3 trends that will redefine sports media as the industry reckons with layoffs, AI, and more

Former NFL player and host Pat McAfee recently signed a five-year deal with ESPN.

• ESPN laid off 20 on-air personalities and the New York Times decided to close its sports desk.
• More news jobs have already been cut this year than in all of 2022 and 2021, per a firm that tracks layoffs.
• Industry experts explain the three media trends that could replace traditional sports journalism.

The year 2023 has been difficult for sports media.

Recent layoffs at ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Warner Bros. Discovery, The Athletic, and NFL Media have resulted in the loss of more than 150 jobs.

Major publications are erasing sports roles even without layoffs. The New York Times announced in July that it would close its sports department, relocating writers to other parts of the newsroom and shifting sports coverage to The Athletic, which the Times purchased for $550 million last year. On the other side of the country, the Los Angeles Times decided to discontinue its routine sports coverage, which included game recaps, box scores, and standings.

“They’re probably having trouble figuring out a model to make that type of reporting really profitable,” Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas’ Andy Challenger told Insider. “It’s probably not great news for the rest of the industry.”

The end is near for sports media, the last bastion of live must-see TV that had been insulated from the effects of a media industry ravaged by digitization.

Challenger’s firm announced 18,836 job cuts in the first six months of the year, compared to less than 4,000 in all of 2021 and 2022. During the same time period, the group tracked 2,091 cuts in news alone, which already outpaced total losses over the previous two years. Challenger believes layoffs will continue at this rate “at least through the end of the year.”

Sports journalism as we know it is under attack, thanks to artificial intelligence, the shift to streaming, rising TV deal costs, local news deserts, and a variety of other factors. But, according to Challenger and other experts, the demand for sports content isn’t going away; it’ll just look and sound different.

Here are the three most significant changes in sports coverage, according to industry experts.

Younger voices for younger audiences

According to industry experts, even as news organizations reorganize and sports sections shrink, the demand for sports coverage remains strong. According to Conrad Wiacek, head of sports analysis at GlobalData, sports-media personalities who connect directly with fans through podcasts, Twitch, and YouTube channels are providing game analysis previously found on the sports page.

“The medium in which you deliver that expertise has changed,” Wiacek explained.

According to Wiacek, the 18- to 30-year-old demographic is critical for traditional media organizations but the most difficult to reach. This group follows their favorite teams on digital platforms and social media.

Pat McAfee is an example of ESPN’s most recent efforts to reach out to a younger audience. In May, the company agreed to pay the former Indianapolis Colts punter $85 million over five years to bring “The Pat McAfee Show” over from FanDuel, where he had a $120 million four-year deal. His daily show will be available on cable, YouTube, and ESPN+.

“The more traditional media outlets are trying to find ways of attracting that audience,” Wiacek explained. “Bringing in people they already know is probably the best way to go.”

Athletes are cutting out the middleman and owning their stories

Another emerging trend in sports media is athletes’ ability to communicate directly with their audiences via new digital channels. Current NBA players like Draymond Green and CJ McCollum, as well as former pros like McAfee, baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz, and NBA veteran JJ Redick, have their own podcasts.

“In essence, you don’t need the middleman anymore,” Wiacek explained. “That reliance on a traditional journalist to tell their story isn’t really there anymore.” They are capable of doing it themselves.”

In the digital age, leagues and teams’ communications and storytelling have evolved as well. According to media consultant Tim Hanlon, content from the source may be less organic because writers and content creators may be restricted from telling the entire story. However, he believes it is a developing field for job seekers.

“Team-authored or league-authored content is growing and being more invested in,” Hanlon said, “frankly, even hiring people from the gaps that are now coming as traditional media and journalistic endeavors are being cut, collapsing, or getting smaller.”

Hanlon believes that team communications are critical for growing leagues like the NWSL, which cannot wait for traditional media coverage, particularly in local markets. He said MLS was an early adopter of a league-wide media strategy, embracing its stories to combat backlash from “Euro snobs,” and he’s seen other fledgling leagues in pickleball and cricket try to emulate the model.

“They’re not going to get coverage from the traditional sports department, if anyone picks up the phone anymore,” Hanlon said.

AI, tech could provide day-to-day coverage

Because online scores and stats are free and immediate, most fans no longer rely on the morning newspaper to keep up with sports news. It takes “30 seconds to Google that,” according to Wiacek.

The Los Angeles Times’ decision to reduce sports coverage foreshadows where the news media may go in the future, away from local beat coverage and toward a magazine-style sports section.

“Given the resource issues, given the challenges on the margins to print media, it makes sense to potentially focus your resources in areas that are going to generate revenue,” Wiacek said. “As sad as that is for traditionalists, I believe it’s an understanding of how the wind is blowing.”

The traditionalists are clearly depressed.Some LA Times subscribers voiced their displeasure in letters to the paper, and Sabbath-observant readers are lamenting the loss of critical coverage of their favorite teams.

Artificial intelligence could provide one solution. The Associated Press announced in 2016 that it would use artificial intelligence to cover Minor League Baseball, and it has used automated services for other sports stories.

Daily sports writers, according to Challenger, are more vulnerable to being replaced by artificial intelligence.

“Technological advancement automates a lot of things that we used to do with humans,” Hanlon said. “I fear that some of the soul of sports coverage, and, frankly, storytelling, will be hollowed out.”

Nonetheless, technological advancements have enabled athletes and members of the media to connect directly with their audiences in an instant and more personal setting, as well as form their own brands online. “You still have to build a reputation for yourself in some way,” Wiacek said. “Whether it’s through a podcast, a YouTube channel, or any other medium… Build your brand, think about what you want to talk about, and become an expert in it.”

Former NFL player and host Pat McAfee recently signed a five-year deal with ESPN.

• ESPN laid off 20 on-air personalities and the New York Times decided to close its sports desk.
• More news jobs have already been cut this year than in all of 2022 and 2021, per a firm that tracks layoffs.
• Industry experts explain the three media trends that could replace traditional sports journalism.

The year 2023 has been difficult for sports media.

Recent layoffs at ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Warner Bros. Discovery, The Athletic, and NFL Media have resulted in the loss of more than 150 jobs.

Major publications are erasing sports roles even without layoffs. The New York Times announced in July that it would close its sports department, relocating writers to other parts of the newsroom and shifting sports coverage to The Athletic, which the Times purchased for $550 million last year. On the other side of the country, the Los Angeles Times decided to discontinue its routine sports coverage, which included game recaps, box scores, and standings.

“They’re probably having trouble figuring out a model to make that type of reporting really profitable,” Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas’ Andy Challenger told Insider. “It’s probably not great news for the rest of the industry.”

The end is near for sports media, the last bastion of live must-see TV that had been insulated from the effects of a media industry ravaged by digitization.

Challenger’s firm announced 18,836 job cuts in the first six months of the year, compared to less than 4,000 in all of 2021 and 2022. During the same time period, the group tracked 2,091 cuts in news alone, which already outpaced total losses over the previous two years. Challenger believes layoffs will continue at this rate “at least through the end of the year.”

Sports journalism as we know it is under attack, thanks to artificial intelligence, the shift to streaming, rising TV deal costs, local news deserts, and a variety of other factors. But, according to Challenger and other experts, the demand for sports content isn’t going away; it’ll just look and sound different.

Here are the three most significant changes in sports coverage, according to industry experts.

Younger voices for younger audiences

According to industry experts, even as news organizations reorganize and sports sections shrink, the demand for sports coverage remains strong. According to Conrad Wiacek, head of sports analysis at GlobalData, sports-media personalities who connect directly with fans through podcasts, Twitch, and YouTube channels are providing game analysis previously found on the sports page.

“The medium in which you deliver that expertise has changed,” Wiacek explained.

According to Wiacek, the 18- to 30-year-old demographic is critical for traditional media organizations but the most difficult to reach. This group follows their favorite teams on digital platforms and social media.

Pat McAfee is an example of ESPN’s most recent efforts to reach out to a younger audience. In May, the company agreed to pay the former Indianapolis Colts punter $85 million over five years to bring “The Pat McAfee Show” over from FanDuel, where he had a $120 million four-year deal. His daily show will be available on cable, YouTube, and ESPN+.

“The more traditional media outlets are trying to find ways of attracting that audience,” Wiacek explained. “Bringing in people they already know is probably the best way to go.”

Athletes are cutting out the middleman and owning their stories

Another emerging trend in sports media is athletes’ ability to communicate directly with their audiences via new digital channels. Current NBA players like Draymond Green and CJ McCollum, as well as former pros like McAfee, baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz, and NBA veteran JJ Redick, have their own podcasts.

“In essence, you don’t need the middleman anymore,” Wiacek explained. “That reliance on a traditional journalist to tell their story isn’t really there anymore.” They are capable of doing it themselves.”

In the digital age, leagues and teams’ communications and storytelling have evolved as well. According to media consultant Tim Hanlon, content from the source may be less organic because writers and content creators may be restricted from telling the entire story. However, he believes it is a developing field for job seekers.

“Team-authored or league-authored content is growing and being more invested in,” Hanlon said, “frankly, even hiring people from the gaps that are now coming as traditional media and journalistic endeavors are being cut, collapsing, or getting smaller.”

Hanlon believes that team communications are critical for growing leagues like the NWSL, which cannot wait for traditional media coverage, particularly in local markets. He said MLS was an early adopter of a league-wide media strategy, embracing its stories to combat backlash from “Euro snobs,” and he’s seen other fledgling leagues in pickleball and cricket try to emulate the model.

“They’re not going to get coverage from the traditional sports department, if anyone picks up the phone anymore,” Hanlon said.

AI, tech could provide day-to-day coverage

Because online scores and stats are free and immediate, most fans no longer rely on the morning newspaper to keep up with sports news. It takes “30 seconds to Google that,” according to Wiacek.

The Los Angeles Times’ decision to reduce sports coverage foreshadows where the news media may go in the future, away from local beat coverage and toward a magazine-style sports section.

“Given the resource issues, given the challenges on the margins to print media, it makes sense to potentially focus your resources in areas that are going to generate revenue,” Wiacek said. “As sad as that is for traditionalists, I believe it’s an understanding of how the wind is blowing.”

The traditionalists are clearly depressed.Some LA Times subscribers voiced their displeasure in letters to the paper, and Sabbath-observant readers are lamenting the loss of critical coverage of their favorite teams.

Artificial intelligence could provide one solution. The Associated Press announced in 2016 that it would use artificial intelligence to cover Minor League Baseball, and it has used automated services for other sports stories.

Daily sports writers, according to Challenger, are more vulnerable to being replaced by artificial intelligence.

“Technological advancement automates a lot of things that we used to do with humans,” Hanlon said. “I fear that some of the soul of sports coverage, and, frankly, storytelling, will be hollowed out.”

Nonetheless, technological advancements have enabled athletes and members of the media to connect directly with their audiences in an instant and more personal setting, as well as form their own brands online. “You still have to build a reputation for yourself in some way,” Wiacek said. “Whether it’s through a podcast, a YouTube channel, or any other medium… Build your brand, think about what you want to talk about, and become an expert in it.”

• ESPN laid off 20 on-air personalities and the New York Times decided to close its sports desk.
• More news jobs have already been cut this year than in all of 2022 and 2021, per a firm that tracks layoffs.
• Industry experts explain the three media trends that could replace traditional sports journalism.

The year 2023 has been difficult for sports media.

Recent layoffs at ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Warner Bros. Discovery, The Athletic, and NFL Media have resulted in the loss of more than 150 jobs.

Major publications are erasing sports roles even without layoffs. The New York Times announced in July that it would close its sports department, relocating writers to other parts of the newsroom and shifting sports coverage to The Athletic, which the Times purchased for $550 million last year. On the other side of the country, the Los Angeles Times decided to discontinue its routine sports coverage, which included game recaps, box scores, and standings.

“They’re probably having trouble figuring out a model to make that type of reporting really profitable,” Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas’ Andy Challenger told Insider. “It’s probably not great news for the rest of the industry.”

The end is near for sports media, the last bastion of live must-see TV that had been insulated from the effects of a media industry ravaged by digitization.

Challenger’s firm announced 18,836 job cuts in the first six months of the year, compared to less than 4,000 in all of 2021 and 2022. During the same time period, the group tracked 2,091 cuts in news alone, which already outpaced total losses over the previous two years. Challenger believes layoffs will continue at this rate “at least through the end of the year.”

Sports journalism as we know it is under attack, thanks to artificial intelligence, the shift to streaming, rising TV deal costs, local news deserts, and a variety of other factors. But, according to Challenger and other experts, the demand for sports content isn’t going away; it’ll just look and sound different.

Here are the three most significant changes in sports coverage, according to industry experts.

Younger voices for younger audiences

According to industry experts, even as news organizations reorganize and sports sections shrink, the demand for sports coverage remains strong. According to Conrad Wiacek, head of sports analysis at GlobalData, sports-media personalities who connect directly with fans through podcasts, Twitch, and YouTube channels are providing game analysis previously found on the sports page.

“The medium in which you deliver that expertise has changed,” Wiacek explained.

According to Wiacek, the 18- to 30-year-old demographic is critical for traditional media organizations but the most difficult to reach. This group follows their favorite teams on digital platforms and social media.

Pat McAfee is an example of ESPN’s most recent efforts to reach out to a younger audience. In May, the company agreed to pay the former Indianapolis Colts punter $85 million over five years to bring “The Pat McAfee Show” over from FanDuel, where he had a $120 million four-year deal. His daily show will be available on cable, YouTube, and ESPN+.

“The more traditional media outlets are trying to find ways of attracting that audience,” Wiacek explained. “Bringing in people they already know is probably the best way to go.”

Athletes are cutting out the middleman and owning their stories

Another emerging trend in sports media is athletes’ ability to communicate directly with their audiences via new digital channels. Current NBA players like Draymond Green and CJ McCollum, as well as former pros like McAfee, baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz, and NBA veteran JJ Redick, have their own podcasts.

“In essence, you don’t need the middleman anymore,” Wiacek explained. “That reliance on a traditional journalist to tell their story isn’t really there anymore.” They are capable of doing it themselves.”

In the digital age, leagues and teams’ communications and storytelling have evolved as well. According to media consultant Tim Hanlon, content from the source may be less organic because writers and content creators may be restricted from telling the entire story. However, he believes it is a developing field for job seekers.

“Team-authored or league-authored content is growing and being more invested in,” Hanlon said, “frankly, even hiring people from the gaps that are now coming as traditional media and journalistic endeavors are being cut, collapsing, or getting smaller.”

Hanlon believes that team communications are critical for growing leagues like the NWSL, which cannot wait for traditional media coverage, particularly in local markets. He said MLS was an early adopter of a league-wide media strategy, embracing its stories to combat backlash from “Euro snobs,” and he’s seen other fledgling leagues in pickleball and cricket try to emulate the model.

“They’re not going to get coverage from the traditional sports department, if anyone picks up the phone anymore,” Hanlon said.

AI, tech could provide day-to-day coverage

Because online scores and stats are free and immediate, most fans no longer rely on the morning newspaper to keep up with sports news. It takes “30 seconds to Google that,” according to Wiacek.

The Los Angeles Times’ decision to reduce sports coverage foreshadows where the news media may go in the future, away from local beat coverage and toward a magazine-style sports section.

“Given the resource issues, given the challenges on the margins to print media, it makes sense to potentially focus your resources in areas that are going to generate revenue,” Wiacek said. “As sad as that is for traditionalists, I believe it’s an understanding of how the wind is blowing.”

The traditionalists are clearly depressed.Some LA Times subscribers voiced their displeasure in letters to the paper, and Sabbath-observant readers are lamenting the loss of critical coverage of their favorite teams.

Artificial intelligence could provide one solution. The Associated Press announced in 2016 that it would use artificial intelligence to cover Minor League Baseball, and it has used automated services for other sports stories.

Daily sports writers, according to Challenger, are more vulnerable to being replaced by artificial intelligence.

“Technological advancement automates a lot of things that we used to do with humans,” Hanlon said. “I fear that some of the soul of sports coverage, and, frankly, storytelling, will be hollowed out.”

Nonetheless, technological advancements have enabled athletes and members of the media to connect directly with their audiences in an instant and more personal setting, as well as form their own brands online. “You still have to build a reputation for yourself in some way,” Wiacek said. “Whether it’s through a podcast, a YouTube channel, or any other medium… Build your brand, think about what you want to talk about, and become an expert in it.”