# Longtime ESPN host launches into angry tirade at New York Times, calling them ‘gutless motherf——‘

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/longtime-espn-host-launches-into-angry-tirade-at-new-york-times-calling-them-gutless-motherf/
- Published: 2026-10-23T18:00:08+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-23T19:38:40+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Far right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/media/longtime-espn-host-launches-angry-tirade-new-york-times-calling-them-gutless-motherf
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Michael Wilbon condemned the Times’ retreat from its own sports desk.
- The Times shifted sports coverage to The Athletic in 2023.
- Its former sports section had already contracted and lost local beat guarantees.

## Summary

Michael Wilbon criticised The New York Times over its decision to close its internal sports department, accusing the paper of abandoning sports journalism. Speaking on “The Dan Le Batard Show”, the longtime ESPN host used profane language and argued that the Times had turned away from a profession that had supported many prominent sports writers.

The remarks followed a discussion about Times sports writers not appearing on Wilbon’s ESPN programme, “Pardon the Interruption”. In 2023, the Times said it would rely on The Athletic, which it had acquired the previous year, to cover teams and games. The Times sports desk had already shrunk, lost its separate print section and no longer guaranteed beat reporters for local teams; the paper later had no comment, while ESPN declined to comment.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.