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

Giri Nathan

A view of the Larry O'Brien championship trophy

A Review Of The Larry O’Brien Trophy, Or Anyway A Larry O’Brien Trophy

<p>Columnist. Author of many <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Drew-Magary/e/B001JS8R52/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1">fine works of literature</a>, including <em>Point B</em>. Handsomest man in the world.</p>


Drew Magary

Life's Rich Pageant

Only A Complete Asshole Would Get Married At Madison Square Garden


<p>A founding member of the Billings, Montana-to-Brooklyn sportswriting pipeline, Patrick Sauer has written for many large digital publications you’ve heard of and even more smaller ones that no longer exist. Check out his work at <a href="http://patricksauer.contently.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://patricksauer.contently.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1782568830003000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2lJRPIa8YxoLI3taZ9zsro">patricksauer.contently.com</a> or follow him on Bluesky <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/pjsauer.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bsky.app/profile/pjsauer.bsky.social&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1782568830003000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1pDFKunGJ4lkfhBy4EMrEt">@pjsauer.bsky.social</a>.</p>


Patrick Sauer

Horse Racing

A Final Day At Aqueduct, New York’s Forlorn And Forgotten Racetrack

Samer Kalaf

James Dolan speaks during the New York Knicks Championship ticker tape parade

Turd Makes Brief Appearance In Punch Bowl

Israel Daramola

There’s No Place Like New York City

Barry Petchesky

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 14: A person dressed as Spiderman dances as New York Knicks fans celebrate their win against San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 14, 2026 in New York City. The New York Knicks lead the San Antonio Spurs 3-1 and could win the franchise's first NBA championship since 1973 if they win tonight.(Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images)

Scenes From The Street After A Knicks Title

Casa Magazines staffer Mirza Ayan Baig holds up a recent Knicks front page.

The Knicks’ Finals Run Has Even Made Print Media Hot

A large group of hundreds of New Yorkers reveling after Game 4 of the NBA Finals

One Euphoric Night In The City Of OG Anunoby

Knicks fans celebrate a trip to the Finals

Knicks Fans Turned Radio City Music Hall Into The Best Party In Town

David Roth

Sid Rosenberg on the set of "Gravesend" filming by Michael's on April 25, 2022 in Brooklyn, New York.

Media Meltdowns

Jarringly Red New York Radio Yutz Continues His Anti-Mets Tantrum In Yankees President’s Suite

New York Islanders Raise Money For A Convicted Killer Because He’s A Cop

WABC radio host Sid Rosenberg speaks during a protest against a tent shelter for migrants at Floyd Bennett Field in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on August 22, 2023. They're rallying against immigrants being housed there so everyone in the picture looks like someone who'd do that.

New York Radio Yutz Has Had It With Mr. Met’s Antisemitism

Policing

James Dolan Uses Madison Square Garden To Honor New York’s Finest Mobile Gamers

Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on during the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum on February 06, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

An Interview With A Tenant Who Doesn’t Have Heat In Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Building

Tom Ley

Zohran Mamdani holding up a photo of Ian Wright

This Is So Stupid

Can Zohran Mamdani Keep New Yorkers Safe From Remembering Some Arsenal Guys?

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt speaks onstage ADL's Never Is Now event in New York.

Politics

The ADL Is Having A Mamdani Meltdown

Andrew Cuomo delivers a concession speech on Election Night.

Let’s Check In With People Who Threatened To Leave Zohran Mamdani’s NYC

Music

The Zohran Mamdani Mayoral Rap Playlist

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the first inning during Game Five of the 2025 World Series. The Distraction logo is at upper left and the light above the stadium is lovely.

Podcasts

I Like To Get A Solid 12 Hours

New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) (L) is joined by fellow mayoral candidate Brad Lander during an election night gathering

The Politics Of Fear Don’t Work Against A Candidate Who Isn’t Scared

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo addresses the media following a speech at an event for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers on June 22, 2025 in New York City.

Andrew Cuomo Is A Future Of The Democratic Party

<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

Masked federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on June 18, 2025 in New York City. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), NYC Comptroller and Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander and Council Member Alexa Avilés visited immigration courts to watch proceedings a day after NYC Comptroller and Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander was arrested by federal agents while accompanying a person out of a courtroom as people continue to be detained following immigration court hearings.

Margin Of Error

No Time For Theatrics

Andrew Cuomo speaks in the New York City Democratic Mayoral Primary Debate at NBC Studios on June 4, 2025 in New York City.

Andrew Cuomo Is Garbage

Oratorical Uncles Bond Over Increasingly Reactionary Views

<p>Heather Chen is a former Defector intern and the managing editor at the <em>Columbia Daily Spectator</em>. She loves hockey, photography, and the good ol’ state of Michigan.</p>


Heather Wei-Xi Chen

<p>Kristin Merrilees is a writer based in New York covering technology and the internet.</p>


Kristin Merrilees

A Timothee Chalamet lookalike in a Wonka costume showcases an empty briefcase