The Washington Post Shuts Down Sports Section Amid Layoffs: "Painful But Necessary"

The Washington Post shut down its sports department on Wednesday, drawing backlash from journalists, media veterans, and unions. Executive Editor Matt Murray described the decision as "painful but necessary" and said it was part of a larger restructuring effort aimed at putting the outlet on stronger footing amid financial losses and other challenges. The newspaper laid off more than 300 journalists and staff - more than a third of its editorial workforce.

Ironically, as the newspaper was eliminating its sports section, the local NBA team, the Washington Wizards, announced a massive trade deal, bringing in power forward Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks.

The Washington Post had one of the best sports sections in America, making local sports fans feel like they mattered. "For us sports fans of a certain age, the sports section of the newspaper taught us how to read," one user posted on X after news broke that the Post would be shutting its sports wing.

"I didn't grow up with The Washington Post sports section, but I did grow up because of it. Today's a sad day for my friends and for all of us," the user added.

Don Graham, whose family owned The Washington Post for 80 years, shared a heartfelt tribute to the newspaper's sports department.

"I will have to learn a new way to read the paper, since I have started with the sports page since the late 1940s," Graham wrote in a Facebook post.

The Post, however, will maintain a sports column in print, reassigning several reporters to cover the beat.

"We have excellent sports reporting, and the very best sports coverage we've done does break through," Murray said in an interview. 

"Generally, The Post isn't seen digitally as a major sports destination, so we're kind of wrestling with some of those questions."