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

Lauren Theisen

view of 'Cats' stage pre-show from above. there's a long runway dividing the audience in two

Defector Up All Night

Defector At The Theater: A Revamped ‘Cats’ Is Better Than Ever

David Roth

Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. He is very dramatically backlit, naturally.

Podcasts

Hollywood’s Dampest Era, With Chris Nashawaty

Ray Ratto

Owner and managing general partner Mark Davis of the Las Vegas Raiders looks on before his team play against the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium on December 14, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Why Your Team Sucks

Why Your Team Sucks 2024: Las Vegas Raiders

Manager Pedro Grifol of the Chicago White Sox walks back to the dugout after a pitching change during the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians on July 4, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Pedro Grifol Paid The Price For Winning That One Game

Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen J.D. Vance (R-OH) speaks during a press conference at the Shelby Township Police Department on August 7, 2024 in Shelby Township, Michigan.

Politics

Men On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown

Youtube logo with a stop symbol instead of a play button

The Machines

This YouTube Trend Is Getting Increasingly More Annoying

Patrick Redford

Sports Highlight Of The Day

The Sports Highlight Of The Day Is This Idiot Dog Starting A Fire

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.

Nicholas Russell

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump leaves the stage during a commercial break as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with US President Joe Biden at CNN's studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, 2024.

Interviews

‘Know Your Enemy’ Host Matt Sitman Talks About Covering Politics Without Becoming A Hack

Kathryn Xu

Barry Petchesky

Vintage color photograph of a chimpanzee in a skirt, stupid blouse, wristwatch and boots seated at a cluttered desk in a faux office, typing on a red typewriter. (Photo by Found Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images)

Science

Point/Counterpoint: Monkeys Typing Shakespeare

Billy Haisley

US' forward #05 Trinity Rodman (L) and US' forward #09 Mallory Swanson (R) celebrate after US' forward #11 Sophia Smith (C) scored in the 95th minute during the women's semi-final football match between USA and Germany during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Lyon Stadium in Lyon on August 6, 2024.

Olympics

The USWNT Is Grinding Its Way Toward A Better Future

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

KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 12: Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton walks out of the tunnel prior to an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on October 12, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Why Your Team Sucks 2024: Denver Broncos

Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and has written for The Guardian, The Second Serve, The Athletic, n+1, Texas Monthly, Air Mail, and other publications.

Owen Lewis

A packed crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds awaits a fateful kick from Carlton's Mitch McGovern.

Australian Football

I Love Australian Rules Football More Than I Get It

Barbara Stanwyck at a telegraph in 'Union Pacific'

Defector At The Movies

Barbara Stanwyck Could Talk The Sun Into Rising In The West

Luis Paez-Pumar

Kerolin #7 of Team Brazil celebrates scoring her team's fourth goal during the Women's semifinal match between Brazil and Spain during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de Marseille on August 06, 2024 in Marseille, France.

Soccer

Brazil Was Fearless

Andrew Vaughn and Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox exchange a fist-bump during the team's win on August 6, 2024. It was the White Sox's second win since July 10.

Why This Team Sucks: The August 7 Chicago White Sox

<a href="https://tomwhyman.com/">Tom Whyman</a> is a British philosopher.

Tom Whyman

Far-right activists hold an 'Enough is Enough' protest on August 02, 2024 in Sunderland, England

U.K. Politicians Can’t Fix What They Broke

Life Lessons

I Don’t Ever Want My Favorite Things To Change

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

A neopet dragon broods over its hoard of gold.

Capital

Is It Ethical To Be A Billionaire In Neopets?

Patrick T. Dorsey is the writer of and a producer on the feature film FUTURE DATE, which had its world premiere at the 2024 Cinequest Film Festival and won the Audience Award for Best Comedy Feature. You can hear him Thursdays on Defector Trivia, whenever Diana Moskovitz shouts, “Baaaaaaabe!”

Patrick T. Dorsey

PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 02: Chase Budinger of Team United States reacts during a Men's Preliminary Phase match on day seven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Eiffel Tower Stadium on August 02, 2024 in Paris, France.

Chase Budinger Completed His Journey From Guy To Olympian

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Bronze medallists USA celebrate on the podium of the women's 3x3 basketball during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Concorde in Paris on August 5, 2024.

Team USA Women Overcome Chemistry Issues, Sport’s Silly Math To Medal In 3×3 Basketball

a mother cape fur seal screaming in front of some pups

Creaturefector

How To Eavesdrop On A Seal In A Crowd Of 90,000

Brazil's Gabriel Medina reacts after getting a large wave in the 5th heat of the men's surfing round 3, during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Teahupo'o, on the French Polynesian Island of Tahiti, on July 29, 2024.

Funbag

What Summer Olympic Sport Is Best In Person?

Defector Reads A Book

Defector Reads A Book Is Ending The Summer With Janet Malcolm

Nicky Lopez of the White Sox looks exhausted and sad during a loss to the Minnesota Twins on August 4, 2024.