Capital

Climate

Margin Of Error

Policing

The Machines

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

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

US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon attends a round table discussion hosted by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on "exposing weaponization against parents in schools" at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC, on June 11, 2026.

Politics

The Trump Administration Rolls Back Title IX Protections, Again

Giri Nathan

Samer Kalaf

Azeez al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans warms up prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

NFL Threatened To Pull Azeez Al-Shaair From Game For Eye Black Memorializing Palestinian Child

Dave McKenna

Irish players bow their heads during the Israeli anthem

Soccer

Ireland Beats Israel 3-0 In Game Nobody Wanted

Tom Ley

College Football

The Protect College Sports Act Reveals The Dark Heart Of Management

Dublin , Ireland - 18 September 2026; Bohemians supporters display a banner, protesting the upcoming Republic of Ireland matches against Israel, during the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between Bohemians and Drogheda United at Dalymount Park in Dublin. (Photo By Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Ireland Going Ahead With Israel Matches Against Everybody’s Wishes

Patrick Redford

David Ellison at the "Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)" Los Angeles Premiere held at Village Theatre on May 06, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

States Roll Over And Show Bellies To Paramount, Will Allow Warner Bros. Merger

Barry Petchesky

Russian Alexander Ovechkin talks to media in a locker room after the charity hockey "Match of the Year" between Russian players of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) at the CSKA arena in Moscow on July 13, 2025. (Photo by TATYANA MAKEYEVA / AFP via Getty Images)

Alex Ovechkin Finally Faces Some Pushback For Supporting Vladimir Putin

Grace Byron is a critic, reporter, and novelist based in Queens. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, Bookforum, and elsewhere. Her debut novel Herculine is out now.

Grace Byron

Books

A New Book Examines The Wickedness Of Trump. Sort Of.

Gambling

There’s Always More Angry Problem Gamblers Where Those Came From

See The Algorithm’s Dark Gleam In The Hunter Biden-Andrew Callaghan Crypto Scam Email Whoopsie

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

LeBron James smiles and gestures from the stage of some dumb event.

Life's Rich Pageant

LeBron James Wants Your Paycheck To Become His Paycheck, By Way Of Polymarket

An AI-generated map of the united states that has incorrect borders and puts Detroit in Canada.

The Jets May Want To Reconsider Being “AI-First”

Luisa Rollenhagen is a German-Argentinian freelance journalist based in Berlin. She&#8217;s written for publications such as The Guardian, BuzzFeed News, Deutsche Welle, and GQ.

Luisa Rollenhagen

A basecap with the lettering 'Make Germany Great Again' is seen in a shelf behind co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the party's candidate for chancellor Alice Weidel prior to a live discussion with US tech billionaire and businessman Elon Musk on social network X, formerly known as Twitter, in her office at the Jakob Kaiser Building in Berlin on January 9, 2025. Musk is set to host a discussion on X with AfD's leader Weidel on Thursday. (Photo by Kay Nietfeld / POOL / AFP)

The Far Right Had Its Biggest Electoral Win In Germany Since The Nazis. What Now?

US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks during the second day of the Republican National Committee midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on September 10, 2026. US Republicans are betting that putting President Donald Trump at the center of their campaign can rescue a party facing grim election forecasts, despite the president's negative approval ratings. A day earlier, on the first day of the midterm convention, he promised $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans retain control of Congress in November. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP)

Death To The NCAA

The Protect College Sports Act Finally Has Its Suitably Off-Putting Mascot

A huge group of fans mill around at the 2026 U.S. Open

Tennis

The State Of The U.S. Open Is The State Of Us

The author can be reached at postpostdoc@protonmail.com.

Post-Postdoc

A visual representation of the Navier Stokes proof