The New York Times to disband its sports desk

The American daily newspaper will rely on its recently acquired website The Athletic for the coverage of sports, sportspersons, and tournaments.

The New York Times has revealed its plans to disband its sports department, which constitutes of roughly 35 employees. The Times will now rely on coverage of sports and sports franchises from The Athletic, a sports website it acquired last year for an estimated $550 million.

The 35 employees that include journalists and editors will swap to other roles within the newsroom, with no layoffs planned.

“Though we know this decision will be disappointing to some, we believe it is the right one for readers and will allow us to maximize the respective strengths of The Times’s and The Athletic’s newsrooms,” New York Times Co. Chairman A.G. Sulzberger and CEO Meredith Kopit Levien wrote Monday in a letter to staff.

The move further bolsters the integration of The Athletic newsroom into The Times.

“Under our plan, the digital homepage, newsletters, social feeds, the sports landing page and the print section will draw from even more of the approximately 150 stories The Athletic produces each day chronicling leagues, teams and players across the United States and around the globe,” they wrote.