The Athletic, the New York Instances’ devoted sports activities newsroom, has employed six former Washington Put up sports activities journalists weeks after the newspaper ended its sports activities part.
The hires embody Put up columnist Barry Svrluga to cowl the Washington Commanders; reporter Spencer Nusbaum to proceed masking the Washington Nationals; columnist Candace Buckner to launch a brand new column; reporter Ava Wallace to cowl tennis and contribute to ladies’s sports activities protection; reporter Adam Kilgore to affix its rapid-response investigative unit; and former Put up sports activities editor Jason Murray as deputy editorial director. The six be part of the Athletic’s workforce of greater than 500 journalists.
“With these strikes, we intend to offer followers in Washington with unparalleled protection of the groups and sports activities they love,” government editor Steven Ginsberg mentioned in a observe to workers.
The hires have been first reported by Axios. Ginsberg instructed the outlet that, whereas the Put up was now not a “go-to place for sports activities for Washingtonians,” “we wish to be sure that individuals perceive that the Athletic will be one.”
Washington Put up government editor Matt Murray defended shuttering the sports activities desk, noting the problem competing in a altering sports activities media panorama.
The Athletic has served as a touchdown spot for sports activities reporters after legacy papers just like the Put up, Los Angeles Instances and New York Instances have scaled again. It’s newest hiring spree follows the upstart Baltimore Banner planning to cowl D.C.-based sports activities groups.
Ginsberg instructed TheWrap earlier this month that he felt the necessity “to show the worth of sports activities journalism” by way of the Athletic’s work, particularly after the Put up ended its sports activities desk.
“Followers are into sports activities for many causes, however one of many huge ones is enjoyable, and so they wish to get good data out of it, and they also’ll gravitate to locations which are enjoyable and that give them good data,” he mentioned. “On the Athletic, we’re making an attempt to do each.”
