We founded The Athletic with this simple mission: produce smarter coverage for die-hard fans. It’s what we set out every day to do and our world-class full-time writers, alongside talented contributors and freelancers, have produced thousands of in-depth articles for The Athletic’s subscribers.
We built this company because as fans we were missing something. We longed for the days of in-depth, substantive sports writing that we could read without distraction.
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We got the sense that established media companies weren’t looking for ways to give loyal fans the content they were seeking. Worse, we saw media outlets continuously downsizing because they depend on an antiquated ad-based business model that is unsustainable, leaving world-class talent by the wayside.
So we decided to take a different approach. The Athletic’s model is simple. We pay our writers well and rely on subscriptions, not ad revenue, to support our business. We’ve removed ads, pop-ups, and auto-play videos, giving subscribers a vastly better reading experience. And we’ve said goodbye to click-bait, allowing the nation’s best sports writers to focus on producing high-quality, substantive coverage for The Athletic, without the pressure of generating “clicks.”
What results is authentic, in-depth coverage written by journalists who know their teams inside and out. The feedback from our subscribers is they love the premium content they are paying for, and they believe The Athletic’s model is the future of sports journalism. And they are overwhelmingly enthusiastic about having a better choice when it comes to great sports content.
So what’s next? Our commitment to bringing on the best talent in the industry continues. In 2018 we’ll be adding new cities throughout North America and expanding our national verticals led by Stewart Mandel (football), Ken Rosenthal (baseball), Seth Davis (basketball), and James Mirtle and Pierre LeBrun (hockey). With the best writers producing world class pro and college sports coverage in 15 markets and counting, our scrappy, ambitious team is just getting started.
As we look back, we reflect with gratitude on what we’ve been able to accomplish. No doubt we’ve made some mistakes, but we are always seeking to learn new lessons as we grow. Our team is committed to taking advantage of this opportunity to build the best digital sports outlet on the planet for our readers.
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To our subscribers, we thank you for being a part of The Athletic community and coming along for this ride. The Athletic would not be here without your support so please continue to send us your feedback. We will continue to listen because it’s your hard-earned dollars that allow us to expand our coverage and produce great content alongside a better reading experience.
And if you haven’t signed up yet or are on the fence about subscribing, here’s a special offer to give us a try free for a week. We can promise everyday we’ll do our best to make you Fall in Love With The Sports Page Again.
— Co-founders Alex Mather and Adam Hansmann
Feedback or questions? Please get in touch at support@theathletic.com.