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

<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div>Casey Taylor is a writer living and working in Pittsburgh. He is currently writing a book for St. Martin&#8217;s Press about cannabis religions, Haile Selassie I, and the Cold War in the Caribbean. He also writes a free newsletter called <a href="https://weedchurch.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://weedchurch.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1709306863919000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1mVH2xiID6S0zvlyj6yHco">Weed Church</a> covering foolish spiritual things that occur to him. His work has appeared in The New Republic, WIRED, New York Magazine, and a sports blog he can’t currently recall the name of. You can <a href="mailto:caseyt7@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email</a> him if you’d like.</div>
</div>
<div class="yj6qo ajU"></div>
</div>
<div></div>


Casey Taylor

Capital

The Cold War Killed Cannabis As We Knew It. Can It Rise Again?


<p><a href="http://Feldman.cool" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brian Feldman</a> is a software engineer living in Brooklyn.</p>


Brian Feldman

Defector At The Movies

There’s Not Much To See After You Look Up


<div dir="auto">Liz Cook is a freelance writer and recipe developer based in Kansas City. Her work appears in places like Serious Eats, Eater, the BBC, and Condé Nast Traveler. She also writes the experimental food newsletter <a href="https://haterade.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Haterade</a>. </div>


Liz Cook

Funbag

Help! My Spouse Sucks At Wrapping Presents

Ashley Feinberg

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 20: A man dressed as Santa Claus is pictured outside the stadium prior to the Sky Bet Championship match between Fulham and Sheffield United at Craven Cottage on December 20, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Jamboroo

Is Santa Claus Real? Wikipedia Editors Battle It Out

Soraya Roberts

Cold Comforts

‘Elle’ Is The Kind Of Dark, Twisted, Sexy Christmas Movie Only Paul Verhoeven Could Dream Up


<p>Lori Teresa Yearwood is a trauma-aware and trauma-sensitive journalist currently covering the U.S. housing crisis for The Economic Hardship Reporting Project. A former reporter for the <em>Miami Herald</em>, the <em>St. Louis Post Dispatch</em> and the Syracuse Newspapers, she has always written stories about people from populations that have been marginalized.</p>


Lori Teresa Yearwood

How Are You Coping With That?

Facing Trauma When Your Parent Is Homeless


<p><a href="https://twitter.com/robertfoconnell" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Robert O’Connell</a> is a writer from Kansas living in New York. His work has appeared in <em>Sports Illustrated</em>, <em>The Atlantic</em>, <em>The New York Times</em>, and elsewhere.</p>


Robert O’Connell

Michael Dickson #4 of the Seattle Seahawks punts the ball in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field on December 30, 2018 in Seattle, Washington.

Prokick Australia Changed Punting, And Football, By Doing What Comes Naturally

<p>Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.</p>


Nicholas Russell

‘The Matrix’ Trilogy Has Always Been A Masterpiece


<p>Amy Schneider is a software engineer, cat owner, and Jeopardy champion who posts about her experiences on Twitter @Jeopardamy. She used to have a podcast, and odds are she will again some day.</p>


Amy Schneider

Life Lessons

How I Got Smart

<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif">Marc Normandin currently writes on baseball’s labor issues and more at </span><a style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif" href="http://marcnormandin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://marcnormandin.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1758998321491000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ZpjG5RUFwdpapWqR1u4bd">marcnormandin.com</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif">, which you can read for free but support </span><a style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif" href="https://www.patreon.com/marcnormandin">through his Patreon</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif">. His baseball writing has appeared at FOX Sports, SB Nation, Defector, Global Sport Matters, Deadspin, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Sports on Earth, The Guardian, The Nation, FAIR, and TalkPoverty, and you can read his takes on video games at Retro XP and Endless Mode.</span></p>
<div class="gs">
<div class="">
<div class="WhmR8e" data-hash="0"></div>
</div>
</div>


Marc Normandin

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred talks to Astros GM James Click during the 2021 World Series.

MLB Owners Have Forgotten That They Always Lose Lockouts

Ben Tippett

Chess

Magnus Carlsen And Ian Nepomniachtchi Brought Classic Sports Drama To Chess

<p>Fran Hoepfner is a writer and teacher.</p>


Fran Hoepfner

My Brush With Puzzle Brain

Felix Kent

Julien Ingrassia traditionally drinks from a shoe as he celebrates his 8th World title on November 21, 2021 after the ACI Rally Monza 2021

Racing

The Lottery In Secaucus

The World Chess Championship Has Given Us The Best And Worst Of Classical Chess

Amos Barshad

These Musicians Are Angry, Organized, And Coming For Spotify


<p>Nandini Balial is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Harper&#8217;s Bazaar, Vice, Slate, The Week, The Texas Observer, Ebert Voices, The AV Club, and Wired, among others. She lives and works in Fort Worth, Texas.</p>


Nandini Balial

Chefector

Let’s Make Something Sweet, With Cardamom

Defector Reads A Book

How Do You Pin Down An Auteur As Evasive As David Fincher?

‘Red Road’ Is A Revenge Story So Hot You Can’t Look Away

Your Complete Guide To The 2021 World Chess Championship


<p>Claire Watkins is a musician and writer living in Chicago, IL.</p>


Claire Watkins

Soccer

This NWSL Final Is The Result Of Knockout Soccer At Its Best

A Widow Prepares To Start Living In Her Van

Israel Daramola

Colin Kaepernick at the Los Angeles premiere of his 2021 Netflix limited series "Colin In Black & White"

Who Is Colin Kaepernick’s New TV Show Actually For?

1985: A lady racegoer has a nap during Royal Ascot at Ascot racecourse in Berkshire, England. Mandatory Credit: Allsport UK /Allsport

The Disappearing Girl

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/ericnus">Eric Nusbaum</a> is a writer based in Tacoma, Washington. He is the author of the book <i><a href="https://bookshop.org/books/stealing-home-los-angeles-the-dodgers-and-the-lives-caught-in-between-9781541742222/9781541742215">Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between</a></i>. He is also a former editor at Vice.</p>
