Shocking the System: The Athletic, a Journalistic Merger and the (Preventable) Ensuing Fallout

Abstract

This case study applies systems theory to examine the merger between The Athletic and The New York Times from the perspective of Athletic journalists. As media mergers increase, research on their successes and failures can illuminate the tensions at the intersection of organizational culture, journalism, and growing corporate culture within journalism. Utilizing in-depth interviews with journalists conducted both before and months after the merger, this study examines how the Times failed to properly account for how slight changes—especially to journalists’ perceived autonomy—could upend prior positive stasis within the organization. The study concludes by hypothesizing how negative consequences could have been avoided and what this means for future journalism—particularly sports journalism—mergers and acquisitions.