• Loading stock data...
Friday, February 7, 2025

New York Times Disbands Sports Department 

  • No layoffs are expected as journalists will move to other departments at The Times instead.
  • There was overlap among the NYT sports department following its $550M acquisition of The Athletic last year.
The New York Times disbands sports section.
Wire Photo Archives

The New York Times is disbanding its sports department, a team of more than 35 journalists and editors. For both online and print, the paper will instead rely on sports coverage from The Athletic, which the New York Times bought for $550 million in January 2022.

The decision from The Times marks “an evolution in how we cover sports,” executive editor Joe Kahn and deputy managing editor Monica Drake wrote in an email Monday to staffers.

Members of the New York Times Guild said in a statement late Monday afternoon they “will fight this flagrant attempt at union-busting with every tool we have.”

“Times leadership is attempting to outsource union jobs on our sports desk to a non-union Times subsidiary under the preposterous argument that The Times can ‘subcontract’ its sports coverage to itself,” the statement NYT Guild members read.

“Management gave the Guild virtually no notice of this change. Many members learned of the company’s decision in a Times news alert that popped up on our phones minutes into a meeting called to inform sports staff of our department’s dissolution.”

No layoffs are planned for the Times, as employees from its sports department will instead move to other departments at the company. 

“We plan to focus even more directly on distinctive, high-impact news and enterprise journalism about how sports intersect with money, power, culture, politics and society at large,” the editors wrote in an internal email. “At the same time, we will scale back the newsroom’s coverage of games, players, teams and leagues.”

The Athletic laid off about 20 journalists last month to reorganize its newsroom. The Athletic is not unionized, but a union represents the Times’ newsroom. The New York Times publisher A.G Sulzberger and CEO Meredith Kopit Levien said Monday that since its acquisition 18 months ago, The Athletic has had “meaningful growth” in terms of “audience, revenue and number of subscribers with paid access.”

“We intend to utilize The Athletic — which has among the largest sports newsrooms in the world — to provide Times readers with a greater abundance of sports coverage than ever before,” said Sulzberger and Levien. “Under our plan, the digital homepage, newsletters, social feeds, the sports landing page and the print section will draw from even more of the approximately 150 stories The Athletic produces each day chronicling leagues, teams and players across the United States and around the globe.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

‘Ultimate Throwback’: The Unimpeachable Cool of Hartford Whalers Gear

Nostalgia and street cred have driven a consistent frenzy for merch.
January 20, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Kristin Juszczyk, wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk (44), before a 2024 NFC divisional round game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium.

The New WAGs: Sports Wives Building Business Empires

Athletes’ wives and girlfriends are bucking stereotypes and cashing in.
Feb 3, 2019; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears mascot dances on the court during a stoppage in play in the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at Haas Pavilion.

The Toll of Bicoastal Travel on New ACC Members Cal and Stanford

Cal and Stanford face missed flights, chaotic sleep schedules, and academic demands.

Featured Today

It’s Starting to Pay to Be Good at Cornhole

American Cornhole League players made $7.7 million in 2024.
PWHL arena
January 25, 2025

PWHL’s Sophomore Year Booms in Canada, Has Room to Grow in U.S.

Attendance is up 30% from last year, the league says.
January 24, 2025

Once Abandoned, Portland Is Regaining Its Place in the WNBA

The next WNBA team is springing up in a once-deserted market.
October 17, 2011; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets fan fireman Ed during the first half against the Miami Dolphins at the New Meadowlands Stadium.
January 24, 2025

Superfandom Is a Lifestyle, Business—and Thorn in Some Teams’ Sides

Rabid fandom has perks—sometimes to the frustration of teams and leagues.
February 6, 2025

NFL Exec: We’re Reaching More Fans Without Spreading Too Thin

NFL media executive Brian Rolapp is bullish on the evolution of streaming.
February 7, 2025

How Much Longer Can Fox Sports Keep the Top-Rated Pregame Crew Together?

The three have been at Fox NFL Sunday since 1994.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
Stephen A. Smith
exclusive
February 5, 2025

Stephen A. Smith Says Deal to Return to ESPN Coming ‘Very, Very..

Smith’s old contract was set to expire this summer.
Dec 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; FOX broadcaster and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady looks on before the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium.
February 5, 2025

Tom Brady Cagey About Scope of Role With Raiders

Brady was approved as a minority owner in the Raiders in October.
February 5, 2025

Disney Earnings Highlight ESPN Comeback; Iger High on NBA’s Future

Revenues and operating income grow at the ESPN parent company.
February 5, 2025

FS1 Will Air the Most LIV Golf TV Hours in New Fox..

The 2025 LIV Golf season tees off Friday in Saudi Arabia.