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

Albert Burneko

Donald Trump looking like a saggy orange bag of shit on his way onto Air Force 1 for a trip to the Middle East.

Journalismism

NYT Reporter: It’s Not Corruption Unless The Envelope Says “Bribe” On It

David Roth

A copy of "The Onion," a satirical newspaper, is seen on a lamppost in downtown Washington, DC on November 14, 2024. The lead headline reads "America Defeats America."

Podcasts

The State Of The Onion, With Ben Collins

Donald Trump and Terry Moran in conversation in the extremely cluttered Oval Office during an ABC News interview.

Politics

Talking To The President

<div id="1695913206.579009" class="c-virtual_list__item c-virtual_list__item--initial-activeitem" role="listitem" data-qa="virtual-list-item" data-item-key="1695913206.579009">
<div class="c-message_kit__background c-message_kit__background--hovered p-message_pane_message__message c-message_kit__message" role="presentation" data-qa="message_container" data-qa-unprocessed="false" data-qa-placeholder="false">
<div class="c-message_kit__hover c-message_kit__hover--hovered" role="document" data-qa-hover="true">
<div class="c-message_kit__actions c-message_kit__actions--above">
<div class="c-message_kit__gutter c-message_kit__gutter--compact">
<div class="c-message_kit__gutter__right" role="presentation" data-qa="message_content">
<div class="c-message_kit__indent">
<div class="c-message_kit__blocks c-message_kit__blocks--rich_text c-message_kit__blocks--inline">
<div class="c-message__message_blocks c-message__message_blocks--rich_text c-message__message_blocks--inline" data-qa="message-text">
<div class="p-block_kit_renderer p-block_kit_renderer--inline" data-qa="block-kit-renderer">
<div class="p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper--first">
<div class="p-rich_text_block p-rich_text_block--inline" dir="auto">
<div class="p-rich_text_section">Tom Scocca is the editor of <a href="http://indignity.net">Indignity</a>, a subscription-supported newsletter of news, essays, and commentary.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="1695913224.677889" class="c-virtual_list__item" role="listitem" data-qa="virtual-list-item" data-item-key="1695913224.677889">
<div class="c-message_kit__background p-message_pane_message__message c-message_kit__message" role="presentation" data-qa="message_container" data-qa-unprocessed="false" data-qa-placeholder="false">
<div class="c-message_kit__hover" role="document" data-qa-hover="true">
<div class="c-message_kit__actions c-message_kit__actions--above">
<div class="c-message_kit__gutter c-message_kit__gutter--compact">
<div class="c-message_kit__gutter__left" role="presentation"></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>


Tom Scocca

President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton attend the White House State Dinner for the President of Ukraine on November 22, 1994 in Washington, D.C.

Margin Of Error

The Era Of Meek Government Is Over

Samer Kalaf

Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless on Undisputed

Media Meltdowns

Seal Up The Pit That Contains Fox Sports 1

The Machines

Only Kevin Roose’s Editors Despise Him More Than I Do

<p>Alex Shultz is a journalist based in Brooklyn. He&#8217;s a writer for <a href="https://www.hardresetmedia.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hardresetmedia.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1763581679564000&amp;usg=AOvVaw07bi0TNndgTXDN2QH72s3J">Hard Reset,</a> a newsletter about tech, labor, and power.</p>


Alex Shultz

A tabloid style Sports Illustrated cover in the checkout line

Horny Sports Blogging Makes A Bewildering Return To Sports Illustrated

Kelsey McKinney

Patrick McAfee You Are 37 Years Old

<p>Carly Stern is an independent journalist, writer and editor based in Brooklyn. She has written for publications including The New York Times, Vox, The Guardian and The Washington Post.</p>


Carly Stern

Carlos Watson, co-founder of Ozy Media, speaks with press after his sentencing hearing at Brooklyn Federal Court on December 16, 2024 in New York City. Watson was sentenced to almost 10 years in prison for trying to defraud investors and lenders by lying about the company’s finances after being convicted in July. Samir Rao, the other co-founder of Ozy, and Suzee Han, a former Ozy chief of staff, pleaded guilty last year to fraud charges and both cooperated in the case and testified against Watson.

Looking For Closure At Carlos Watson’s Sentencing Hearing

Patrick Redford

ESPN: LeBron James, On ESPN, To ESPN: “ESPN.”

Local Man Has Far More Opinions On Fast Casual Dining Chains Than You’d Think Possible

Dave McKenna

College Basketball

John Feinstein Never Stopped Doing Everything

Tom Ley

(L-R) Bari Weiss, The Free Press Founder, Peter Thiel, and Matt Danzeisen attend Inauguration Eve hosted by Uber, X and The Free Press at Cafe Riggs on January 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.

They Should Call It The Free Piss

Giri Nathan

Doug Gottlieb reacts while coaching the Green Bay Phoenix.

Doug Gottlieb Is Immersed In The Grim Men’s Lifestyle

US President Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump (L) watch the pre-game show before Super Bowl LIX on February 9, 2025. His hair looks all fucked up; there's a huge American flag on the field.

Confused Brits Cause Severe Damage At The Donald Trump Propaganda Factory

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 03: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles and Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs chat on stage during Super Bowl LIX Opening Night at Caesars Superdome on February 03, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

This Is So Stupid

What Time Does “What Time Does The Super Bowl Start?” Start?

Israel Daramola

We Need To Get Off The Internet

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


Dan McQuade

Ray Ratto

Jason Kelce with his past and future selves in a bit from the first episode of his late night show. This skit was pretty good!

Jason Kelce, Who Was Already Everywhere, Is Now In Late Night

Barry Petchesky

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena, in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

So What Would You Call This?

The building of the Washington Post newspaper headquarter is seen on K Street in Washington DC on May 16, 2019.

The Familiarity And Sadness Of Watching The Washington Post Go To Hell


<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

An aerial view of a street in the Eaton fire. The entire street is burned and decimated. It looks like a bomb went off. A sole person walks down the empty steet.

We Need A New Deal To Save Local Journalism

A black-and-white image of some nerds doing computing and codebreaking at an IBM 7090 Data Processing System in the early 1960s.

One Weird And Unusual Trick To Deciphering And Decoding A Josina Anderson Report Or News Item

Congestion pricing, or Congestion Relief Zone, car toll sign on the westbound Long Island Expressway approaching Van Dam Street in Queens, New York on Jan. 5, 2025.

Democracy Dies As Awful Man No Longer Able To Freely Drive 18 Blocks In Manhattan

First responders wearing Hazmat gear investigate a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of the entrance to the Trump International Hotel & Tower Las Vegas on Jan. 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

How Crazy Was The Las Vegas Cybertruck Bomber?

During an interview with sportscaster Greg Gumbel (right), American disc jockey (from WLUP radio, 'The Loop') Steve Dahl breaks a disco record over his head prior to hosting an anti-disco promotion at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois, July 12, 1979. The event, held between games of a doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers, allowed fans to attend the games for 98 cents along with an unwanted record and, following the detonation of those records, eventually resulted in the White Sox forfeiture of the second game due to unsafe playing conditions when fans stormed the field causing serious damage to the venue and playing surface.