The New York Times said Monday that it will close its sports department, which has produced Pulitzer Prize winners and legendary columnists, and turn to The Athletic for daily coverage.
The move comes amid growing whispers over the weekend of the demise of the sports desk in favor of The Athletic, the subscription-based sports site it paid $550 million for last year.
The roughly 40 current sports staffers will be offered other roles within the Times newsroom, Executive Editor Joseph Kahn and Deputy Managing Editor Monica Drake said in a note to staff Monday.