The Athletic Laying Off Nearly 20 Reporters As It Changes Coverage Approach
By Liam McKeone
On Monday the sports media business suffered another blow as The Athletic went through a round of layoffs. First reported by Ben Strauss of the Washington Post, the layoffs will affect "nearly 20 journalists" and comes from a change in strategy from the organization and its parent company, the New York Times. Per the Post:
The Athletic, the subscription sports website owned by the New York Times, announced Monday that it was laying off nearly 20 reporters, or about 4 percent of its journalistic staff. The news was delivered in an email to staffers from The Athletic’s publisher David Perpich and editor in chief Steven Ginsberg.
The note said an additional 20 reporters would be moved from their current team beats to new ones, including regional coverage or general assignment roles.
This is obviously a notable departure from the original mission of The Athletic, which endeavored to provide local coverage for every team across every sport. But, as noted in Strauss' article, Perpich and Ginsberg told their employees that new subscriptions are driven by national stories that appeal across the whole fandom spectrum and as such they'll be dedicating more resources to those kinds of stories.
The affected writers have already begun to tweet out their departures, with names like Rich Hoffman (76ers beat) Daniel Kaplan (sports business) and Bob Kravitz (Colts beat) included.
Well, the news is going to get out somehow, so might as well say it here... I was part of the layoffs today at The Athletic. The news came as a surprise and I'm still processing it, but coming close to six full years there, I'd like to think it was a pretty good run.
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) June 12, 2023
Just been informed that my writing career has hit unrestricted free agency as a June 12th cap casualty. :/
— Bob Sturm (@SportsSturm) June 12, 2023
Welp, some personal news: The Athletic has let me go as part of a small wave of layoffs. But hell, it's been a good run, 41 years-plus of sports journalism, some of it damned good. I'm sad I don't get to walk away on my own terms, but that doesn't often happen. So...
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) June 12, 2023
-30-
Wanted everyone to know that today is my last day at The Athletic, sports business is being eliminated as part of the layoffs today. For the first time in my professional life I am a free agent, open to opportunities inside journalism and out.
— Daniel Kaplan (@KaplanSportsBiz) June 12, 2023
I'm part of the wave of The Athletic layoffs today as it shifts its sports coverage priorities. Please continue go support the great newsroom and journalism they do. pic.twitter.com/iKFIXeuMpY
— Bill Shea (@Bill_Shea19) June 12, 2023
So, I was also a part of the layoffs today at The Athletic.
— Kelsey Russo (@kelseyyrusso) June 12, 2023
Still trying to process it, but I am grateful for the past 4 years covering the Cavs.
I worked with some incredibly talented people, and am so grateful I had the chance to work and learn from them. So thank you all.
Many smart, talented journalists have been laid off by The Athletic today.
— SeanFitz_Gerald (@SeanFitz_Gerald) June 12, 2023
And, also, me.
It was a wonderful adventure of almost seven years, from being one of the first dozen or so hires the founders made in 2016 all the way up to today.
Thank you for reading along.
Sorry to say I am part of the cuts at The Athletic, and today is my last day.
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonATH) June 12, 2023
I'm still processing it, so I'm not sure what's next.
But I want it known I loved every minute of this job the last 5 years and will be eternally thankful to have worked with so many incredible people.
Being a baseball scribe the past 30 seasons was a heck of a ride. Thanks to The Athletic for six very good years.
— RobBiertempfel (@RobBiertempfel) June 12, 2023
Feels a bit weird to be part of the free-agent market. OK, let's see ... what's next?
I am among the cuts today at The Athletic. It sucks. I loved it and am really proud of all the things I got to write. Thank you for reading it. It was the best work of my career.
— Zach Buchanan (@ZHBuchanan) June 12, 2023
I don't know what's next, but I'm sure it'll be great. If you want to get in touch, my DMs are open.
After five years at The Athletic, today is my last day at the company. Grateful for the people I've met, the experiences I've had and what we accomplished ... if you want to contact me, details are in my bio
— Josh Cooper (@JoshuaCooper) June 12, 2023
Today was my last day at The Athletic. It’s been a fun, wild four years covering the Nets. There’s still some stories I hope to tell so hopefully I can find them a home. Funny enough, I had a Mikal Bridges exclusive set to run today. Alas…Thanks for following along.
— Alex Schiffer (@Alex__Schiffer) June 12, 2023
The Times purchased The Athletic for $550 million in 2022. The Post article above states the Times reported $7.8 million in losses last quarter. A tale as old as time in sports media-- the high-priced acquisition isn't leading to profit, and so the newsroom pays the price.