Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 11, 2021; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; ESPN reporter Michael Wilbon prior to the Phoenix Suns against the Milwaukee Bucks in game three of the 2021 NBA Finals at Fiserv Forum.
In a rant befitting his reputation, ESPN “Pardon The Interruption” co-host Michael Wilbon called the New York Times gutless for being the only outlet that wouldn’t allow its writers to appear on the show.
Wilbon recently sat down with former ESPN coworker Dan Le Batard for a lengthy discussion that covered a wide array of topics.
When Le Batard brought up the fact that the paper was the only outlet that wouldn’t allow its writers to appear on the program from its newsroom, it sent Wilbon into a fervor.
Michael Wilbon Rips Into The New York Times In Remarkable Tirade
“They bailed. They were the first to bail. F— the New York Times,” Wilbon said. “I worked for a better section anyway. You think I wouldn’t take the section with Tom Boswell and Dave Kindred and Tony Kornheiser, Sally Jenkins, and David Remnick, and David Aldridge, and J.A. Adande?
“I’m skipping a whole generation of people: Barry Lorge, the greatest tennis writer of all time. Half those people went to television. F— the New York Times, which bailed on our profession. It bailed. It took the sports section away, gutless motherf—ers.”
Wilbon has never been one to hold back. So it’s no surprise to hear him speak so passionately in this instance.
The New York Times eliminated its sports department in July of 2023 and printed its final sports section just two months later. The outlet does still cover sports, but only through its online vertical, The Athletic.
Safe to say, Wilbon won’t be joining The Athletic anytime soon. And he seems perfectly at peace with that decision.