One day after announcing an expansion of their college football coverage, The Athletic has announced an expansion of their NFL coverage. In addition to hiring multiple beat writers, the site has hired former ESPN writer Mike Sando.
Sando has been covering the NFL since 1998 and worked at ESPN for the last 12 years. In his first piece to The Athletic, Sando noted coaches and executives within the NFL have told him they subscribe to the site and writing for The Athletic seems to be the next logical step for his career. Sando brings with him a wealth of knowledge and his in-depth and analytical approach of covering the game will be an asset to the site.
Along with Sando’s announcement, The Athletic brought on multiple beat writers for the site. These include former Zach Berman, who will be covering the Eagles. Jourdan Rodrigue, who is covering the Panthers. Phillip Heilman will be covering the Jaguars while Katherine Terrell and Jeff Duncan are Saints beat writers.
https://twitter.com/TheAthleticNFL/status/1151114303237308417
Terrell is coming from ESPN but the rest were beat writers from local papers. Local beat writers joining The Athletic isn’t anything new but it is the latest in an evolution in how people consume sports media. These people may not have been in danger of being laid off, but in a time where layoffs in print media happen way too often, The Athletic and their seemingly never ending expansion is a welcome sight for not only the people who work there but for those who subscribe as well.
[The Athletic/Photo: Denver Broncos]
About Phillip Bupp
Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @phillipbupp