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

Giri Nathan

A maritozzo pastry from Rome next to Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner

Tennis

Some Italy Updates

Billy Haisley

Goalkeeper Andre Onana of Manchester United is dejected after the UEFA Champions League match between Galatasaray A.S. and Manchester United at Ali Sami Yen Arena on November 29, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Soccer

André Onana Makes Manchester United Schadenfreude Taste A Little Less Delicious

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Now Is The Season Of Noticing The Indiana Pacers

Israel Daramola

Head Coach Sam Pittman of the Arkansas Razorbacks talks on the field before the game with Head Coach Bobby Petrino of the Missouri State Bears at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on September 17, 2022 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Bears 38-27.

College Football

Bobby Petrino And Arkansas Football Are Reunited At Last

David Roth

Irish boxer Katie Taylor exulting after defeating Chantelle Cameron in a title bout in Dublin on November 25, 2023.

Podcasts

Great Irish Champions, With Dave McKenna

Patrick Redford

BOSTON, MA - JUNE 1: Larry Bird #33 of the Boston Celtics answers questions during media day during the NBA Finals on June 1, 1986 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

The State Of Basketblogging

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

CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 05: Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper during a NFL football game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Carolina Panthers on November 5, 2023 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Jamboroo

The Cranky Panthers Fan’s Guide To David Tepper

Tom Ley

Henry Kissinger looking like a little goblin while watching a Yankees fan

Yankees Honor Least Evil Fan

Kelsey McKinney

artist's rendering of Caravaggio's painting of Narcissus with a spotify logo for a head

Arts And Culture

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Who’s The Prettiest Spotify Wrapped Of Them All?

Lauren Theisen

Ville Husso shot from below after the Rangers score

What’s The Ceiling On The Red Wings?

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

The Popular Science Logo on a black background

Journalismism

Popular Science Ends And Science Journalism Keeps Shrinking

Barry Petchesky

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - NOVEMBER 24: Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets looks on from the sideline during the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on November 24, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

Aaron Rodgers Now Puttering Around Practice Fields Trying To Shock People

Eric Adams and girlfriend Tracey Collins looking into a camera while outside

Defector Up All Night

It’s A Beautiful Day For Weather

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

Josh Giddey #3 during the pregame at Paycom Center on October 29, 2023 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Police Investigating If Josh Giddey Had A Relationship With A Minor

Xavi Hernandez is speaking during the press conference prior to the UEFA Champions League match against Real Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, on November 27, 2023.

Xavi Is Not The Manager He Was Supposed To Be

G/O Media Offloads Shuttered Jezebel To Paste Media Group

Ray Ratto

MADRID, SPAIN - OCTOBER 10: Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is seen during the basketball friendly match played between Real Madrid and Dallas Mavericks at Wizink Center pavilion on October 10, 2023, in Madrid, Spain. (Photo By Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images)

Why Is Mark Cuban Selling?

(Original Caption) Ridgewood, NJ-: Attaching one of the plates (stereotype) to a cylinder on a medium size newspaper press. Ca. 1940s-1950s.

Announcements

Would You Like To Be Defector’s Third-Ever Editorial Intern?

Corey Perry Is Everyone’s Problem

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

Dan McQuade

Mackenzie Mgbako #21 of the Indiana Hoosiers during the Empire Classic college basketball game against the Connecticut Huskies on November 19, 2023 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York.

College Basketball

For Indiana, The Three-Pointer Is An Afterthought

Jae Towle Vieira [they/them] works as a producer for Normal Gossip. Their fiction has been published in The Normal School, New England Review, Carve Magazine, Passages North, Fairy Tale Review, and elsewhere.

Jae Towle Vieira

Normal Gossip logo with cartoon characters gossiping

All The Razzle Dazzle Money Can Buy

Luis Paez-Pumar

Squid Game: The Challenge players take on Red Light, Green Light

The ‘Squid Game’ Reality Show Is A Brutal Adaptation Of Its Source Material

Dave McKenna

Katie Taylor during her undisputed super lightweight championship fight with Chantelle Cameron at the 3Arena in Dublin.

The Fights

Katie Taylor Always Lives Up To The Hype

Deion Sanders head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes watches warmups before their game against the Utah Utes at Rice Eccles Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)