Figure Skating

Gymnastics

Swimming

Table Tennis

Track And Field

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

Australian Football

Better Hate An Owner

Bowling

Chess

Climbing

Cricket

Curling

Cycling

Darts

Death To The NCAA

Disc Sports

Gaelic Football

Gambling

Golf

High School Sports

Horse Racing

Hurling

Infinite Replay

Jamboroo

Lacrosse

Olympics

Parasports

Pro Softball

Pro Wrestling

Racing

Rugby

Running

Skateboarding

Soccer

Sports Highlight Of The Day

Tennis

The Fights

The Great Outdoors

Volleyball

Why Your Team Sucks

Wings Week

Sports

Patrick Redford

TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 04: Lasha Talakhadze of Team Georgia competes during the Weightlifting - Men's 109kg+ Group A on day twelve of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo International Forum on August 04, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Defector Up All Night

Big Guy Lifts Big Weight

Albert Burneko

What Kind Of Toilet Destruction Are We Talking About, Here?

Kalyn Kahler

I Will Explain This New Olympic Sport To You: Karate

TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 03: Mickael Mawem of France celebrates during the Sport Climbing Men's Combined, Bouldering Qualification on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Aomi Urban Sports Park on August 03, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

The Mawem Brothers Are Olympic Climbing’s Charming Crushers

Simone Biles Won A Medal For Herself

<p>Dvora Meyers is a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn. She writes about gymnastics and other topics in her newsletter, <a href="https://dvora.substack.com/">Unorthodox Gymnastics.</a></p>


Dvora Meyers

Russian gymnast Viktoriia Listunova competes at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo

The Case Against Sticking The Landing

I Will Explain This New Olympic Sport To You: Climbing

Lauren Theisen

Canada Finally Got One Over On The USWNT

Let’s Watch the Detroit Lions Go Crazy For Olympic Track & Field

Suni Lee’s Off Day Was Still Bronze-Worthy

The Ghosts Of 2012 Haunt This Year’s U.S.-Canada Semifinal

MyKayla Skinner’s Long And Rocky Comeback Ends With A Surprise Silver Medal

Bobby Finke Pulled Off Another Unbelievable Comeback

Billy Haisley

Crystal Dunn #2, Rose Lavelle #16, Christen Press #11, Megan Rapinoe #15 and Alex Morgan #13 of Team United States celebrate following their team's victory in the penalty shoot out after the Women's Quarter Final match between Netherlands and United States on day seven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at International Stadium Yokohama on July 30, 2021 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.

The USWNT Struggled, Scrapped, And Survived

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Aleksandra Crvendakic #11 of Team Serbia drives to the basket against Kayla Alexander #14 and Kia Nurse #5 of Team Canada during the first half of the Women's Preliminary Round Group A game on day three of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Saitama Super Arena on July 26, 2021 in Saitama, Japan.

The Canadian Women Might Just End Their Nation’s Basketball Woes

Giri Nathan

German Cycling Coach Ousted From Olympics After Calling African Cyclists “Camel Drivers”

What It Feels Like To Have The Twisties

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


Dan McQuade

Ryan Crouser throws. Dan McQuaid insert photo. Dan McQuade insert photo.

An Interview With Throwing Expert Dan McQuaid, By Me, Dan McQuade

Tom Ley

Sunisa Lee Fixed The Vibes

Paula Badosa retires from her quarterfinal match in a wheelchair.

Tennis Can’t Handle The Heat In Tokyo

OMAHA, NEBRASKA - JUNE 19: Katie Ledecky and Katie Grimes react during the Women’s 800m freestyle medal ceremony during Day Seven of the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials at CHI Health Center on June 19, 2021 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Katie Grimes Is USA Swimming’s Next Big Katie

Yui Ohashi of Team Japan celebrates after winning the Women's 200m Individual Medley Final on day five of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 28, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.

The Spotlight Found Yui Ohashi

Note For Future 3×3 Basketball Olympians: Bring An Extra Pair Of Shoes

Luis Paez-Pumar

Tom Daley of Team Great Britain poses with the gold medal during the medal presentation for the Men's Synchronised 10m Platform Final on day three of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 26, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.

I Love Tom Daley, Great Britain’s Knitting Gold Medalist

Dutch Mathieu Van der Poel falls during the men final race of the Mountainbike (VTT) event on the Izu track, on the fourth day of the 'Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games' in Tokyo, Japan on Monday 26 July 2021. The postponed 2020 Summer Olympics are taking place from 23 July to 8 August 2021. BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS (Photo by JASPER JACOBS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

Mathieu Van der Poel Believed There Would Be A Ramp