Michael Wilbon Criticizes The New York Times for Disbanding Sports Desk

ESPN host Michael Wilbon criticized The New York Times during an appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show, expressing his discontent over the paper's decision to disband its sports desk.

Wilbon highlighted that The New York Times was the only major outlet that did not allow its sports writers to participate in his show, Pardon the Interruption. He accused the publication of abandoning the sports writing profession, stating that it had 'bailed' on the industry.

This criticism follows The New York Times' announcement in 2023 to close its internal sports department and rely on coverage from The Athletic, which it had acquired the previous year. Although there were no layoffs, the sports desk had been shrinking prior to this change, losing its dedicated section in the print edition.