CULTURE

Footer Column 2

Footer Legal

Footer Main

Nav Bar

OTHER

SPORTS

Topics

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

Patrick Redford

Canadian weightlifter Boady Santavy fails at an attempt to break the world record during the men snatch competition during the Enhanced Games at Resorts World Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24, 2026. The first-ever Enhanced Games -- widely dubbed the "Steroid Olympics" -- took place Sunday in Las Vegas, where elite sprinters, swimmers and weightlifters will vie for world records while taking banned performance-enhancing drugs. (Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP)

Olympics

The Enhanced Games Were A Predictably Stupid Failure

Ray Ratto

Adam Silver, commissioner of the National Basketball Association, watches the game during the second half between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz at Moda Center on March 13, 2026. He is looking extra turtle-ish.

The NBA’s Expansion Gambit Is About Getting Bigger, Not Better

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.

Nicholas Russell

Sphere lights up with an advertisement for "The Wizard of Oz at Sphere" ahead of the show's premiere

Arts And Culture

No Courage, No Heart, No Brain

E.Y. Zhao is a writer and editor from St. Louis. Her debut novel, <a href="https://astrapublishinghouse.com/product/underspin-9781662603266/">Underspin</a>, set in the world of competitive table tennis, is out now. She holds a BA in history from Harvard College and an MFA from the University of Michigan.

E.Y. Zhao

Felix Lebrun of France competes in the Men's Singles Semifinal match against Wang Chuqin of China on day 7 of the United States Smash 2025 World Table Tennis at the Orleans Arena on July 12, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Table Tennis

Sweating Through The Existential Angst Of A Las Vegas Table Tennis Tournament

Lady Gaga performs onstage during The MAYHEM Ball Tour at The Kia Forum on July 28, 2025 in Inglewood, California.

Music

No Journey With Lady Gaga Is Ever Wasted

A large bitcoin guy regards the world they will take over

Politics

What World Does Bitcoin Want To Build For Itself?

Alex Sujong Laughlin

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Kathryn Xu

Woman holding her hand over a crystal ball and gazing into the future. Seated 1/2 length photograph.

Defector Reads A Book

‘The Artist’s Way’ Week 10: Reflecting Near The End

1990s Single Male Anna Hummingbird Calypte Anna Western USA And Canada (Photo by T. Ulrich/Classicstock/Getty Images)

Creaturefector

The Hummingbirds Brought Me Around

David Roth

An Enchanted Tools robot called the Mirokai is displayed during the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show CES in Las Vegas.

Podcasts

The Future Feels Like The Raiders, With Ed Zitron

J.D. Davis takes the field at a nearly empty Oakland Coliseum.

A New Season Finds The Oakland Athletics In The Same Dumb Limbo

The Sphere on the Las Vegas Strip is seen displaying Super Bowl LVIII signage ahead of Super Bowl LVIII on February 08, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Super Bowl Before The Crunch

John Fisher’s Wandering Athletics Are Slipping Free Of Reality

Libby Watson is a writer, <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/libtron">streamer</a> and <a href="https://www.patreon.com/whatsallthisthen">podcaster</a>.

Libby Watson

A collage of streamers from Twitchcon photos

Striving And Streaming In The Desert: A Visit To TwitchCon Las Vegas

Luis Paez-Pumar

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) during the Las Vegas Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit in Nevada.

Racing

Formula 1’s Las Vegas Fever Dream Was An Improbable Triumph

Ferrari's Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr., returns to the pit after an accident during the first practice session for the Las Vegas Formula One Grand Prix on November 16, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Race stewards cancelled the practice after the accident to inspect the track. The session was cut short after around ten minutes due to a loose drain cover, according to FIA officials. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

The Las Vegas Grand Prix Is Off To A Disastrous Start

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protestors gather as they demonstrate against Israeli war on Gaza calling for a ceasefire at Sergelstorg Square in Stockholm, Sweden, October 22, 2023.

What Happens After The Rally Ends?

Victor Wembanyama answers for his overeager security guard.

Please Do Not Hit Britney Spears For Touching The Shoulder Of Victor Wembanyama

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 21: (EDITORS NOTE: This image was shot with a fisheye lens.) A view shows the Las Vegas Strip behind the site that the Oakland Athletics agreed in principle to purchase from Red Rock Resorts Inc. for a potential new ballpark on April 21, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The A's President Dave Kaval said the deal for the 49-acre plot of land, formerly the home of Wild Wild West Gambling Hall &amp; Hotel, could be used to relocate the Major League Baseball franchise from Oakland to Las Vegas. The team will now work on a public-private partnership to build a USD 1.5 billion, 30,000-to-35,000-seat, partially retractable-roof stadium in time for the 2027 season. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Las Vegas A’s Begin Relocation Talks

Fans hang signs at Oakland Coliseum calling for John Fisher to sell the Athletics.

John Fisher’s Lackeys Eat Shit In Contentious Stadium Financing Hearing, May Win Anyway

A rainbow over a mostly empty Oakland Coliseum.

The Athletics’ Las Vegas Dreams Are At Least Temporarily On Hold

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - MAY 29: Fans sit behind signs referencing plans for the Oakland Athletics to move to Las Vegas during a game against the Atlanta Braves at RingCentral Coliseum on May 29, 2023 in Oakland, California.

Oakland A’s: Thousands Of Fans Across The Country Will Flock To Las Vegas To Watch Us Play Awful Baseball

Aerial view of urban sprawl, Las Vegas, Nevada

Capital

What Comes After Meeting The Neighbors?

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 21: A view shows the Las Vegas Strip behind the site that the Oakland Athletics agreed in principle to purchase from Red Rock Resorts Inc. for a potential new ballpark on April 21, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The A's President Dave Kaval said the deal for the 49-acre plot of land, formerly the home of Wild Wild West Gambling Hall &amp; Hotel, could be used to relocate the Major League Baseball franchise from Oakland to Las Vegas. The team will now work on a public-private partnership to build a USD 1.5 billion, 30,000-to-35,000-seat, partially retractable-roof stadium in time for the 2027 season. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The A’s’ Vegas Deal Might Be Falling Through Already

Hamilton Nolan is a journalist based in New York City. Subscribe to his work at <a href="https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1687350200913000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0naFbUVOe-5ZgtPDtIM3gz">HamiltonNolan.com</a>.

Hamilton Nolan

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 22: Ryan Garcia in the black trunks exchanges punches with Gervonta Davis in the green and purple trunks during their catchweight bout at T-Mobile Arena on April 22, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Fights

Men At Work

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - MAY 17: A general view during a game between the Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics on May 17, 2022 at RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***