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

Luis Paez-Pumar

Son Heung-Min of Tottenham Hotspur lifts the Europa League trophy after winning the UEFA Europa League Final 2025 between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United on May 21, 2025 in Bilbao, Spain.

Soccer

Tottenham Slogged Its Way To Glory

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


Dan McQuade

In a still from A Boy Named Charlie Brown, Snoopy dreams he is a World War I-era fighter pilot fighting against the Red Baron

This Is So Stupid

Rockies: While Other Cartoons Are Zany, Snoopy Reminds Us Of The Horrors Of World War I

Dan Sinykin

Arts And Culture

Close Reading Is For Everyone

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


Chris Thompson

The Pacers celebrate Tyrese Haliburton's buzzer-beater.

What The Hell Is Going On Here?

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Pitcher Walker Buehler #0 of the Boston Red Sox shouts at home plate umpire Mike Estabrook after a pitch he thought was a strike was called a ball, as Carlos Narváez #75 holds him back during the second inning against the New York Mets at Fenway Park on May 20, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. Buehler was thrown out of the game by Estabrook.

Walker Buehler Gets Tossed Early, Posts Through It Late

<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

Head coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers during a game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 29, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Packers Attempt To Get Tush Push Banned, Fail To Convert

Ray Ratto

Rich Hill #44 of the Boston Red Sox reacts during the seventh inning of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on August 29, 2024 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.

It’s Time To Start The “Rich Hill Is BACK” Countdown


<p>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</p>


Diana Moskovitz

Chicago Sun Times newspapers are sold from of a dispenser near their editorial offices on May 15, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The box is yellow and people are walking around and in front of it.

Journalismism

Journalism’s Slop Crisis Started Long Before That AI-Generated Summer Insert

Israel Daramola

Defector At The Movies

Spike Lee’s Malcolm X Still Lives

<p>Jae Towle Vieira [they/them] works as a producer for Normal Gossip. Their fiction has been published in <i data-stringify-type="italic">The Normal School</i>, <i data-stringify-type="italic">New England Review, Carve Magazine, Passages North, Fairy Tale Review</i>, and elsewhere.</p>


Jae Towle Vieira

Normal Gossip logo with cartoon characters gossiping

Podcasts

Brie Is A Promise

Lauren Theisen

Helen Frankenthaler Is A Reason To Go To Rochester

Brad Marchand #63 of the Florida Panthers fights with Shayne Gostisbehere #4 of the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period in Game One of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 20, 2025.

For The Panthers And Thunder, The Worse The Better

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Makes It Feel Bad

David Roth

Juan Soto of the New York Mets blows a bubble in the dugout during the game against the New York Mets during their game at Yankee Stadium on May 17, 2025.

Juan Soto’s Mets Era Is Off To A Slow, Silly Start

Slayer, Tom Araya, Clash of the Titans, Genk, Belgium, 22nd September 1990.

Are We Human, Or Are We Slayer?

Albert Burneko

Humanoid robot practices typing at the Data Collection Center of AgiBot on March 20, 2025 in Shanghai, China.

The Machines

Chicago Sun-Times And Philadelphia Inquirer Publish Huge Summer Insert Of Pure, Uncut Chatbot Slop [UPDATE]

Amos Barshad

Ange Postecoglou, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, looks on during a Tottenham Hotspur training session ahead of the UEFA Europa League Final 2025 between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Estadio de San Mames on May 20, 2025 in Bilbao, Spain.

Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham’s Lovably Embattled Idealist, Stands On The Brink Of Redemption

Patrick Redford

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 20: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts to Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the third quarter at Target Center on January 20, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Thunder defeated the Timberwolves 102-97. 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 David Berding/Getty Images)

Two Of Basketball’s Brightest Young Stars Will Compete For More Than A Trip To The Finals

Former Cincinnati Reds manager and player Pete Rose is seen before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on July 21, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Funbag

Put Pete Rose In The Hall Of Fame So That I Can Forget About Him

<div id="message-list_1773066846.655809">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>Abigail Segel is a contributing writer at Defector. She is also an editor for The IX Soccer and the Equalizer. Her work has been published in the Guardian and the Montreal Gazette.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>


Abigail Segel

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman is seen on the field before a match between Bay FC and Angel City FC in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, May 17, 2025.

NWSL

Jessica Berman Makes Her Priorities Clear

<p>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>.</p>


Emily Bice

a woman bowls into a time travel-like vortex

Life Lessons

Ten Frames Of Time Travel

Baltimore Orioles bench watches play against the Washington Nationals

The Orioles Are Nowhere

Pedro Rodriguez of SS Lazio celebrates a first goal during the Serie match between Inter and Lazio at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 18, 2025 in Milan, Italy.

The Stage Is Set For A Wild Serie A Finale

Copies of Hillary Clinton's book "What Happened" sit on a shelf

A Short Farewell To The NHL’s Second-Round Losers

<p>Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and has written for The Guardian, The Second Serve, The Athletic, and other publications.</p>


Owen Lewis

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain poses for a photo with his trophy alongside his team following victory against Jannik Sinner of Italy in the Men's Singles Final match on Day Fourteen of the Internazionali BNL D'Italia 2025 at Foro Italico on May 18, 2025 in Rome, Italy.