis Farce

Luis Paez-Pumar

Lauren James of England celebrates with teammate Ella Toone after scoring her team's third goal during the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Group D match between England and Netherlands at Stadion Letzigrund on July 09, 2025 in Zurich, Switzerland.

England Unleashed Hell On The Netherlands

<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>


Drew Magary

Ten-year-old Eli Knauer takes a bite from a bacon cheeseburger twice wider than his face on May 27, 2011 at Morton's Steakhouse in Baltimore, Maryland.

Podcasts

Bullied For Bacon, With Michael Schur And Rohan Nadkarni

<p>Former Defector intern, now freelancer.</p>
<p>For professional inquiries or tips please write lucybl00m@protonmail.com or yuck.20 on Signal.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


Lucy Bloom

Video Games

‘NORCO’ Should Be A Cult Classic

Lauren Theisen

Zach McKinstry #39 of the Detroit Tigers rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run

30-Year-Old Man Hits Athletic Peak

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19</p>


Chris Thompson

Adrian Houser pitches against the Blue Jays.

Impressive Blue Jays Win Streak Thwarted By Noted Barf Man

Israel Daramola

Kelsey McKinney

Rachelle Hampton

Arts And Culture

Can We Pull You For A Chat?

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever talks to the media during a press conference before the match-up against the Brazil National Team, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 4, 2025 in Iowa City, Iowa.

WNBA

Christine Brennan’s Caitlin Clark Book Is More About Gripes Than Greatness

Jule Brand and Klara Buehl (L-R) of Germany celebrate after her team's first goal during the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Group C match between Germany and Denmark at St. Jakob-Park on July 08, 2025 in Basel, Switzerland.

Germany Has Been Good Enough, For Now

Albert Burneko

Elon Musk account on X displayed on a phone screen with a Grok header

The Machines

Elon Musk’s Idiot Chatbot Turns Into An Explicit Nazi

Michael Kay Constitutionally Incapable Of Enjoying An Extended Gaze At Cal Raleigh’s Huge Ass

Kathryn Xu

Christian Horner, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing walks in the Paddock prior to practice.

Racing

Red Bull Belatedly Fires Team Principal Christian Horner

jackson merril leaps up over the outfield fence to grab a ball

The Robbin’ Padres Are At It Again

<p>Asher Elbein is <a href="https://www.asherelbein.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.asherelbein.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712179533443000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2CJ0U-vHMdK0s6sOdzlGGF">a journalist and fiction writer</a> based in Austin, Texas. Among other places, his work has appeared in The New York Times, Scientific American, Undark Magazine, Audubon, and Texas Monthly.</p>


Asher Elbein

Why Do Fascists Dream Of Alligators?


<p>Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.</p>


Dan McQuade

A bird's-eye view of the Love Island basketball court, which resembles a huge blue H on a yellow background. It lacks baselines, and the right half of the court lacks a three-point line. Other than that, it's great