John Riordan: closure of sports department a sad sign of the Times

The Athletic will fill the gap at the New York Times.

FULL TIME: The New York Times building, where it was announced the impending dissolution of its revered sports department was imminent. Picture: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images

Once again, I am part of the problem. I’m always happy to admit that. If you see any crocodile tears in the next few paragraphs, feel free to roll your eyes.

On Monday, the New York Times newspaper announced the impending dissolution of its revered sports department after a contentious weekend meeting with staff forced the hand of the publishers. The owners were urged to clarify the role of the elephant near their newsroom, a sports outlet and stablemate called The Athletic, and so that is what they did.