If you still think of The Athletic as that scrappy startup that promised to "bleed local newspapers dry," you haven't been paying attention. It’s been a few years since the New York Times (NYT) dropped $550 million to buy the site, and honestly, the sports media world hasn’t looked the same since.
People were worried. Loyal readers thought the Gray Lady would stuffy-up the place. NYT veterans feared for their own jobs. Most of those fears actually came true, just not in the way anyone expected.
The NYT Sports Desk is Dead (Long Live The Athletic)
Basically, the biggest shock came in mid-2023. The Times did something unthinkable: they killed their own sports department. We’re talking about a desk with over a century of history, home to Pulitzer-winning journalism. They just... turned out the lights.
They didn't fire everyone, though. They moved those 35 or so writers to other desks—Business, National, even Obituaries. Now, if you open the New York Times and look for sports, you’re basically reading The Athletic.
The integration is deep. You see their stories in the print paper now. You see them on the home screen of the NYT app. It’s a total "subcontracting to yourself" vibe that has kept union lawyers very busy lately.
The Union Drama Nobody Talks About
You’ve gotta understand the tension here. The original NYT newsroom is heavily unionized through the NewsGuild. The Athletic? Not so much. At least, not at first.
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Management basically used The Athletic as a non-union workaround for a while. It was a mess. Recently, in early 2025 and moving into 2026, the writers at The Athletic finally pushed to join the Guild. But the Times leadership played hardball. They wouldn't let them join the same unit as the main newsroom.
They wanted them separate. Why? To keep bargaining power split. It’s a classic corporate chess move. If you're a writer at The Athletic, you're essentially doing the work of a Times sports reporter but with a different contract and, often, a different set of rules about what you can post on social media.
Does the NYT Subscription Actually Include The Athletic?
This is the number one thing people get confused about. It’s kinda confusing on purpose.
If you have a basic, old-school digital subscription to the New York Times, you might not have full access to The Athletic. The company is pushing the "All Access Bundle" hard. They want you on the plan that includes News, Cooking, Games (hello, Wordle addiction), Wirecutter, and The Athletic.
- The Standalone: You can still buy just The Athletic.
- The Bundle: This is where the NYT is winning. By late 2025, over 50% of their subscribers were on some kind of bundle.
- The Family Plan: They just launched a family option where you can share all this with four other people for about $30 a month.
Honestly, the "bundle" is the only reason the NYT is hitting its massive subscriber goals. They realized people might not pay $15 for just news, but they’ll pay $25 for news plus crossword puzzles and deep-dive scouting reports on the NFL draft.
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The Profit Problem: Is It Actually Making Money?
For years, The Athletic was a money pit. They were losing tens of millions a year while hiring every beat writer they could find. The NYT purchase was essentially a rescue mission.
And it worked. Sorta.
By the end of 2024, The Athletic actually posted its first profitable quarter. They did it by finally embracing ads (something the founders swore they’d never do) and scaling back some of the hyper-local coverage. They don’t have a dedicated beat writer for every single college team anymore. It’s more "regional" now.
What You Lose in the Merger
You've probably noticed the tone change. The Athletic used to feel like a locker room. Now, it feels a bit more like a boardroom.
The "no politics" rule they implemented a while back really rubbed people the wrong way. The editors wanted to bring the site in line with NYT’s strict objectivity standards. But in 2026, can you really cover sports without talking about politics? When a stadium deal involves billions in public tax money or an athlete takes a stand on social issues, it's all connected.
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Some of the "edge" is gone. But in its place, you get better investigative resources. When The Athletic teams up with the NYT business desk to look into FIFA corruption or Saudi "sportswashing," the result is world-class.
Why This Matters for the Average Fan
If you're just here to check the score of the Knicks game, this corporate stuff might seem boring. But it changes what you read.
- Less "Beat" News: You’ll see fewer 200-word blurbs about a backup linebacker’s hamstring injury.
- More "Enterprise" Stories: Expect 3,000-word deep dives into how private equity is buying up European soccer teams.
- The Paywall is Real: The days of "free" high-quality sports journalism are basically over. The NYT model has proven that people will pay, so everyone else is following suit.
The "Gray Lady" has essentially become a tech company that happens to sell news. The Athletic is just one more app in their ecosystem.
Actionable Next Steps for Readers
If you're trying to figure out if this merger is worth your cash, don't just hit "subscribe" on the first pop-up you see.
- Check your existing NYT plan: Many people are paying for the "All Access" bundle without realizing they already have The Athletic included. Go to your account settings and check "Subscription Details."
- Wait for the "New Year" or "Season Kickoff" deals: The NYT almost always drops the price of the bundle to $1 a week for the first year during major sporting events or holidays.
- Use the app, not the site: The integration of The Athletic content is much smoother in the dedicated app than it is trying to navigate the messy NYT homepage.
- Follow specific writers, not the "org": Since the merger, many top-tier writers have left for Substack or other startups. If your favorite beat writer jumped ship, your subscription money might be better spent elsewhere.
The era of The Athletic being an independent disruptor is officially dead. It’s part of the establishment now. Whether that’s a good thing depends on if you prefer your sports news with a side of Wordle or a side of grit.
Check your current subscription status to see if you're already paying for access you isn't using. If you're on a "News Only" plan, you're likely missing out on the full sports feed that replaced the old sports desk.