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

Israel Daramola

Arts And Culture

‘Citizen Vigilante’ Is The Latest Product Of The Culture Of Petulance

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

This photomicrograph of a fresh stool sample, which had been prepared using a 10% formalin solution, and stained with modified acid-fast stain, revealed the presence of four Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts in the field of view.

Science

Why The Explosive Diarrhea Parasite Is Way Worse Than Regular Diarrhea Parasites

Tajja Isen

‘Famous Men’ And Ambitious Women

Patrick Redford

Italian cyclist Fausto Coppi takes a nap next to his yellow jersey as the Tour de France cyclists had a day off 05 July 1952 in the mountain resort of L'Alpe d'Huez. Coppi had become the overall leader, the day before, after winning the stage from Lausanne (Switzerland) to L'Alpe d'Huez. Coppi never relinquished the lead and went on to capture his second Tour de France after winning in 1949. (Photo by STAFF / AFP) (Photo by STAFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Cycling

How Cycling Solved Sleep

Alex Sujong Laughlin

A pregnant woman sitting on the couch typing on her laptop

Podcasts

What Will Happen To My Ambition After Children?

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Coby White, Moussa Diabaté, and Kon Knueppel

The Hornets Aspire To Be An Also-Ran With A Plan

Sarah Borus

Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches

Is There Any Limit To Zack Wheeler’s Spite?

Tom Ley

Gambling

Bryce Harper Only Pawn In Game Of Exploitation

Dave McKenna

Conor McGregor grabs at his knee during his fight against max holloway

The Fights

If Conor McGregor Was A Horse, They’d Have To Shoot Him

This Is So Stupid

I Believe I Have Located A Ham Truck In France

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Amanda Gutierres #9 of Boston Legacy FC defends Joelle Anderson #18 of Bay FC during a game between Boston Legacy FC and Bay FC at PayPal Park on May 15, 2026 in San Jose, California.

Crosswords

The Crossword, July 13: Flat Out

Albert Burneko

Politics

Lindsey Graham Dead, World No Worse

Giri Nathan

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 12: Jannik Sinner of Italy with his Gentlemen's Singles Trophy over the Royal Box balcony after his victory in the Gentlemen's Singles final match against Alexander Zverev of Germany on day fourteen of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 12, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Frey/TPN/Getty Images)

Tennis

Jannik Sinner Reinstates The Regime

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

A screenshot from a recap of USA vs. Paraguay on Peacock. It says "Estados Unidos v. Paraguay" with flags for both countries.

Soccer

Telemundo Is The Real Winner Of This Year’s World Cup

Luis Paez-Pumar

Referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro arguing with Nico Elvedi of Switzerland, Breel Embolo of Switzerland after giving Breel Embolo of Switzerland a red card during the World Cup match between Argentina v Switzerland at the Kansas City Stadium on July 11, 2026 in Kansas City United States

You Can’t Do That, Man

Mikel Merino #6 of Spain celebrates after scoring the second goal for Spain during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between Spain and Belgium at Los Angeles Stadium on July 10, 2026 in Inglewood, California.

Mikel Merino Is Spain’s Much-Needed Closer

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JULY 02: (L-R) Remco Evenepoel of Belgium and Florian Lipowitz of Germany and Team Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe during the team presentation prior to the 113th Tour de France 2026 / #UCIWT / on July 02, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

The Inter-Red Bull Teammate Drama Is The Best Story Of The Tour de France So Far

Sohini Desai

A wide shot of the campus of Texas Tech University.

Here’s What Texas Tech’s Leadership Is Being Sued For Censoring

Sam Mostow is a journalist and Virginia Tech alumnus. His work has appeared in The Roanoke Times, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, Tech Sideline, The Collegiate Times, and D1Softball. You can follow him on Twitter @<a href="https://x.com/bySamMostow" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://x.com/bySamMostow&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1783784639115000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0JiHzIJnQjbiLC9STuP4jx">bySamMostow</a>.

Sam Mostow

OKC Spark infielder Sydney Romero (2) runs home after a home run during the AUSL game between the Chicago Bandit

Pro Softball

The AUSL Plans To Do What Other Pro Softball Leagues Couldn’t

Barry Petchesky

METLIFE STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES - 2026/07/05: Erling Haaland of Norway beats the drum as players and staff of Norway perform the 'Viking Row' to celebrate the victory at the end of the FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 16 football match between Brazil and Norway. Norway won 2-1 over Brazil. (Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)

I Sit In Solidarity With The Norway Fan Who Refuses To Do The Viking Row

Interviews

An Interview With Three Italian Backpackers Who Crossed The Pyrenees And Accidentally Ran Into The Tour de France

Veronica de Souza

Make It Nice

Make It Nice: Do Not Put Contact Paper On Your Countertops

The Kawhi Leonard Investigation Is Now Holding Up The Kawhi Leonard Trade

Kylian Mbappe (L) and Ousmane Dembele (R) of France reacts during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium on July 9, 2026 in Foxborough, United States.

France Feels Inevitable

Karolina Muchova of Czechia and Coco Gauff of United States interact at the net following their Ladies' Singles semifinal match on day eleven of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 09, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)