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I love to write.
I remember my fourth grade teacher telling me that I was an excellent writer. From then on, I knew I had talent for something.
As middle school came along, my love for sports flourished as I started to watch more and more of them. I read Sports Illustrated, I played every possible sports video game there was at the time, I watched game after game every night.
I knew I wanted to be in sports media by the time eighth grade came around. During the summer of 2016, I read Al Michael’s autobiography in less than two weeks and after I finished it, I knew I had to achieve that dream.
Ten years later, I have announced games from as far as Omaha, to as close by as Whippany. I cover my favorite soccer team in Red Bull New York now as a writer. Heck, I got to take pictures at Madison Square Garden last year.
For me, I am living out a dream that many have dreamt of. I know that there are kids out there that hope to become announcers, journalists, photographers, podcasters, youtubers, etc.
Let's talk about journalism for a second. Journalism is a key aspect of our daily lives. For sports fans, they want to know about major trades, get analysis, hear different opinions about certain players or teams.
Outside of sports you have entertainment reporters, food reviewers, lifestyle writers. Then, you have journalists who cover politics for a living. It can range from something happening in your town like a town meeting to whatever Trump is doing at the White House.
Journalism is something that is beneficial for society. Whether you read The New York Times, the Associated Press, USA Today or any other publication, you learn more about the world around you.
Now let’s talk about The Washington Post. First off, I did not grow up in the DMV, but I did spend a lot of time there when I was younger. Not the reason I am a Ravens fan but I do like the area.
The Washington Post has for years been considered the best of the best. From coverage of national and international politics, to local sports teams like the Capitals and Wizards, the Post has delivered greatly to their subscribers. If you ever studied journalism, you definitely have been taught about the Pentagon Papers and the Post’s involvement.
From a sports perspective, many famous journalists have written for the newspaper. ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption’s hosts, Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser, were two of the many writers that wrote for the Post. Their work, and the many other talented sports journalists’ work, were praised by many.
It seemed that no matter how much life changed, nothing would happen to one of the premier sports departments in the country. Then Wednesday happened.
On Wednesday, The Washington Post announced massive layoffs, including the elimination of their sports department. I almost threw up when I saw the news. It’s why I posted that reel from one of my favorite content creators, Kofie (Maryland alum), on Wednesday night.
Layoffs are awful and you feel sorry for those involved. Specifically, focusing on the sports room here, what the hell was this decision?
In an era where sports are bigger than ever and are one of the last unifiers in this world, why on earth would they make a stupid decision like this? You know what happened on Wednesday when the Post announced this dumb decision? Anthony Davis was traded to the Wizards.
*Que the Curb Your Enthusiasm’s music.
On top of the ongoing use of AI at other places, this is killing journalism. I cannot stand this bullcrap that keeps attacking a field that I am proud to be in.
I think about the kids younger than me who want to be in this field. Will they be able to do this full-time, let alone have a publication they can write for? With all the things working against journalism, is there a future in this industry?
I know damn well there is but why are sports getting brutally annihilated at these newspaper organizations? We need coverage of our local college, high school, and professional teams. We need to tell the stories of players and teams who work hard to achieve their dreams.
Every time I hear that the sports department is “the toy department” of a newspaper, I get angry. Truthfully, the first thing I read in the morning is sports related. I don’t think about what is going on in politics, I think and want to read about a game I missed from the night before.
Let’s be honest, the reason why people buy subscriptions to newspapers or streaming services is to engage with sports. Am I joking? To an extent.
If you don’t follow sports, you still lean on journalism to help you navigate through the everyday ups and downs of life. Sure it can be depressing, but you become well-informed.
The amount of time and research put in by journalists is extraordinary. For sportswriters, they can teach you something that you didn’t know about a team, a player or even an owner.
You have probably learned things like how a certain offense is effective against a certain defense. The journalist probably interviewed a coach to get a better understanding of it, watched film with them and read books about it. Journalists want you to learn and become more knowledgeable.
Layoffs are nothing new to the Post, especially since Jeff Bezos purchased it in August 2013. In October 2023, the Post took away 240 jobs. In January 2025, four percent of their work force was laid off.
There have also been many controversies for the Post like during the 2024 presidential election when they did not endorse either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump. This caused thousands of subscribers to cancel their subscriptions.
For frequent readers of the Post, what has transpired the past few years and especially Wednesday has been devastating. On the sports side, what now?
Looking at the DMV scene, there is a lot of sports news that needs attention and a local voice describing it for readers. Trae Young will soon suit up for the Wizards, Alex Ovechkin is in the twilight of his career and Maryland’s men’s lacrosse team is expecting a great season ahead.
Sure, there are other outlets locally and nationally that will still cover these noteworthy stories. But, the Post in a way set the standard for sports journalism and to see their esteemed department vanish is horrific.
It was stated that some reporters would still cover sports, albeit with the features team and more as a “cultural and societal phenomenon.”
Wednesday was a dark day in the sports media industry. For someone who grew up enjoying writing, to see a pillar of excellence crumble is a tragedy.
I mentioned Wilbon and Kornheiser earlier and to a bit of a surprise, neither addressed it during PTI on Wednesday. Wilbon did call into a radio station Thursday morning to express his feeling about the department being shuttered.
“It’s a death, I’m not overstating it,” Wilbon said. “This we’ll never get over. This is the death of something, if not someone. For those of us who participated actively, proudly, arrogantly, we’ll never get over this.”
At the end of the day, just support local journalism. Support local sports journalism. Read a story about a high school athlete that was published in a local newspaper or on a local website.
It goes a long way for everyone involved.