It was my birthday when I received an email from The Athletic that revealed little in the subject header.
My heart started beating faster and negative thoughts began infiltrating my mind.
A week or so beforehand, I had been for an interview at The Athletic’s London office — a modern, inviting space most people would want to work in; comfortable sofas by the entrance, a table football in one corner, smiling faces at their laptops.
“Oh no,” I said to myself as my phone went ping, assuming it would not be good news. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and clicked…
It turns out the interview must have gone quite well because in that email was one of the best birthday gifts a sports journalist could receive (other than perhaps an all-embracing Jurgen Klopp hug for those of us who support a certain team): an offer to work at the go-to destination for sports fans. Happy birthday to me — another slice of cake, please, even though breakfast TV is still on.
Ever since The Athletic launched in the UK in 2019, it has been the place I have wanted to work; to test myself and learn from the best sports journalists in the country. That may sound corny (and, yes, I probably said something similar in the interview) but it is true.
(Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)
I had worked at the BBC for nearly a decade before joining CNN for a long stint in the sports department, but revealing my latest career move to friends and acquaintances sparked a wide-eyed, enthusiastic response I haven’t experienced before. I’ve never felt so popular.
“Can I have a free subscription?” is the most common follow-up question.
But the reaction from people is a testament to the quality of the content The Athletic offers and the investment it has made in sports journalism. In a relatively short period, it has garnered a heavyweight reputation. For analysis, in-depth features and distinctive content, there is no better place to go.
That is why I subscribed years ago, specifically for Meg Linehan’s brilliant women’s soccer articles. That is why even my partner’s friends are making cheeky subscription requests (but he and they are all Manchester United fans, so I’m not even taking their calls).
When I worked at CNN, The Athletic was regarded in the newsroom as the authoritative voice in sport Stateside, an outlet whose stories were trusted, be it for, say, breaking news in the NBA or for insight on the whys and the what next on whatever was happening in the NFL. It is with great pride that I join an organisation held in such high esteem on both sides of the Atlantic.
As someone who has reported at several Olympic Games and on a wide variety of sports, I am also excited to join a team that offers such breadth and depth to its sports coverage, be it on Formula 1, the Olympics, tennis, or golf. One of the best articles I’ve read this year was Gabby Herzig’s interview with Bryson DeChambeau’s caddie, Greg Bodine. Nowhere else does storytelling quite like The Athletic.
Starting a job, leaving the familiar for the new, generates a whole heap of contradictory feelings, but I can’t wait to get started — just don’t ask me for a free subscription.
(Top photo: DeChambeau, left, and Bodine; Jared C Tilton/Getty Images)