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

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Mona Khalil, a Lebanese ecologist activist looks at a turtle at a coast in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre 12 August 2002

Science

Mona Khalil, Who Devoted Her Life To Protecting Turtles, Killed By Israeli Airstrike

Ray Ratto

Claude Lemieux carries the torch in the opening ceremony of Game Three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Montreal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre on May 25, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The Tragedy Of Appreciating SOBs Too Late

Barry Petchesky

WRITER DAN SIMMONS PUBLISHES 'FIRES OF EDEN'

Defector Reads A Book

Dan Simmons Is Dead, So It’s Time To Read ‘Hyperion’

Defector Staff

American director, producer, and actor Rob Reiner gestures near a camera while crew members surround him outdoors on the set of his film, 'North.'

Arts And Culture

Defector’s Favorite Rob Reiner Credits

Coach John Beam, center bottom, and the Skyline High School football team pose together after beating Oakland High School 19-0 for the championship title at Laney College in Oakland, Calif. on Nov. 24, 1989.

College Football

Coach John Beam’s Legacy Is Everywhere

Albert Burneko

Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, father of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), listens to daughter's remarks during a primary night event August 16, 2022 in Jackson, Wyoming.

Politics

Dick Cheney Departs The World He Made

Soraya Roberts

Diane Keaton’s Solo Act

Singer D'Angelo (born Michael Eugene Archer) performs on stage at the Aire Crown Theater, Chicago, Illinois, April 4, 2000.

The Defector D’Angelo Mixtape

Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.

Dan McQuade

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - CIRCA 1975: Goalie Bernie Parent #1 of the Philadelphia Flyers guards the net during a game against the New York Rangers circa 1975 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Parent helped the Flyers to two Stanley Cup Championships in 1974 and 1975.

You Couldn’t Drag Bernie Parent Out Of Philadelphia

James Dobson poses for a portrait in 2011 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

James Dobson Is Dead, Was A Monster

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Terry Bollea performs as Hulk Hogan at a Donald Trump campaign rally.

Pro Wrestling

Hulk Hogan Is Dead

Dave McKenna

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - AUGUST 08: Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath performs during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony at Alexander Stadium on August 08, 2022 on the Birmingham, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Music

I’ll Never Stop Bragging About Seeing Ozzy On The Most Metal Tour Of All Time

Ozzy Osbourne Was The Frontman Of The Future

John Saward

Outfielder Dave Parker #39 of the Pittsburgh Pirates swings and watches the flight of his ball against the Chicago Cubs during a circa 1970's Major League Baseball game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. Parker played for the Pirates from 1973-83.

Dave Parker’s Great Bounty

UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 26: Baseball: World Series, Chicago White Sox A,J, Pierzynski (12) and Bobby Jenks (45) victorious after winning Game 4 and series vs Houston Astros, Houston, TX 10/26/2005 (Photo by John Biever/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (SetNumber: X74496 TK4)

Bobby Jenks Made The Most Of A Short Time

Journalismism

Each William Langewiesche Disaster Story Was An Event In Itself

Lauren Theisen

Brian Wilson, along with the Beach Boys perform at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California on January 1, 1987 .

Brian Wilson Was The Sound Of Something Just Out Of Reach

LOS ANGELES - 1966: Singer and mastermind Brian Wilson of the rock and roll band "The Beach Boys" directs from the control room while recording the album "Pet Sounds" in 1966 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Brian Wilson Was A Sad Genius Who Brought Joy To The World

Rick Derringer performs at Oakland Stadium in Oakland, California - July 23, 1977

Rick Derringer Made Rock And Roll Fun

Muhammad Ali smashes a right to the head of George Foreman.

The Fights

George Foreman Got As Good As He Gave

College Basketball

John Feinstein Never Stopped Doing Everything

George Lowe Had To Be Brilliant To Make Space Ghost That Stupid

Israel Daramola

David Lynch Was The Artist of Our Time

Bob Uecker walks onto the field to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 1 of the NLCS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

Bob Uecker Was Just The Best

LAGRANGE, GA - JUNE 10: Former US President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalyn Carter attach siding to the front of a Habitat for Humanity home being built June 10, 2003 in LaGrange, Georgia. More than 90 homes are being built in LaGrange; Valdosta, Georgia; and Anniston, Alabama by volunteers as part of Habitat for Humanity International's Jimmy Carter Work Project 2003.