Mike Wilbon Blasts New York Times Over Sports Coverage Neglect

WHO:

NY Post - ESPN host Mike Wilbon criticized The New York Times over its sports coverage.

Fox News - Michael Wilbon, a longtime ESPN host and former print journalist, criticized The New York Times during an appearance on “The Dan Le Batard Show,” hosted by Dan Le Batard.

Fox News - Wilbon spent decades at The Washington Post and joined ESPN full-time in 2010.

Fox News - Wilbon named Tom Boswell, Dave Kindred, Tony Kornheiser, Sally Jenkins, David Remnick, David Aldridge, J.A. Adande and Barry Lorge among sportswriters he valued; he called Lorge “the greatest tennis writer of all time.”

Fox News - Fox News Digital sought comment from The New York Times; ESPN declined to comment.

Fox News - New York Times senior editor Jim Luttrell said staffers had petitioned for The Athletic staff to join their union.

WHAT:

NY Post - Wilbon accused The New York Times of neglecting sports coverage and abandoning the sportswriting industry.

Fox News - Le Batard said The New York Times was the only major publication that did not allow its sports writers to appear on Wilbon’s ESPN program “Pardon the Interruption.”

Fox News - Wilbon said, “They bailed,” and called the Times “gutless motherf------.” He also said, “F--- The New York Times, which bailed on our profession.”

Fox News - The Times announced it would close its internal sports department and focus on covering teams and games through The Athletic.

Fox News - The Times acquired The Athletic one year before announcing the department’s closure. The article says the acquisition involved no layoffs, but the Times sports department had already been shrinking; it lost its standalone daily print section, and local teams were no longer guaranteed assigned beat reporters.

Fox News - Luttrell said the Times bought a separate company, disbanded its sports desk and now uses that company as its sports department; he said Athletic staff do the same work as other Times journalists and should be in the union.

WHERE:

Fox News - The dispute concerns The New York Times’ sports department and Wilbon’s ESPN show “Pardon the Interruption.”

WHEN:

Fox News - The Times announced the closure of its internal sports department in 2023.

Fox News - Luttrell made his quoted comments to Fox News Digital in May.

Fox News - Wilbon’s rant occurred on a Wednesday; the article does not specify its calendar date.

(UPDATED October 23, 2026 21:16 UTC)

ESPN host Mike Wilbon has accused The New York Times of abandoning sports journalism after the paper closed its internal sports department and shifted coverage to The Athletic. Speaking on Dan Le Batard’s show, Wilbon said the Times had “bailed” on the profession and used profanity to condemn the decision. Le Batard said the Times was the only major publication that kept its sportswriters off Wilbon’s ESPN program, “Pardon the Interruption.” The Times announced the department’s closure in 2023, a year after acquiring The Athletic. Its sports section had already been reduced, with no standalone daily print section and no guarantee of assigned beat reporters for local teams. Senior editor Jim Luttrell said Athletic staff do the same work as Times journalists and should be included in the union. Wilbon also praised several veteran sportswriters, calling Barry Lorge the greatest tennis writer of all time.