The Athletic

Based on Wikipedia: The Athletic

In January 2016, a radical proposition took root in the digital landscape of Chicago sports journalism: what if fans would actually pay to read about their teams? At a time when the prevailing wisdom of the internet dictated that information must be free, a pair of former coworkers from the fitness app Strava, Alex Mather and Adam Hansmann, launched a subscription-based online sports magazine with a singular, contrarian mission. They called it The Athletic. Their goal was not merely to report the news, but to produce "smarter coverage for die-hard fans," stripping away the noise of advertising and the churn of clickbait to deliver long-form journalism, original reporting, and in-depth analysis. This was not a minor experiment in paywalls; it was a fundamental dis-aggregation of the sports section of local newspapers, an attempt to reach non-local fans who had been ignored by traditional media, and a direct challenge to the ad-supported business model that had been starving quality sports reporting for decades.

The Athletic's genesis was rooted in the specific frustrations of the industry's decline. Mather and Hansmann watched as local newspapers, the traditional guardians of beat reporting, slashed staffs and reduced coverage to save money, leaving fans with a hollowed-out product. They believed that sports fans were underserved and that if they could provide a clean app, zero advertising, and deep, expert writing, the audience would respond. They were right, but the path to that realization was paved with the aggressive, almost frantic expansion of a startup fueled by venture capital. As part of Y Combinator's summer 2016 batch, the site did not start with a national broadcast; it started in Chicago. Jon Greenberg, a veteran of ESPN Chicago, was installed as the founding editor, joined by Sahadev Sharma, who arrived from Baseball Prospectus's Cubs vertical, and Scott Powers, formerly of ESPN Chicago covering the Blackhawks. The team was small, the ambition was massive, and the clock was ticking.

By October 2016, less than a year after its launch, The Athletic had already expanded to a second city: Toronto. This move signaled a clear intent to cross the border and capture the Canadian market, specifically targeting the Maple Leafs, Raptors, and Blue Jays. James Mirtle, a writer who had spent over a decade at The Globe and Mail, was hired as editor-in-chief for Toronto, bringing a level of institutional knowledge that the fledgling startup desperately needed. The expansion did not slow down. In March 2017, Cleveland joined the fold under the leadership of Jason Lloyd. By June 2017, Detroit was added, with Craig Custance, a former ESPN writer, taking the helm as editor-in-chief. The strategy was becoming clear: hire the best local talent, the ones who knew the teams best, and pay them to write without the constraints of a shrinking newspaper budget.

The momentum accelerated in August 2017 with a launch in the San Francisco-area market, a crucial test of their model in a tech-savvy, high-cost region. They tapped Tim Kawakami, a longtime writer for the San Jose Mercury News, as editor-in-chief and Marcus Thompson as a columnist. It was in this same month that The Athletic began to assert its dominance in national coverage, a necessary counterweight to its local roots. They poached Ken Rosenthal, a baseball veteran, immediately after Fox Sports eliminated its entire writing staff. They also brought in Seth Davis, a standout in college basketball, and Stewart Mandel, an institution in college football. Mandel led the launch of "The All-American," the site's national college football section, at the end of August. This was not just adding writers; it was consolidating the best talent in the industry into a single, subscription-only ecosystem.

September 2017 marked a significant scaling event. The Athletic expanded into Philadelphia, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and the rest of Canada, bringing local coverage to 15 US and Canadian pro sports markets. A vast majority of this expansion was aimed at hockey, an underserved market where traditional media was pulling back. By February 2018, the company announced further expansion into three major cities: New York, Dallas, and Cincinnati. They also launched baseball-only coverage in Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego, Arizona, and Kansas City. The national MLB coverage was bolstered by the addition of heavy hitters like Jayson Stark, Jim Bowden, Eno Sarris, and editor Emma Span. The site then announced full coverage in Denver and Boston starting in April 2018. In Denver, they hired several reporters directly from The Denver Post, effectively replacing the local newspaper's sports section with their own. In Boston, the initial staff consisted of beat writers previously employed at The Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, and the Springfield Republican's web portal MassLive.

The expansion was relentless and strategic. In May 2018, the site announced coverage of both domestic and international soccer, a move that would prove prescient as global sports consumption grew. In June, they increased coverage in Los Angeles and expanded into Buffalo, New York, by hiring several reporters who had been bought out from The Buffalo News that same month. By July 2018, The Athletic had added Atlanta, Baltimore, and Wisconsin, along with 19 college football writers to cover most of the major NCAA programs. August saw the launch of Fantasy Sports coverage and further expansion into Washington, D.C., Carolina, Nashville, Indiana, Miami, and New Orleans. The site also added Shams Charania for expanded NBA reporting and Jay Glazer for NFL coverage. By September 2018, The Athletic had completed local coverage expansion to all NHL and NFL teams. Memphis was added as the 47th local market in October 2018, expanding coverage to all NBA teams.

The company was not just a text-based operation; it was evolving into a multimedia powerhouse. In November 2018, The Athletic signed three veteran TV journalists, including 60 Minutes correspondent Armen Keteyian, in an effort to produce more video content as a supplement to written coverage. In May 2019, the site announced an expansion into motorsports coverage featuring veteran journalist Jeff Gluck, with NASCAR as the dominant focus but with ambitions to cover all major motorsports events, including the Indianapolis 500. By August 2019, The Athletic had expanded to the United Kingdom, predominantly covering domestic and international football. The team was initially led by managing director Ed Malyon and editor-in-chief Alex Kay-Jelski. Their stable of writers included heavyweights like Michael Cox, Oliver Kay, David Ornstein, and Daniel Taylor. In April 2024, Laura Williamson was announced as the editor-in-chief for UK and Europe, solidifying the site's international footprint.

However, the road to profitability was steep. The business model, predicated entirely on subscription revenue rather than advertising, meant high fixed costs for a growing newsroom. The Athletic remained unable to earn enough revenue without advertising to make a profit, and the owners began to seek an outside buyer. By 2021, the company was exploring a sale to a larger media company following continued unprofitability, driven by high expenses and a reliance on venture capital funding instead of operational revenue. At that time, the site had 1.2 million subscribers and $80 million in revenue, having raised $55 million in venture capital funding. Axios entered discussions with The Athletic in March of that year but ultimately declined to make an offer. The New York Times was the leading contender for a potential acquisition as of May, with Vox Media also expressing interest. Buyout talks between The Athletic and The New York Times ended in June 2021, only to resume with greater urgency later in the year. In November 2021, reports emerged that sports betting companies DraftKings and Flutter Entertainment were among the bidders for the company.

The culmination of this years-long journey arrived in January 2022, when the New York Times Company announced that it would acquire The Athletic for $550 million. The transaction was expected to close in the first quarter of 2022. The Times noted that The Athletic's newsroom would continue to run independently of the Times, and co-founders Alex Mather and Adam Hansmann would stay on. This acquisition was a watershed moment for the industry. It validated the subscription model for sports journalism, proving that a dedicated, ad-free publication could command a premium price and a loyal audience. But it also signaled the end of an era for the independent startup. The New York Times, a legacy institution with its own struggling sports department, saw The Athletic not just as a growth opportunity, but as a necessary evolution.

The integration process was swift and transformative. In July 2023, the company dissolved the New York Times' existing sports department, laid off or reassigned its sports staff, and began operating The Athletic as a replacement sports department under new management. This move was controversial and painful, but it cemented The Athletic's position as the definitive sports voice within the Times empire. As of 2022, The Athletic provided local coverage in 47 cities and regions of North America as well as coverage in the United Kingdom. It included the 32 National Football League teams, the 30 Major League Baseball teams, the 30 National Basketball Association teams, and 23 of the 32 National Hockey League teams. The coverage focused on a mix of long-form journalism, original reporting, and in-depth analysis, exactly as Mather and Hansmann had envisioned in that first Chicago office in 2016.

The story of The Athletic is a story about the resilience of quality journalism in the face of economic headwinds. It is a testament to the idea that fans are willing to pay for expertise, for a clean user experience, and for a depth of reporting that goes beyond the box score. From a small startup in Chicago to a global powerhouse acquired by one of the world's most respected media companies, The Athletic has fundamentally altered the landscape of sports media. It proved that the ad-supported model was not the only way, that local news could be saved through a subscription-based approach, and that the future of sports journalism lies in the hands of the die-hard fans who care enough to pay for it. The journey from a Y Combinator batch to a $550 million acquisition was not easy, but it was necessary. The Athletic did not just survive the digital revolution; it redefined it.

"The mission was to produce smarter coverage for die-hard fans."

This simple statement, uttered by the founders at the outset, guided every decision, every hire, and every expansion. It was the north star that kept the company focused when the pressure to monetize through ads was immense. It was the reason why they could poach the best writers from ESPN, Fox Sports, and the major metropolitan newspapers. It was the reason why fans were willing to open their wallets. The Athletic did not just build a website; it built a community of subscribers who valued the craft of sports writing. In a world of fleeting headlines and algorithmic feeds, The Athletic offered something rare: depth, context, and a genuine connection to the teams and athletes that fans love.

The acquisition by The New York Times was not the end of The Athletic; it was the beginning of a new chapter. The integration of the two entities allowed The Athletic to leverage the resources of a global news organization while maintaining its unique voice and culture. The dissolution of the Times' existing sports department was a clear signal that the future of sports journalism was not in the traditional model, but in the subscription-based, ad-free model that The Athletic had pioneered. The layoffs and reassignments were painful, but they were part of a larger transformation. The Athletic was no longer just a competitor; it was the future of sports coverage for the Times and, by extension, for millions of readers around the world.

As of 2026, The Athletic stands as a testament to the power of a bold idea executed with precision and passion. It has expanded its coverage to include not just the major leagues, but also niche markets and international audiences. It has become a destination for fans who want more than just the score; they want the story behind the story. The founders, Alex Mather and Adam Hansmann, may have stepped back from their original roles, but their vision remains the driving force behind the organization. The Athletic has proven that in the digital age, quality journalism can be a viable business, that fans are willing to pay for what they value, and that the future of sports media is bright, deep, and subscription-based. The journey from a small startup in Chicago to a global powerhouse is a reminder that sometimes, the most radical ideas are the ones that change the world. The Athletic did not just adapt to the future; it created it.

The legacy of The Athletic is not just in the numbers—47 cities, millions of subscribers, $550 million acquisition—but in the culture it has fostered. It has created a space where writers can thrive, where fans can engage, and where the sport can be understood in all its complexity. It has shown that the traditional models are not immutable, that innovation is possible, and that the fans are the ultimate arbiters of value. As the sports media landscape continues to evolve, The Athletic will remain a beacon of what is possible when you put the fans first. The story is far from over, but the foundation has been laid, and the future is bright. The Athletic has not just survived; it has flourished, and in doing so, it has changed the way we experience sports forever.