It was a controversial decision at the time for the Washington Post, one of the esteemed Sports departments in print media, to close its entire Sports department. It now looks positively misguided, given that one of D.C.’s local teams, the Wizards, is making multiple headlines in the NBA ahead of the trade deadline. Many took to social media to vent their frustrations at the shocking decision.
Shock Prevails As No Local Washington Outlet Covered Anthony Davis’ Wizards Trade
The closure means there would be no coverage of the huge Wizards trade for Anthony Davis in their local metropolitan area, which broke mere hours after they laid off their Sports department. Several members of the Sports media world had their say on the shocking decision, which affects hundreds of Washington Post employees.
Nothing quite signifies the decline of print media and the increased competition for readership more than The Washington Post, owned by Jeff Bezos, eliminating its entire Sports department on Wednesday.
As described in The Athletic, around 45 people were told to stay home and were told of the department’s closure via Zoom. This is part of a large number of cuts to the newsroom, impacting hundreds of employees. A Sports department that once boasted the likes of Shirley Povich, Tony Kornheiser, and Michael Wilbon now has no one.
Fittingly, just as their employees were told to stay home, a seismic move involving the Wizards occurred, which appears to be a tremendous steal for Washington and an underwhelming return for Dallas.
According to Shams Charania, the Wizards pulled off a massive deal for Anthony Davis, with D’Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy, and Dante Exum also heading to Washington. Going the other way to the Mavericks is a four-player package headlined by Khris Middleton and 2 first-round picks. Davis will partner with Trae Young next season for the Wizards, with their intention of keeping their 2026 top-8 protected pick so it doesn’t head to the Knicks.
Rachel Nichols of Fox Sports wrote a scathing indictment of The Washington Post’s decision to eliminate their department. While complimenting the Wizards for the trade, she also finished her tweet on X by writing in all caps: “Wouldn’t it be nice if the newspaper in DC had a Sports department to cover this?”
Meanwhile, Tim Bontemps, a senior writer for ESPN, wrote a similarly damning opinion of the Washington Post’s controversial decision, calling it “truly insane.”
Today would be a good day to be a local newspaper covering the Washington Wizards, I would say.
This couldn’t be more fitting to highlight how truly insane the decision making from The Washington Post is today. Absolutely incredible. https://t.co/JuqBFwC3QH
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) February 4, 2026
Reposting Shams Charania’s trade tweet, Bontemps also wrote: “This couldn’t be more fitting to highlight how truly insane the decision-making from The Washington Post is today. Absolutely incredible.”
A similar sentiment was also shared by the Kamenetzy brothers of the podcast ‘Locked on Lakers,’ who wrote: “Apropos that on the day Anthony Davis becomes a Wizard, the Washington Post has no sports reporters to cover the trade.”
Meanwhile, Jeff Passan, ESPN’s MLB insider, absolutely obliterated the newspaper’s decision makers for the staggering decision. Describing it as a “short-sighted, cowardly decision. Shame is your legacy.”
The overwhelming anger aimed at those who closed such a respected Sports department is surely likely to grow over the next few days.
Donald Stewart
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