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

<p>Jae Towle Vieira [they/them] works as a producer for Normal Gossip. Their fiction has been published in <i data-stringify-type="italic">The Normal School</i>, <i data-stringify-type="italic">New England Review, Carve Magazine, Passages North, Fairy Tale Review</i>, and elsewhere.</p>


Jae Towle Vieira

Podcasts

The Haunting, The Psychic, And The Stepmom

Giri Nathan

A dad sits in the grass at a park with his shirt off listening to music on headphones and reading the paper while his baby sleeps next to him

Minor Dilemmas

What’s Going To Happen To The Rest Of My Life After I Become A Parent?

<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

A father and son buy fireworks at a stand

Is It Possible To Teach My Kid How To Manage Risk?

Alex Sujong Laughlin

A pregnant woman sitting on the couch typing on her laptop

What Will Happen To My Ambition After Children?

Billy Haisley

Am I The Asshole For Judging The Screen Time Habits Of Other People’s Kids?

Albert Burneko

Father and daughter. Oil on canvas, around 1550.

What If Your Kid Tells Dirty Dirty Lies?

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19</p>


Chris Thompson

JT Snow pulls three-year-old Darren Baker out of harm's way at homeplate.

How Do I Direct My Kid To The Stuff They’ll Enjoy And Be Good At?

Ray Ratto

King Charles III , with his son, Prince William, and grandsons George and Louis, standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

What Is A Grandparent Actually Good For?

Dave McKenna

A young boy in his little league uniform stands with his hat over his chest next to his father and uncle as they sing the national anthem before a little league game.

How Do You Deal With A Kid Who Wants To Quit Their Job?

A father with twins sits on a swing in a playground while a another child swings alone nearby.

How Do I Talk About Parenting If My Baby Has Been Pretty Chill So Far?

A little boy, wearing a diaper and a top hat, poses in front of a New Year's calendar at a hospital in New York City, United States, on December 22, 1949.

How Do I Manage My Newborn’s Life If Planning Things Stresses Me Out?

Two boys with fishing poles and cans of worms walk along a rural gravel road.

How Can I Resolve Conflicts Between My Younger Kid And His Older Brother?

A little girl sits on the lap of the easter bunny and looks skeptical

Is It Wrong To Use The Fear Of A Vengeful Easter Bunny To Get My Kid To Eat?

A black and white photo of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz walking from a plane on the tarmac with their children. The black and white Minor Dilemmas logo sits in the middle of the photo

Should I Take My Two-Year-Old To A Soccer Match Abroad, Or Can I Leave Him At Home?

Life Lessons

The College Trip

A group of British football-playing dads in the 1980s, wearing their uniforms and holding their infant children while posing for a picture. Includes the "minor dilemmas" logo of a black outline of a crawling baby

Can I Tell Another Parent That I Despise One Of My Kid’s Peers?

Justin Ellis

A silhouette of a baby with Minor Dilemmas written over it

Rejoice, Tired Parents! Defector Will Raise Your Children Now

Arts And Culture

Here Is What Reading To My Child Has Done To My Brain

<div>Nate Jackson is a former NFL tight end and author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/slow-getting-up-a-story-of-nfl-survival-from-the-bottom-of-the-pile-nate-jackson/6430451?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote9JzWMngZDpSjF2eoL1_JlyPm2QhDfkNgOzqvaB4n9ic0qqUNQ4iCwaAsasEALw_wcB"><em>Slow Getting Up</em></a>. He lives in Denver.</div>
<div></div>


Nate Jackson

Denver Broncos Training Camp at their training facility on July 29, 2008 in Englewood, Colorado.

I Played In The NFL. Should I Care If My Son Doesn’t Like Football?

San Antonio Spurs French forward-centre Victor Wembanyama (C) reacts as he attends his event named "Hoop Gambit", a chess and basketball tournament that takes place in his birth town of Le Chesnay, south-west of Paris, on July 20, 2025.

Funbag

OK But What If The Billionaire Is A Cool Guy?

Restaurants are starting to use digital technology for self serving regarding the customer seeing their menu, ordering and paying their bill.

Fuck The iPad Ordering Kiosk

Normal Gossip logo with cartoon characters gossiping

The Champagne Socialist And The Espresso Martini Capitalist

Kelsey McKinney

Swole Woman Casey Johnston Has Written A Swole Book

Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrates with fans in the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Target Center on February 06, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Rockets 127-114. 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.