Following a 2024 that was full of movement, it’s been a quiet start to 2025 f0r The Athletic when it comes to talent departures.
That, however, changed on Monday, with longtime Penn State beat writer Audrey Snyder announcing that she’s leaving the New York Times-owned outlet. While it’s unclear whether Snyder was laid off or didn’t have her contract renewed, she said that The Athletic is no longer interested in having someone cover the Nittany Lions on a full-time basis.
“So… After nearly 7 years at The Athletic, my time with the company has come to an end,” she wrote on X. “They no longer want to cover Penn State with a full-time beat writer.
“Proud of the work I did and the stories I told. Thank you to so many who subscribed.”
While The Athletic has seemingly deemphasized its local coverage in favor of a more national approach since being purchased by the Times, the decision to no longer cover Penn State with a full-time beat writer remains surprising nonetheless. If you were going to make a list of programs The Athletic would want to dedicate a full-time beat writer to, one would figure that the Nittany Lions would be toward the top of the list, especially in a year in which they are coming off an appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinal and are well positioned to be a national title contender.
Although The Athletic has seen plenty of movement across multiple sports since the Times‘ purchase, its college football coverage has seen perhaps the most significant shifts. Last year saw Ari Wasserman (on3), Nicole Auerbach (NBC Sports) and Max Olson (ESPN) all leave the now-profitable publication, which also added former Associated Press columnist Ralph Russo as a national writer.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.