During last week’s Radio Row ruckus, we neglected to mention that the Washington Post disbanded its sports department.
Given the general outcry that was articulated by others far more eloquently than I ever could, I’ll stick with my initial reaction to the news: “What the eff?”
On Tuesday, Commanders coach Dan Quinn met with reporters for the first time since the Post punted its sports section. The team had three empty seats in the front row for the now-absent Post reporters.
Quinn, in a video posted by JP Finlay of NBC 4, noted the empty seats and said he was “bummed” to learn about the decision. “Their presence is missed,” Quinn said.
The accountability the Post brought to sports teams and leagues also will be missed. Reporting regarding former Commanders owner Daniel Snyder helped expedite his forced exit in 2023. More recently, in-depth reporting from the Post potentially sparked a federal investigation regarding a doctor who may have responsibility in connection with the May 2025 death of Colts owner Jim Irsay.
As corporations and oligarchs gobble up more and more independent media, true journalism — finding out the stuff they don’t want us to know — will become more and more rare in sports, because there will be fewer outlets whose employees are not beholden to the rich and powerful.
Which will allow those who are doing things they shouldn’t be doing to keep right on doing them.
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