The scramble to save D.C. sports journalism
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There's a lot of mourning of the Washington Post sports section — the house that Povich, Wilbon & Kornheiser, Jenkins and many a legend built — but no white knight to save it.
Why it matters: And what a loss it is .... The sports pages transcended D.C.'s local and federal divides — they were our hometown coverage that generations of Washingtonians grew up on.
What I'm hearing: There's plenty of chatter to create something new, but no organized campaign.
- "There is now a massive hole in our community that needs to be filled. I'm on it!" local businessman Mark Ein tweeted recently. Some hope he'll bankroll a new sports newsroom, given his athletic properties (see: investor in the Commanders and owner of D.C.'s tennis open) and media interest (he bought Washington City Paper eight years ago).
- David Rubenstein is the kind of local billionaire-philanthropist — and newish owner of the Orioles — who could fund a venture. But he hasn't been approached, his spokesman tells me.
The intrigue: Before going ahead with the layoffs, The Post rebuffed a group of local investors who wanted to spin off the sports and local sections, per Status.
Zoom out: Jake Sherman, the politics reporter-turned-media builder who co-founded Punchbowl News, has put on blast an offer to lend his startup know-how.
- Yes, but: "No one's reached out," Sherman told me.
State of play: While three seats formerly held by Posties at Commanders HQ sat empty during coach Dan Quinn's press conference Tuesday, the Nats at least have the eyes of a seasoned writer on spring training in West Palm.
- Baseball reporter Mark Zuckerman just launched Nats Journal on Substack, betting on subscribers to pay about $8 a month.
- And former Posties including Neil Greenberg are jumping on Substack, too.
The bottom line: Someone needs to crack the revenue model. Even zillionaires don't like losing money.
- Ben Smith, longtime media writer and co-founder of Semafor, is bullish on the case: "Any space with great journalists and a passionate audience can work as a media business," Smith told me in an email. "D.C. sports certainly fits the description."
💭 D.C. journalism escape room: Lock Kara Swisher, Mark Ein, Sally Jenkins, David Rubenstein in one room until they sign a term sheet. Monumental Sports will stream it. Dan Snyder can join on Zoom. On mute. Town Talker is a column about money and power in Washington. Talk to me: [email protected]
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say Mark Zuckerman is not a former Post reporter and updated to include new information about laid off Posties launching Substacks.