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

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton #44 of the New York Liberty reacts during the second quarter of Game Two of the WNBA Finals against the Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center on October 13, 2024 in New York City.

WNBA

The Liberty Too-Smalled The Lynx

Emily Bice is a Brooklyn-based writer. Her work centers on explorations of how we navigate love and life in the 21st century. These investigations have taken her to a fishmonger, inspired meditations on dating, and even led to rollerblading a marathon. You can find more on her Substack, <a href="https://129waysto.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://129waysto.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1728739707762000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1SlDWyDATtJJ90_yxFN0B1">129 Ways to Get a Life</a>.

Emily Bice

Emily skates in the final stretch of the marathon

The Great Outdoors

The View From The Way, Way Back Of The Berlin Inline Skating Marathon

Justin Ellis

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence #16 yells at his coach, Doug Pederson during a game against the Houston Texans.

The Jaguars Are On The Cusp Of The Slope

Leland Smith #12 of the Purdue Boilermakers secures an onside kick late in the second half as Collin Dixon #17 of the Illinois Fighting Illini defends at Memorial Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Champaign, Illinois.

College Football

How To Recover An Onside Kick

Lane Thomas #8 of the Cleveland Guardians hits a grand slam during the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers during Game Five of the Division Series at Progressive Field on October 12, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Lane Thomas Put Detroit’s Ace In A Hole 

Courtney Williams #10 and Bridget Carleton #6 of the Minnesota Lynx react after being fouled during the second half against the New York Liberty during Game One of the WNBA Finals at the Barclays Center on October 10, 2024 in New York City.

Was That The Greatest WNBA Finals Game Ever?

Rachelle Hampton

Northern lights are seen across a night sky; in the foreground, there's a telephone tower

Science

It’s Totally Cool That I Didn’t Get To See The Northern Lights. Seriously! I Promise!!

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

Dan McQuade

The Mark Jackson 1990-91 NBA Hoops card with the Menendez Brothers courtside in the background

Why I Own An Unremarkable 1990 Mark Jackson Basketball Card

Alex Sujong Laughlin

A woman stands in front of a Sol LeWitt wall drawing at the Venice Biennale in 1976.

Arts And Culture

Who Owns An Idea?

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.

Nicholas Russell

The new Alchem-E Gold Ex drum set, made by Zildjian.

Life Lessons

Tom-Tom C’est Moi

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

A screenshot of Thursday's game on TNT, showing the action pushed over to the left side of the screen.

MLB’s Television Product Is Getting Shittier In Exciting New Ways

David Roth

circa 1955: Studio image of a father flexing his bicep for his young freckle-faced son to feel, 1950s. (Photo by Harold M. Lambert/Lambert/Getty Images)

Podcasts

Let’s Remember Some Dad

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

A dirty empty plate, fork and knife on a wooden table. Used cutlery, symbolizing the end of lunch or dinner.

Jamboroo

I Got My Fill

Ray Ratto

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ryan Brasier (57) hands the ball to manager Dave Roberts as he is taken out of the game one of the National League Division Series game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers on October 5, 2024.

It Takes A Village To Pitch A Shutout

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

a small shelled cephalopod known as a paper nautilus or an argonaut drifting in the dark ocean on a little yellow piece of litter

Creaturefector

The Argonaut Octopus Has Mastered The Free Ride

Barry Petchesky

A drone image shows the dome of Tropicana Field which has been torn open due to Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Florida, on October 10, 2024. At least four people were confirmed killed as a result of two tornadoes triggered by Hurricane Milton on the east coast of the US state of Florida, local authorities said Thursday. (Photo by Bryan R. SMITH / AFP)

Tropicana Field Shredded By Hurricane Milton

Lauren Theisen

Francisco Lindor Has Been Waiting Years For This

Kathryn Xu

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 09: The New York Mets celebrate after winning Game 4 of the Division Series presented by Booking.com between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 in New York, New York. The New York Mets won 4-1 and will advance to the NLCS. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

God Appears To Have Given The Mets A Big Sloppy Kiss On The Mouth

Giri Nathan

Courtney Williams #10 and Napheesa Collier #24 of the Minnesota Lynx celebrate their victory against the Connecticut Sun

Courtney Williams Helps The Lynx Slide Their Way Into The Finals

San Diego Padres mascot Swinging Friar poses with a "Beat LA" sign

Don’t Underestimate The Power Of Spite

BROOKS FALLS, ALASKA - AUGUST 11: A brown bear shakes his fur while fishing for sockeye salmon on August 11, 2023 at Brooks Falls, Alaska within the Katmai National Park and Preserve. The bears feast at the falls between July and September, as millions of salmon swim upstream to spawn. Many of the same bears return to the falls annually, gorging on salmon to fatten up before hibernating for winter. The bears have become something of an internet sensation, as "bearcams" livestream bear activity at and around the falls to viewers worldwide. Commercial salmon fishing in Alaskan waters has often pitted business interests against wildlife conservationists in Alaska, which has more national park and wilderness land than anywhere in the United States. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Animals

Bear Wins Fat Bear Week By Defeating Bear That Killed Her Cub

Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres screams triumphantly in the outfield at the end of his team's Game 3 win in the National League Divisional Series on October 8, 2024.

The Padres Keep Getting Louder

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

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

San Diego Wave flags during the NWSL match between the San Diego Wave FC and the Portland Thorns on May 26, 2023, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, CA.

NWSL

San Diego Wave, NWSL Sued For Team’s “Abusive And Hostile Work Environment”

Six older gentlemen wearing red jerseys stand on a green field, cheering excitedly.

‘The Golden Bachelorette’ Is Like A Wildlife Cam But For Old Dudes Who Rock

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