It was just a few years ago that “Why I’m Joining The Athletic” columns were all the rage in sports media.
But recently, it’s seemed like most announcements relating to The New York Times-owned outlet have taken on a different tone in the form of departures.
The latest comes from longtime Bay Area reporter and columnist Tim Kawakami, who took to X on Wednesday to share that his recent column about the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 1 win over the New York Jets will be his final one for The Athletic. The former San Jose Mercury News columnist made it clear that he’s not leaving sports media and will announce his new job shortly.
“Personal note: This is my last column for The Athletic. I’m not changing up what I do, just changing companies–will announce that in a few days,” he wrote. “But I want to say that starting @theathleticsf was the best job I ever had, working with most of the best people I will ever know.”
Personal note: This is my last column for The Athletic. I’m not changing up what I do, just changing companies–will announce that in a few days–but I want to say that starting @theathleticsf was the best job I ever had, working with most of the best people I will ever know. https://t.co/kdl7Bm2Lni
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) September 11, 2024
Kawakami marks the latest departure from The Athletic after a slew of football reporters left the outlet in recent months. Among those exits were Kalyn Kahler (now at ESPN), Max Olson (also at ESPN), Nicole Auerbach (NBC Sports) and Ari Wasserman (on3). Last month, Pittsburgh Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly announced he had been let go by The Athletic, before quickly landing a role with The Pat McAfee Show.
Kawakami’s departure from The Athletic is especially notable as he was one of the first high profile writers the outlet hired in 2017, doing so to launch the Bay Area portion of its site (back when the site still had a strong emphasis on local coverage). Given his stature, it will be interesting to see where Kawakami lands next and equally interesting to see whether the steady stream of exits from The Athletic continues in the near future.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.