The New York Times (NYT) revealed that it will dissolve its sports department. This announcement was made on a recent Monday. From here on, The Athletic will handle regular coverage of athletes and teams.
This move to delegate sports coverage to The Athletic marks a significant change in the organizational structure of NYT. The Chairman A.G. Sulzerberg and CEO Meredith Kopit Levien made this known through a memorandum.
The rationale behind this strategy is to enhance the scope of sports reporting. The shift will allow for maximum utilization of human resources and expertise from both mediums.
All sports coverage on The Times' website will be sourced from The Athletic. It publishes about 150 stories daily on various leagues, teams, and athletes, both locally and internationally.
Last year, NYT bought The Athletic in a bid to bolster its sports coverage. The vision is to position the company as a global leader in sports journalism.
Regarding the human aspect of these changes, Sulzerberg and Levien have assured that there are no plans for layoffs. Instead, there will be a restructuring of roles, with sports desk staff reassigned to other units within the newsroom.
