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 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

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 06: USA players react as Sophia Smith of USA misses her team's fifth penalty in the penalty shoot out during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia &amp; New Zealand 2023 Round of 16 match between Sweden and USA at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on August 06, 2023 in Melbourne / Naarm, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Soccer

Sunrise Is Way Too Early To Be Crying For The USWNT

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


Chris Thompson

A laser's view of the interior of a hohlraum, the capsule at the ignition point of the fusion reaction.

Science

Researchers Have Once Again Kicked Fusion’s Ass With Bitchin’ Lasers

<div id=":g4.ma" class="Mu SP" title="January 26, 2021 at 2:34:42 PM UTC-5" data-tooltip="January 26, 2021 at 2:34:42 PM UTC-5"><span id=":g4.co" class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/GoStevenGoldman">Steven Goldman</a> is a former BP editor-in-chief and current consulting editor. He is the author of the Casey Stengel biography <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Forging-Genius-Making-Casey-Stengel/dp/1574888749">Forging Genius</a> </i>and host of the long-running <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/show/the-infinite-inning/"><i>Infinite Inning </i>podcast</a>, which sits at the crossroads of baseball, history, politics, and culture. His most recent book, which has an introduction by David Roth, is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Baseballs-Brief-Lives-Inspired-Infinite/dp/B0BBJTPGDF"><i>Baseball&#8217;s Brief Lives: Player-Stories Inspired by the Infinite Inning</i></a>.</span></div>
<div id=":g5.ma" class="Mu SP" data-tooltip="January 26, 2021 at 2:34:45 PM UTC-5"></div>


Steven Goldman

Domingo German of the New York Yankees leaves the mound during a home game against the Chicago Cubs in July of 2023.

Underneath The Bottle

Ray Ratto

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 25: Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks speaks with the media at the 2023 NHL Awards player availability at the Bridgestone Arena on June 25, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Erik Karlsson Had To Go

Luis Paez-Pumar

Caitlin Foord of Australia celebrates after scoring her team's first goal with teammates during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia &amp; New Zealand 2023 Round of 16 match between Australia and Denmark at Stadium Australia on August 7, 2023 in Sydney, Australia.

Root, Root, Root For The Host Team

<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

Heather Carr, Brooklyn Carr, Dallas Carr, Derek Carr of the New Orleans Saints, are seen after Carr signed a four-year contract with the Saints at New Orleans Saints Indoor Practice Facility on March 11, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Why Your Team Sucks

Why Your Team Sucks 2023: New Orleans Saints

Tom Ley

WNBA

Sabrina Ionescu Is An Avalanche

David Roth

Orioles infielder Ramon Urias slides in under the tag of Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez in an Orioles win on August 4, 2023.

The Mets Have Unlocked The Basement

Israel Daramola

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson next to each other in season two of HBO's series "Winning Time."

Arts And Culture

‘Winning Time’ Is Back And Still Ridiculous

Jordan Travis of Florida State celebrates a touchdown against Florida at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee in 2022.

Death To The NCAA

FSU Wants Out Of The ACC By Any Means Necessary

A football and helmet set up outside the Pac-12's media days in Las Vegas, which were held just a few weeks before the conference ceased to exist.

The Market Made A Meal Out Of The Pac-12

Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians is restrained by White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech after landing a heavy right hook to White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson's jaw during a game on August 5.

José Ramirez And Tim Anderson Had A Real Fight, Not A Baseball Fight

Kelley O'Hara, Alyssa Thompson, Megan Rapinoe, and Alyssa Naeher of the USA are dejected after their team was defeated in the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia &amp; New Zealand 2023 Round of 16 match between Sweden and USA at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on August 06, 2023 in Melbourne / Naarm, Australia.

The USWNT Lived By An Inch And Died By A Millimeter

Still from a police body camera showing Rally Runner at the Jan. 6 riot

Life's Rich Pageant

Rally Runner Has Fallen

Manuela Vanegas of Colombia celebrates after scoring her team's second goal during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia &amp; New Zealand 2023 Group H match between Germany and Colombia at Sydney Football Stadium on July 30, 2023 in Sydney, Australia.

The 16 Teams Left In The Women’s World Cup, Ranked By Coolness

Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers attends Carolina Panthers Training Camp at Wofford College on July 27, 2023 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. (

Why Your Team Sucks 2023: Carolina Panthers


<p>Corey Atad is a freelancer writer based in Toronto with an unhealthy Air Bud obsession.</p>


Corey Atad

Interviews

Steven Soderbergh Says It’s Time To Tear The Streaming Model Down To The Studs

A photo of Christen Press and Tobin Heath as they sit on the set of their show, the RE-CAP show, and discuss the USWNT tie with Portugal.

Tobin Heath And Christen Press Offer A Dose Of Sanity This World Cup

Anthony Rizzo of the New York Yankees plays first base against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 30, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Anthony Rizzo Played For Two Months With A Brain Injury And Only He Noticed

Dave McKenna

Somali sprinter Nasro Abukar Ali jogs to the finish line.

Sprinter’s Slothful Stroll Scandalizes Somalia

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


Dan McQuade

Things We Actually Like

Forget The Elam Ending, TBT’s Dunk Contest Is The Real Game-Changer


<p>charismatic megafauna (they/them)</p>


Sabrina Imbler

English: Bronze statue of Henrietta Lacks by sculptor Helen Wilson-Roe located at Royal Fort House, Bristol. The plaque at the foot of the statue reads: Henrietta Lacks 1920-1951. more than a cell. To all the unrecognized Black Women who have contributed to humanity, you will never be forgotten.

The Settlement For Henrietta Lacks’s Family Is Momentous, But It’s Just One Step

A stock photo of sausages cooking on a barbecue grill.

Podcasts

The Bib Does Nothing!

Desmond Ridder #4 of the Atlanta Falcons carries the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half of the game at M&amp;T Bank Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Why Your Team Sucks 2023: Atlanta Falcons

Patrick Redford

A project engineer makes measurements on the coil form for the Baseball II superconducting magnet while his secretary records the measurements, 1972. (Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).