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

Sarah Borus

This Is So Stupid

I Have Discovered The Final Frontier In Baseball Tinkering

Patrick Redford

LES ANGLES, FRANCE - JULY 06: Photographers at finish line during 113th Tour de France 2026, Stage 3 a 195.9km stage from Granollers to Les Angles 1801m / #UCIWT / on July 06, 2026 in Les Angles, France. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

Cycling

A Chaotic Day In The Life Of The Photographers At The Tour de France

Lauren Theisen

The Yzerplan Failed, So It’s Time For Plan Z In Detroit

Sohini Desai

Dinaw Mengestu speaks onstage during the 2026 PEN America Spring Literary Gala at American Museum of Natural History

Arts And Culture

PEN America’s “Silent Moratorium” Prompts Very Loud Criticism

Israel Daramola

Listening Habits

Who’s Afraid Of A Scammer Anthem?

Luis Paez-Pumar

Lautaro Martinez #22 of Argentina celebrates with Lionel Messi #10 after scoring the team's second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi Final match between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on July 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Soccer

You Have To Kill Argentina Dead

Hassan Abo Qamar is a writer based in Gaza.

Hassan Abo Qamar

Palestinian football fans displaced from their homes, which were destroyed by Israeli military strikes, watch Belgium vs. Egypt on a giant screen at the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza.

What It’s Like To Watch The World Cup From Gaza

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Colobus congensis, known locally as “likweli,” has a dramatic black face with pinkish-orange lips.

Creaturefector

New Monkey! New Monkey! There’s A New Monkey!

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

The photo shows filled champagne glasses and and the top to a wedding cake of two grooms in tuxedos holding wine glasses.

Podcasts

The Groom Saw You From Across The Dance Floor And Likes Your Vibe

Alexandra Tey is a writer, photographer, and birdwatcher living in Queens, New York.

Alexandra Tey

view from behind the catcher on a park ballfield as a pitch comes in and a hitter swings

The Great Outdoors

Trans Girl Baseball Makes Me A Better Woman

Maitreyi Anantharaman

A'ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces drives against Aliyah Boston #7 of the Indiana Fever in the second quarter of their game at Michelob ULTRA Arena on July 12, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

WNBA

Which Version Of The Indiana Fever Is The Real One?

Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays is hit by a pitch

The All-Star Game Was Funereal

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 father and son buy fireworks at a stand

Minor Dilemmas

Is It Possible To Teach My Kid How To Manage Risk?

Tom Ley

Spain’s Perfect Game Needed A Perfect Goal

Giri Nathan

MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 30: Bam Adebayo #13 and Tyler Herro #14 of the Miami Heat look on at the end of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Kaseya Center on March 30, 2026 in Miami, Florida. 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 Rich Storry/Getty Images)

Various Reports Dispute Where Bam Adebayo’s Fist Landed On Tyler Herro’s Face

Lindsey Graham gives a double thumbs up in front of an Israeli flag

Journalismism

Atlantic Writer: I Will Always Cherish The Day Lindsey Graham Told Me I Looked Like Shit Mere Hours After A Mass Shooting

View of the Baltic Sea beach on the Gulf of Riga.

Funbag

I Crave The Ocean

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

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

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)