The Athletic looks much different now than it did in 2022, when The New York Times purchased the publication for $550 million. Some of that is for the better; others would argue it’s for the worse. But whatever Times ownership has done for The Athletic, it seems to be working from a customer acquisition standpoint. Speaking with Axios media reporter Sara Fischer at Cannes Lions, New York Times CEO Meredith Kopit Levien revealed that The Athletic is the fastest-growing vertical in the publication’s entire portfolio. .@TheAthletic “has the fastest growing audience” in the @nytimes portfolio, CEO Meredith Kopit Levien says at #AxiosHouse at Cannes: pic.twitter.com/4byKiv2xep — Axios (@axios) June 22, 2026 “In The Athletic, when we acquired it four-and-a-half years ago, it was largely behind a paywall; it had about a million subscribers. That was about as many readers as they had. And [now], The Athletic has the fastest-growing audience on The New York Times. It’s many millions more than that today,” Kopit Levien revealed. That’s an impressive feat when the Times counts popular products like its games division, Wirecutter, cooking, and of course news among its verticals. Games, in particular, has taken off in recent years as products like Wordle and Connections grow in popularity. The Athletic’s growth has coincided with some structural changes to the publication. Since joining the Times operation, The Athletic has shifted its focus from covering local beats to covering stories of national interest. Just a year after purchasing the publication, the Times shuttered its traditional sports department, replacing its content with stories from The Athletic. The Athletic is trying to further grow its user base this summer by dropping its paywall for the World Cup, allowing free access to its reporting through the Final on July 19. The post The Athletic has ‘fastest-growing audience’ in New York Times portfolio, CEO says appeared first on Awful Announcing.
As first reported by Awful Announcing, Linda Cohn will be retiring from ESPN at the end of June. It’s the literal end of an era, as Cohn is ESPN’s longest-tenured SportsCenter anchor, having been behind the desk since July 1992. Cohn and ESPN were unable to agree on a suitable role for her moving forward after her contract expires at the end of the month, as reported by Awful Announcing’s Ben Koo. She will make her final SportsCenter appearances on Friday, June 26. “When I look back, I have amazing memories of the shows I hosted, the games I reported on, the athletes I met and the outstanding colleagues I got to work with,” said Cohn, in an ESPN release. “I’ve always said I was a fan first and I’ve always tried to keep that top of mind when I was doing SportsCenter or anything else. “But what I’m most proud of is that my career lasted long enough for me to see little girls grow up watching SportsCenter, enter this business, and succeed in it,” she said. “If my journey helped make that path a little easier for them, then that’s the achievement I’ll cherish most.” Cohn shared many stories about her time at SportsCenter and ESPN on Rich Eisen’s This Was SportsCenter podcast last week, including the infamous Ken Griffey Jr. interview that became an early internet sensation and the “master batter” catchphrase that ESPN executive Norby Williamson shut down after one airing. “Linda Cohn is a legend and a major part of the history of ESPN,” ESPN content president Burke Magnus said in a release. “She has brought enthusiasm, personality and her love of sports to our audience for more than 30 years, and her contributions to ESPN both in front of and behind the camera would make a very long list. We wish her all the best in her retirement and sincerely thank her.” He wasn’t the only sports media figure to pay respects to Cohn for her storied ESPN career; tributes poured in across social media as the news spread, with many celebrating her impact as a trailblazer in the field. An absolute legend. Linda is the best of ESPN. A die-hard fan, respected journalist and a wonderful friend. It was always an honor to share the desk with you, @lindacohn! Your mark on TV is indelible. https://t.co/jC7jfZnzeC— Kevin Connors (@kevconnorsespn) June 22, 2026 A true icon https://t.co/yMgMNQQssF — Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) June 22, 2026 Congratulations to the @lindacohn !! Linda paved the way for so many women in this industry by being her authentic self. She also helped carry the torch for hockey on ESPN in between rights deals. Absolute legend. https://t.co/jMFrO97oJJ — Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) June 22, 2026 I loved watching Linda Cohn on SportsCenter as a kid. It was the first time I had ever seen a woman anchor a sports show. I looked up to her. I admired her. I wanted to be her. What an icon. https://t.co/rzl47FpwP0 — Gina Muscato (@GinaMuscato) June 22, 2026 The end of an era for one of the greatest to ever do it. Thanks for paving the way, @lindacohn https://t.co/fszajX4lg0 — Madelyn Burke (@MadelynBurke) June 22, 2026 Linda Cohn was such a multi talented @espn on air personality – she was also an all around terrific person – treated all ppl in a very kind way . — Dick Vitale (@DickieV) June 22, 2026 A true legend of the industry. Congrats on an incredible career @lindacohn https://t.co/MgaHdsiIwO — Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) June 22, 2026 One of my favorites to work with from my decade at espn & Sportscenter is leaving the network to enjoy the next phase of her life .. Wishing Linda Cohn the best…one of the truly good people in our business!#espn #sportscenter— Chris Myers (@The_ChrisMyers) June 22, 2026 One of the kindest in the business too! Enjoy @lindacohn you helped so many of us by just being you https://t.co/yfMbxytyaD — Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) June 22, 2026 The post Sports media tributes pour in for Linda Cohn’s ESPN retirement appeared first on Awful Announcing.
Less than a week after being praised for their ability to root for the Knicks, New York sports fans are being lambasted for their antics at the U.S. Open. Wyndham Clark won his second U.S. Open Sunday afternoon, overcoming the challenging course at Shinnecock Hills, and the more unexpected challenge that came from the hostile crowd on Long Island. Clark has repeatedly apologized for his outburst at Oakmont after missing the U.S. Open cut last year. But the hostility directed at Clark over the weekend seemed less about his past transgressions, and more about Long Island having some of the worst fans in golf. So bad that Golf Channel’s Eamon Lynch believes Long Island should be barred from hosting another PGA event in the future. “The PGA of America is supposed to go back to Bethpage in 2033 with the PGA Championship. That should not happen. These people do not deserve a major championship.” “Maybe golf in its entirety needs to take the Augusta National model. No phones, no tolerance, no second chance.”… pic.twitter.com/tPniWekVTE — Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) June 22, 2026 “Long Island golf fans are a stain on the game of golf,” Lynch ranted Monday morning. “That’s what we saw at Bethpage, it’s what we see every single time we go to Long Island.” What we saw at Bethpage refers to last September’s Ryder Cup, where New York golf fans similarly exposed themselves. Some attempted to blame the hostile crowds at Bethpage on the intense partisan nature of the event. But the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills proved Long Island’s hostility wasn’t limited to the Ryder Cup. “It happens on Long Island every single time,” Lynch continued, insisting the issue is specific to Long Island, not New York. “Long Island fans are a particularly hardcore bunch. And what we saw at Bethpage last year – I’ve argued on this show that the PGA of America is supposed to go back to Bethpage in 2033 with the PGA Championship. That should not happen. These people do not deserve a major championship out there because we have now gotten to this era where it is so repetitive, so predictable as a component.” Long Island can root for the NBA Finals and the FIFA World Cup, but maybe having the U.S. Open out East in the same week was too much. Lynch went on to claim the problem fans are “the drunk crypto bros who buy a ticket with daddy’s credit card and they’ve gone through life without ever being slapped for something they’ve said.” And Lynch wants the PGA to issue that slap by never returning to Long Island again. The post Golf analyst wants Long Island barred from future PGA events: ‘A stain on the game’ appeared first on Awful Announcing.
The only person better at making a LeBron James topic out of nothing than ESPN would have to be Skip Bayless, and he proved it again as Lionel Messi broke the World Cup scoring record. Bayless planted his flag as the foremost LeBron-hater in sports media decades ago, and he refuses to let up. He has a very particular set of skills, skills he has acquired over a very long career, skills that make him a nightmare for LeBron James fans. If you have the gall to say anything that could be perceived as a compliment to LeBron James on live TV, Bayless will find you, and he found Owen Hargreaves. Messi became the all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history Monday afternoon. His 17th career World Cup goal came in the 38th minute against Austria, breaking the previous scoring record held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose. And shortly after Darren Fletcher called the record-breaking goal for Fox, analyst Owen Hargreaves said, “The great ones are just built different, when you think about Michael Jordan, LeBron or Tom Brady, they’re just built for these moments, and they’re waiting for it.” Somewhere, Skip’s ears perked up as the name “LeBron” rang through TV sets across the globe in being compared to Messi. And Skip wasn’t going to allow that type of praise to slide. Commentator just ruined the moment by comparing Messi with Michael Jordan AND LEBRON. So naive. So wrong. So blasphemous. MJ, yes. LBJ … NO. — Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 22, 2026 “Commentator just ruined the moment by comparing Messi with Michael Jordan AND LEBRON. So naive. So wrong. So blasphemous,” Bayless ranted on social media. “MJ, yes. LBJ … NO.” Every four years, the World Cup makes casual sports fans into diehard soccer fans for a few weeks, and if Bayless gets nothing out of this other than being able to take another swipe at LeBron, it will still be worth it. As much as Bayless’s schtick grew tired on sports fans years ago, his commitment to the bit is still somewhat impressive. Bayless could have thrown in the towel when people stopped taking his LeBron trolling seriously, but he remains devoted. The post Skip Bayless uses Lionel Messi’s World Cup record to troll LeBron James appeared first on Awful Announcing.
On the markets — Kalshi traders have been actively repricing this story in the last day.
So Greg Cote is talking about the split between Dan Le Batard and Stugotz, and he's saying it didn't end well. He knows both guys and feels bad for them. Le Batard has been leaving the door open for a reunion, but Cote thinks that's not gonna happen. The split started last May when Meadowlark Media made a deal with DraftKings that didn't include Stugotz's solo shows.
Stugotz stepped back from the show and has since rebuilt his career outside of Meadowlark. He's got a new show on Fox Sports Radio and a deal with FanDuel. Cote thinks the personal relationship between Le Batard and Stugotz needs to be fixed before they can even think about a business reunion. He's hoping they can get together as friends, which might make a business partnership possible again.
Cote also mentioned that the name change for Le Batard's show was long overdue, since Stugotz hasn't been on the show in over a year. Stugotz has been saying he might tell his side of the story if he feels like it's not being represented accurately, so we might hear more about this soon.
Stan Van Gundy is taking his Prime Video work into the WNBA. Sports Business Journal’s Richard Deitsch reported Monday — with more details expected in his Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast tomorrow — that the NBA on Prime analyst approached Prime Video’s management this season about calling a WNBA game, and the streamer responded by assigning him the LA Sparks-Toronto Tempo game on Thursday My next podcast guest is @NBAonPrime analyst @realStanVG. What’s interesting is that Stan asked Prime Video management if he could call a WNBA game this year. They assigned him to call @LASparks at @TempoBasketball this Thursday. He’s never met @TempoBasketball coach Sandy… — Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) June 22, 2026 Prime Video’s WNBA game coverage is headlined by Michael Grady and Candace Parker, with Lisa Byington, Mike Watts, Kara Lawson, Cynthia Cooper, and LaChina Robinson also working games throughout the season. Van Gundy has an established rapport with Grady from their NBA on Prime work together, most memorably the broadcast where he cautioned Grady against using the word “alien” to describe Victor Wembanyama in the current political climate. Van Gundy joined ESPN as a studio analyst in 2018, was poached by TNT after one season to work games, left after another season to coach the New Orleans Pelicans, returned to TNT, grew into the network’s No. 2 game analyst alongside Ian Eagle, and then landed at Prime Video when TNT lost its NBA rights last year, where he reunited with Eagle and emerged as the best game analyst working in basketball, according to AA’s Brendon Kleen. Van Gundy calls out bad defense, flags flopping, questions coaching decisions in real time, and does it all without the instinctive deference to players that defines most of his competition. Ja Morant spent too much of a game last year “crying“; the Kevin Durant-era Phoenix Suns played “pathetic” defense; Chet Holmgren put on a “big-time acting job” when he flopped in the Western Conference semifinals. That vocabulary — and the conviction to deploy it in the moment, without hedging — is what distinguishes Van Gundy from virtually every other basketball analyst right now. Thursday gives him a chance to see if it travels to the women’s game. The post Stan Van Gundy to call WNBA game for Prime Video appeared first on Awful Announcing.
After Craig Carton went off on a surprise rant against Dan Le Batard in which he challenged his integrity and manhood, Le Batard kept to a simple script in his response. Le Batard, who has repeatedly lamented Carton’s ability to return to a perch high up in the sports media industry after going to prison for defrauding wealthy investors in an effort to repay his gambling debts, did not address the various shots Carton took at him on his WFAN show Friday. The Miami-based host, in his Monday morning live show, acknowledged some of the descriptors Carton lobbed his way, but largely let Carton’s criminal record speak for itself rather than instigating a broader beef. “Woke, I’ll take. No talent, subjective, willing to accept that as well,” Le Batard laughed. “Scumbag, though, from the guy who spent more than a year in prison and lied to his family, employers, and listeners, scumbag’s a little far. But if you get up, look in the mirror, and see one of those, you’ve got a special kind of expertise in this area that I do not have.” Le Batard also reiterated his frustration that, upon Carton’s release from prison, Carton was quickly given coveted platforms at WFAN and FS1 over others whom Le Batard believes are more deserving. “All I’ve said about Craig Carton is that he’s still working and that is an indictment of our industry, because there are plenty of people who are not bright and loud who haven’t been to prison who we can employ in our industry without giving that guy second chances,” he said. “And he doesn’t like that I keep saying that. But I haven’t been to prison.” Given that most of Carton’s complaints centered on Le Batard claiming a high road while supposedly not living up to it, Le Batard clearly is unwilling to entertain such a line of argument from someone whose poor judgment has been proven by federal law enforcement. While Carton was released early from prison, indicating good behavior, and has worked since his release in various educational programs designed to help victims of gambling addiction, he will have a hard time winning a moral fight over anyone else in the media. Carton brought up some valid points about the way Le Batard goes about his business, but he is clearly a poor messenger to win such an argument. The post Dan Le Batard responds to Craig Carton calling him a ‘woke scumbag’: ‘I haven’t been to prison’ appeared first on Awful Announcing.
It’s no secret that ever since Sinclair Broadcast Group executive chairman David D. Smith purchased the Baltimore Sun in 2024, there has been mounting concern about the degradation of the storied newspaper as it aligns coverage with his personal views and whims. That’s meant that some of the newspaper’s best and brightest have moved on, sometimes by choice and sometimes not. Longtime Washington correspondent and sports business reporter Jeff Barker is the latest journalist to sever ties with the Sun, though not before a bit of a parting shot as he walked out the door. “I’ve resigned from The Baltimore Sun after 25 years of politics and sports reporting,” wrote Barker on X Monday. “I was proud to have been there during a long period when our reporting followed the facts wherever they happened to lead. “I’m not saying anything readers can’t see for themselves, but The Sun has changed since its purchase by David Smith, executive chairman of the Sinclair Broadcast Group. I no longer fit there. “I’m grateful to the sources whose trust enabled me to report responsibly, and to the readers who supported our work.” I’ve resigned from The Baltimore Sun after 25 years of politics and sports reporting. I was proud to have been there during a long period when our reporting followed the facts wherever they happened to lead. I’m not saying anything readers can’t see for themselves, but The Sun… pic.twitter.com/ufchUOIk34 — Jeff Barker (@JeffBarkermedia) June 22, 2026 While politics made up much of his coverage, Barker extensively covered Maryland Terrapins basketball and football for The Sun. While we don’t know whether a specific incident prompted Barker’s resignation from the place he’s worked since 2000, many troubling details and reports are already circulating about the newspaper’s editorial and reputational decline since Smith took over. The newspaper’s editorial direction has been more slanted towards conservative coverage, even republishing content from WBFF-TV and conservative news wire The Center Square. It has also infamously published columns written by Smith’s daughter and features promoting restaurants owned by Atlas Restaurants Group, which is owned by Smith’s nephew. In April, Politico reported Smith issued a mandate to Baltimore Sun staff to “expose fraud and misdeeds among Democratic politicians in the state”, and that Smith was “deeply involved” with the paper’s investigations into Maryland governor Wes Moore. Moore criticized Smith’s ownership of The Sun, lamenting that the newspaper was once the city’s “paper of record” but had declined into “right-wing tribble.” Sinclair Broadcast Group, of which Smith is the chairman, is also well known for aggressively featuring content and disinformation that promote conservative political positions, including news coverage and election-season specials that directly support the Republican Party, across its nearly 200 television stations. Many of the Baltimore Sun‘s journalists have left the company as a result of changes made by Smith and conservative columnist Armstrong Williams, with Barker becoming just the latest. The post Longtime Baltimore Sun reporter chides owner David D. Smith in resignation announcement appeared first on Awful Announcing.
Golf aficionados might not want the PGA to return to Shinnecock Hills after Long Island embarrassed itself over the weekend, but how about Shiny Cock Hills? Growing up on Long Island, where I graduated from Comsewogue, live in Patchogue, and have taken the LIRR from Ronkonkoma countless times, Shinnecock is just another town. But Long Island towns can be tough on people who aren’t from the area. And Yazmin Rodriguez from ABC affiliate WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh presumably is not from Long Island. So pumped to watch the final round today at Shiny Cock Hills #USOpen #Shinnecock pic.twitter.com/3KblRkRbsM — Aaron Burger (@a_burger4) June 21, 2026 “It’s already been a year since Oakmont Country Club hosted the 125th U.S. Open; it will be back here in Western PA in 2033,” Rodriguez said during a Sunday morning news report. “This summer, Long Island, New York is on the spotlight with Shiny Cocks Hills hosting the 126th U.S. Open.” Oh no. The only thing that could have made this worse would have been if one of the golfers at Shinnecock was suffering from a bulging disc in their back. Long Island towns are notoriously difficult to pronounce, which is why it’s a common bit for local teams to challenge rookies or newly acquired players by having them read towns such as Hauppauge, Massapequa, Patchogue, and Nissequogue. And in Rodriguez’s defense, she was pretty close in her attempt at pronouncing Shinnecock. Unfortunately for Rodriguez, changing “shin-uh” to “shiny” made this a notable mistake. You have to figure Rodriguez didn’t just assume Shinnecock was pronounced “Shiny Cock” and decided to say it that way on TV without first asking for clarification. Which means this was probably poorly written on the teleprompter, or just an unfortunate hiccup that happened on live TV. The post News reporter hilariously botches ‘Shinnecock’ pronunciation appeared first on Awful Announcing.
Barstool personality Evan “Big Ev” McDowell is officially back in his regular role at Barstool Sports, co-hosting a daily sports show. McDowell, who stepped away from the company in April following allegations of financial impropriety with bookies and unfulfilled deals with people in his audience first reported by Awful Announcing, posted a video on social media earlier this month detailing his absence. The host acknowledged his addiction had gotten “completely out of control” and revealed he had spent more than a month in a residential treatment facility. Monday marked McDowell’s return to air on a newly rebranded Sports Central live show from Barstool’s New York studios. And in the opening moments of the episode, McDowell reiterated his remorse for the situation and called the treatment he received “a much-needed thing that had to happen.” “I’m super happy to be back, been a minute. Everyone that’s watching I’m sure saw the video, saw that I left. I just had to go away to get some help,” he said. “I never meant to harm anybody, never meant to cause any problems, just had a problem that I needed to take care of. I appreciate all the guys in here holding me down … letting me go get help.” McDowell’s previous show, Picks Central, was one of Barstool’s more popular gambling-focused podcasts and aired on the Barstool Gambling YouTube channel. The revised version of the show is also no longer sponsored by DraftKings, which has a major partnership with Barstool. The rebrand away from such a clear betting focus would seem to be indicative of McDowell’s continued recovery. An emotional McDowell said he was glad to be back and looking forward. “This is what I love to do. I love to talk sports,” McDowell said. “I feel good. It was a much-needed thing that had to happen. So I’m glad that it happened so that I can be in a better spot now and move forward with it.” The post ‘Big Ev’ returns to rebranded Barstool show following ‘much-needed’ treatment appeared first on Awful Announcing.
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