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

Mitchell Robinson Was The Biggest Big

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Kelsey McKinney

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Defector Reads A Book

Let’s All Confess What We Thought Of ‘The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter’

Patrick Redford

SACRAMENTO, CA - APRIL 26: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors shoots a free throw during Round 1 Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 26, 2023 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

Draymond Green And The Warriors Taught Sacramento A Painful Lesson

Laura Wagner

Football Outsiders logo on green background

Media Meltdowns

The People Who Acquired Football Outsiders Are Screwing The People Who Built It

David Roth

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud during his session at the NFL Combine in March of 2023.

Podcasts

Positively Covered In Belichick Dander, With Rivers McCown

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Donovan Mitchell watches the Cavaliers lose.

The Cavaliers Paid The Price For Arriving Ahead Of Schedule

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

Sam Bradford with Roger Goodell. There's a ton of money behind him, and it slowly fades away. Then Sam Bradford disappears too.

Jamboroo

The Rookie Wage Scale Has Poisoned The NFL

Lauren Theisen

They Just Let Anyone Score In Seattle

Albert Burneko

Giannis Erupts On Reporter With Heated Display Of Nuanced Understanding Of The Ultimate Purpose Of Sport

Luis Paez-Pumar

Head Coach Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks is interviewed after Round One Game Five of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 26, 2023 at the Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Mike Budenholzer Blew It Again

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

The Houston Rockets introduce Ice Udoka as the next head coach during a press conference on April 26, 2023 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. All three men are sitting at a table. Udoka is in the center, with the team owner on the left and the team GM on the right.

Ime Udoka Is Not Here To Talk About The Past

Former President Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene during the 3rd round of the LIV Golf Invitational Series in July of 2022.

Politics

Who Could Mistake Tucker Carlson For Anything Else?

Normal Gossip logo with cartoon characters gossiping

When Does Gossip Become A Myth?

Tom Ley

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - NOVEMBER 26: Bryce Young #9 of the Alabama Crimson Tide and Robby Ashford #9 of the Auburn Tigers pose for a picture after the Crimson Tide's 49-27 win at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 26, 2022 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Very Short Debates

Can Bryce Young Grow?

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

Dan McQuade

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 25: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks scores the game winning shot during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Five of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2023 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

Trae Young Shoots, Shoots, Shoots To Keep The Hawks Alive

The Sebastian Aho Power Rankings: Game 5

Music

Jai Paul Answered The Call

Dave McKenna

BOSTON - 1969: Bill Russell #6 of the Boston Celtics poses for a portrait in 1969 at the Boston Garden 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1969 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)

FBI Releases Bill Russell Investigation Files, Slanders The Dead

DENVER, CO - APRIL 25: Anthony Edwards (1) of the Minnesota Timberwolves stands during a break in action in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

Anthony Edwards Needs Some New Pals

BOULDER, COLORADO - APRIL 22: Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes watches as his team warms up prior to their spring game at Folsom Field on April 22, 2023 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

College Football

Deion Sanders’s Great Transfer Portal Experiment Has Buffaloes Fleeing

Tony Kemp #5 of the Oakland Athletics tags out Luis Rengifo #2 of the Los Angeles Angels at second base during the tenth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 24, 2023 in Anaheim, California

An Exhilarating Night With The Saddest Teams In Baseball

Israel Daramola

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - APRIL 19: Dillon Brooks #24 of the Memphis Grizzlies reacts against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half of Game Two of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at FedExForum on April 16, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. 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. at FedExForum on April 19, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Dillon Brooks’s Wings Have Melted

LeBron James celebrates after scoring the decisive overtime basket.

LeBron James Sure Knows How To Pick His Spots

MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 08: in their middleweight fight during the UFC 287 event at Kaseya Center on April 8, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Funbag

Who Are The Four Grimmest Men?

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 24: The New Jersey Devils celebrate a 3-1 victory over the New York Rangers in Game Four of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 24, 2023 in New York, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)