Imago
Turin, Italy. 3rd October 2025. American businessman Jeff Bezos on the stage of 2025 Italian Tech Week. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxITA Copyright: xMarcoxDestefanisx/xipa-agency.netx/xMarcoxDestefanisx IPA_Agency_IPA66102436
Imago
Turin, Italy. 3rd October 2025. American businessman Jeff Bezos on the stage of 2025 Italian Tech Week. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxITA Copyright: xMarcoxDestefanisx/xipa-agency.netx/xMarcoxDestefanisx IPA_Agency_IPA66102436
A major shakeup just landed in the sports media world, and it goes well beyond baseball. Jeff Bezos, owned The Washington Post, appears to be pushing its sports division to the margins as sweeping layoffs loom. The decision sends a loud signal about where sports journalism stands inside one of America’s most influential newsrooms.
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It was just revealed that The Washington Post shut down its sports division, and MLB Insider Jeff Passan did not take it well.
“The Washington Post has the best sports section in the country,” wrote Passan. “Only a soulless corporate goon would think the paper is better without it.”
The Washington Post is facing severe financial strain after reporting $77 million losses in 2023, worsening to $100 million in 2024.
Management has hinted that there are going to be massive layoffs with over 100 employees that could be affected across multiple divisions. Employees say that they feel the newsroom is frozen and is waiting for clarity on the situation.
These rumors and developments have created widespread uncertainty, leaving employees in a state of shock.
The sports division has been hit particularly hard, facing possible shutdown as layoffs loom over its staff. Beat writers assigned to cover the Washington Nationals were explicitly told not to travel for spring training.
The Washington Post has the best sports section in the country, and I don’t think it’s particularly close. Only a soulless corporate goon would think the paper is better without it. A short-sighted, cowardly decision. Shame is your legacy.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 27, 2026
The Post also cancelled their Winter Olympics reporting, even after they secured 14 credentials and spent $80k on travel and accommodations. The staff in the sports division say that they feel like their division is now paralysed and is not able to plan or execute anything effectively.
This situation undermines one of the nation’s most respected sports desks, damaging both reputation and morale within the newsroom.
The Washington Post previously produced high-quality coverage, with staff recognized for Olympic and professional sports reporting excellence. Management inaction and unclear communication have left journalists anxious, frustrated, and questioning the paper’s future direction.
Fans and industry observers fear that sidelining such a key division could weaken the paper’s influence in sports journalism permanently.
Jeff Bezos’s Post risks losing credibility while chasing spreadsheets instead of celebrating its sports talent. Jeff Passan’s outrage highlights how short-term cost cuts can fracture a newsroom’s trusted voice. Canceling coverage and sidelining reporters sends a message that profit now outranks decades of journalistic excellence.
Washington Post staff pleaded with Jeff Bezos to save the paper
Newsrooms usually break stories. This time, the story broke in the newsroom. When silence from the top stretches too long, even institutions built on restraint start speaking louder than they should have to. That tension now sits squarely inside the Washington Post, where patience ran out, and Jeff Bezos finally became part of the copy.
The Washington Post reported that its 2024 saw a $100 million loss, and after this, their leaders started to plan cuts. The staff’s anxiety got worse as travel restrictions appeared, sports trips paused, and foreign desks warned of job losses. Things got even worse when the reports came out that around 300 positions could be eliminated from the company.
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Amid all this tension, the management offered limited clarity, leaving all the employees uncertain as coverage decisions shifted abruptly internally over the weekend.
This uncertainty pushed journalists to send a collective letter to Jeff Bezos. They argued that global reporting strength would weaken further despite already being smaller teams worldwide.
The staff also launched a #SaveThePost campaign publicly. Bezos, who took over the paper in 2013 for $250 million, has yet to share his views and details about the situation.
The Washington Post now waits on ownership clarity, a newsroom asking questions reserved for sources. Jeff Bezos faces a simple choice: explain the path forward or let uncertainty keep writing. For readers watching closely, the Washington Post moment tests whether silence still counts as leadership.