History of The Athletic in Timeline

The Athletic is a subscription-based sports journalism outlet owned by The New York Times. It focuses on in-depth sports coverage, analysis, and storytelling across various leagues and teams. The Athletic distinguishes itself through its commitment to high-quality writing and a business model that relies on subscriptions rather than advertising.

January 2016: The Athletic Launches in Chicago

In January 2016, The Athletic officially launched in Chicago, with Jon Greenberg as the founding editor, along with Sahadev Sharma (Cubs) and Scott Powers (Blackhawks).

October 2016: The Athletic expands to Toronto

In October 2016, The Athletic expanded to its second city, Toronto, focusing on Maple Leafs, Raptors, and Blue Jays coverage, and hired James Mirtle as editor-in-chief.

Jan 2017: Courtside Ventures Provided Seed Funding of $2.3 million

In Jan 2017, Courtside Ventures provided the first major funding with $2.3 million in seed funding to The Athletic.

March 2017: The Athletic launched in Cleveland

In March 2017, The Athletic expanded to Cleveland, with Jason Lloyd as editor-in-chief.

June 2017: The Athletic expands to Detroit

In June 2017, The Athletic continued its expansion to Detroit, hiring Craig Custance from ESPN as editor-in-chief.

July 2017: The Athletic raised another $5.4 million

In July 2017, The Athletic raised another $5.4 million in Series A funding also led by Courtside Ventures.

August 2017: The Athletic expands to San Francisco, adds national coverage

In August 2017, The Athletic launched in the San Francisco-area market, added national coverage and launched the national college football section, "The All-American".

September 2017: The Athletic Expands to Multiple Cities

In September 2017, The Athletic expanded into Philadelphia, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and the rest of Canada.

February 2018: The Athletic announced further expansion

In February 2018, The Athletic announced further expansion into New York, Dallas, and Cincinnati and launched baseball-only coverage in several cities.

March 2018: The Athletic announced a $20 million third round of funding

In March 2018, The Athletic announced a $20 million third round of funding led by Evolution Media to be invested into expanding coverage to new cities and increasing the number of writers from the then staff of 120.

April 2018: The Athletic expanded coverage to Denver and Boston

In April 2018, The Athletic announced full coverage in Denver and Boston and added dedicated beat writers for major college football programs.

May 2018: The Athletic announced coverage of soccer

In May 2018, The Athletic announced coverage of both domestic and international soccer.

June 2018: The Athletic increased coverage in Los Angeles and expanded into Buffalo

In June 2018, The Athletic increased coverage in Los Angeles and expanded into Buffalo, New York.

July 2018: The Athletic expanded to Atlanta, Baltimore, and Wisconsin

In July 2018, The Athletic continued market expansion with the addition of Atlanta, Baltimore, and Wisconsin, and added college football writers.

August 2018: The Athletic launched Fantasy Sports coverage

In August 2018, The Athletic launched Fantasy Sports coverage and expanded across US markets, adding NBA and NFL reporting.

September 2018: The Athletic completed local coverage expansion to all NHL and NFL teams

In September 2018, The Athletic completed local coverage expansion to all NHL and NFL teams.

October 2018: The Athletic Expands to Memphis, Completing NBA Coverage

In October 2018, The Athletic added Memphis as the 47th local market, expanding coverage to all NBA teams.

October 2018: The Athletic raised another $40 million

In October 2018, The Athletic raised another $40 million in a Series C funding round co-led by Founders Fund and Bedrock Capital, to be used for expanding teams, subscriptions, podcasts and video.

November 2018: The Athletic Signed TV Journalists

In November 2018, The Athletic signed three veteran TV journalists, including Armen Keteyian, to produce more video content.

May 2019: The Athletic Expanded Into Motorsports Coverage

In May 2019, The Athletic announced an expansion into motorsports coverage featuring veteran journalist Jeff Gluck.

August 2019: The Athletic Had 600,000 Paying Subscribers

As of August 2019, The Athletic had 600,000 paying subscribers with an 80% retention rate year-over-year.

August 2019: The Athletic Expanded to the United Kingdom

In August 2019, The Athletic expanded to the United Kingdom, predominantly covering domestic and international football.

September 2020: The Athletic Announced One Million Global Subscribers

In September 2020, The Athletic announced one million global subscribers, and expansion into additional breaking news content formats.

March 2021: The Athletic Published Investigation Regarding Sexual Misconduct and Abuse at LSU

In March 2021, The Athletic published an investigation regarding sexual misconduct and abuse at Louisiana State University (LSU).

June 2021: Buyout talks between The Athletic and The New York Times ended

In June 2021, buyout talks between The Athletic and The New York Times ended.

September 2021: The Athletic released a report detailing the gross sexual misconduct of association football coach Paul Riley in the NWSL

In September 2021, The Athletic released a report detailing the gross sexual misconduct of association football coach Paul Riley in the NWSL.

November 2, 2021: Reports Emerged about Bidders for the company

On November 2, 2021, reports emerged that sports betting companies DraftKings and Flutter Entertainment, among other companies, were among some of the bidders for The Athletic company.

January 2022: The New York Times Company announced that it would acquire The Athletic

In January 2022, The New York Times Company announced that it would acquire The Athletic for $550 million.

June 2023: The Athletic underwent a reorganization

In June 2023, The Athletic underwent a reorganization, cutting 4% of its staff, reassigning 20 journalists, and discontinuing the use of team-specific beat reporters.

July 2023: NYT dissolves sports department, replaces with The Athletic

In July 2023, The New York Times dissolved its existing sports department, laid off or reassigned its sports staff, and began operating The Athletic as its replacement sports department under new management.