December 30, 2009

Good bye, Washington D.C. Sports

That's right, sports officially don't exist in Washington D.C. anymore. Or maybe newspapers don't exist anymore as a viable money-making entity.

The Washington Times Sports section is preparing as if this Friday's edition will be their last. Caps beat guy Corey Masisak isn't with the team on the West Coast. Wiz beat guy Mike Jones referred to Tuesday night's dreadful loss as his last. Redskins beat guys Ryan O'Halloran and David Elfin aren't going with the team to San Diego, which is just unimaginable, a Skins game without the Times guys. College ace Patrick Stevens covered the frigid EagleBank Bowl on Tuesday and will do Maryland-William & Mary Wednesday night, and then a follow the next day, just for the heck of it. Georgetown beat guy Barker Davis, who's been covering that school since the 19th century, will cover the New Year's Eve game.

And then, silence? As of this writing, the staff hasn't been told anything official, but the paper is moving forward with plans for a new product on Monday, and there have been no indications that product will include sports. The 25 full-time sports staffers are thus assuming they'll get the official pink slip sometime before the New Year.


Okay, if you're a journalist right now you have to be freaking out because the Washington Times is a major sports paper in a major sports market and they just dropped their sports section like a hot potato. What does that mean for the guy that covers the Central Valley Coyotes arena football team? Might want to start seeing if you cant turn that late night karoake talent into a job because this is another sign that newspapers are going down in flames.

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