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

<div>David Covucci is the editor-in-chief of <a href="https://foiaball.beehiiv.com/p/foiaball-football-for-the-people">FOIAball</a>, a new publication utilizing public records to report on college football.</div>

Dave Covucci

UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) runs onto the field with teammates before the game against Nebraska at the Rose Bowl on November 8, 2025 in Pasadena, California.

Death To The NCAA

How UCLA Used A Friendly Charity To Get Tax-Free NIL Money

Israel Daramola

Ray Ratto

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin stands on the field with a raised fist.

College Football

Everybody Wants Lane Kiffin

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

a photo of RFK Jr. where he looks like a broken Chuck-E-Cheeze animatronic

Science

Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism, No Matter What The CDC Website Now Says

Tom Ley

A’ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces and Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces wear shirts saying "Pay us what you owe us" prior to the 2025 AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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.

WNBA

The WNBA’s Million-Dollar Offer Is A Misdirection

David Roth

Red-legged Pademelon in the rainforest, Daintree, Queensland, Australia.

Podcasts

A Big World Full Of Friendly Little Guys, With Nathan Thornburgh

Giri Nathan

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers attends the Allen &amp; Company Sun Valley Conference on July 9, 2025 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Every year, some of the world's wealthiest and most powerful figures from the media, finance, technology, and political spheres converge at the Sun Valley Resort for the exclusive week-long conference hosted by boutique investment bank Allen &amp; Co. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Capital

Larry Summers Recedes From Public Life Due To His Gross Emails With Jeffrey Epstein

Kelsey McKinney

elyse myers in a yellow shirt smiles at the camera

Arts And Culture

How Normal Is A Celebrity Allowed To Be? 

Lauren Theisen

Anaheim Ducks Wild Wing celebrates after their victory

Truly The Most Random Men Scored For The Ducks Last Night

Sarah York

A general view during Derek Steven's New Sportsbook Venture "Circa Sports" Launch at Golden Gate Hotel &amp; Casino on June 1, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jamboroo

Sports Gamblers Are Dorks

Barry Petchesky

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 19: Devin Cooley #1 of the Calgary Flames stands during the singing of 'O Canada' prior to an NHL game on November 19, 2025 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Ben Ludeman/NHLI via Getty Images)

World’s Most Normal Goalie: “Nothing Matters, Nobody Cares, We’re All Gonna Die”

Albert Burneko

Animals

Beware The Jingler

Lesley Ryder is a writer and a host covering the Chicago Red Stars. She co-created <a href="https://galpalsports.com/">Gal Pal Sports</a>, a platform that lives to make women’s sports fun for everyone.

Lesley Ryder

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

A detail of the NWSL logo on a game ball prior to the NWSL match between the Houston Dash and the Angel City FC at Shell Energy Stadium on April 12, 2025 in Houston, Texas.

NWSL

The NWSL Received 43 Complaints In 2024, And Five In The First Half Of This Year, Public Records Show

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the basket after being fouled by Utah Jazz forward Kyle Anderson (2) in the first half

LeBron James Embraces His Version Of An Old-Man Game

Patrick Redford

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 10: Daniel Lurie, San Francisco Mayor attends 36th Annual Macy's Great Tree celebration presented by Ripple Lighting Ceremony at Union Square on November 10, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for Macy's)

Politics

Shocker: Appointing A 29-Year-Old Derelict Pet Store Owner With No Politics Experience To San Francisco Board Of Supervisors Not Actually A Masterstroke

Coach John Beam, center bottom, and the Skyline High School football team pose together after beating Oakland High School 19-0 for the championship title at Laney College in Oakland, Calif. on Nov. 24, 1989.

Coach John Beam’s Legacy Is Everywhere

Luis Paez-Pumar

Scotland's Kieran Tierney (R) and Kenny McLean celebrate at full time during a FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier between Scotland and Denmark at Hampden Park, on November 18, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland.

Soccer

Scotland Stunned Its Way Back To The World Cup

The Eyes Have It

Jasper Wang

Three men bend over a newspaper just off the printing press, January 7, 1947, assignments, The Netherlands, 20th century press agency photo, news to remember, documentary, historic photography 1945-1990, visual stories, human history of the Twentieth Century, capturing moments in time.

Announcements

Reflections On Five Years In Worker-Owned Media

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

Meet-Cute At The Anne Rice Vampire Ball

Thomas Pynchon Is Laughing All The Way To The Brink

Alex Shultz is a journalist based in Brooklyn. He&#8217;s a writer for <a href="https://www.hardresetmedia.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hardresetmedia.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1763581679564000&amp;usg=AOvVaw07bi0TNndgTXDN2QH72s3J">Hard Reset,</a> a newsletter about tech, labor, and power.

Alex Shultz

US Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, looks at his cellphone in between Senate votes to reopen the government on day 41 of the government shutdown at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, November 10, 2025. The longest-ever US government shutdown appeared headed Monday to an eventual resolution, after several Democratic senators broke ranks to join Republicans in advancing a compromise deal -- sparking intra-party backlash.

John Fetterman’s Memoir Is As Low-Effort As His Senate Tenure

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 29: Luka Garza #52 of the Boston Celtics watches warmups before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the TD Garden on October 29, 2025 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 Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

Which NBA Teams Are Cool?

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

Funbag

Which Fictional Character Would You Hate To See Go MAGA?

Joel Pinckney

‘The High Heaven’ Is A Beautifully Grounded Debut Novel

leader of the US Postal Service team, US Lance Armstrong, leaves the podium of 17th stage of the 89th Tour de France in Cluses, 25 July 2002. Italy's Dario Frigo of the Italian Tacconi Sport team won the stage and Armstrong, retains his yellow jersey. AFP PHOTO OLIVIER MORIN (Photo by OLIVIER MORIN / AFP)