ESPN Host Michael Wilbon Launches Expletive-Laced Tirade Against The New York Times

Longtime ESPN host Michael Wilbon delivered an expletive-laden critique of The New York Times on Wednesday, expressing anger over the publication's handling of its sports journalism coverage. Wilbon made his remarks on "The Dan Le Batard Show," where he was informed that The New York Times was the only major publication that did not permit its sports writers to appear on Wilbon's ESPN program, "Pardon the Interruption."

Wilbon, who transitioned to ESPN full-time in 2010 after a decades-long career in print journalism with The Washington Post, accused The New York Times of abandoning the sports writing profession. "They bailed," Wilbon stated. "They were the first to bail. F--- The New York Times. I work for a better section anyway. You think I wouldn’t take a section with Tom Boswell, and Dave Kindred, and Tony Kornheiser, and Sally Jenkins, and David Remnick, and David Aldridge, and J.A. Adande — and I’m skipping a whole generation of people — Barry Lorge, the greatest tennis writer of all time? Half those people went to television."

He continued his criticism, saying, "F--- The New York Times, which bailed on our profession. It bailed. It took the sports section away. Gutless motherf------!"

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Wilbon's comments appear to reference The New York Times' decision in 2023 to close its internal sports department. The publication had acquired The Athletic one year prior and announced it would rely on that outlet for its sports coverage moving forward. While the acquisition did not result in layoffs, the sports department at The Times had been diminishing in size in the years leading up to the purchase. The sports desk eventually lost its dedicated section in the daily print edition, and local teams were no longer guaranteed a beat reporter.

New York Times staffers have since petitioned for The Athletic staff to join their union. In May, Jim Luttrell, a senior editor at The New York Times, told Fox News Digital that the paper's strategy was to acquire a separate company, disband its own sports desk, and then utilize the acquired company as its sports department. "They’re doing the same work that all the other journalists here do that the sports journalists did here before. There is no reason they shouldn’t be in the union," Luttrell said.

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Fox News Digital reached out to The New York Times for comment, but the publication did not immediately respond. ESPN declined to comment on Wilbon's remarks.