The Player’s Tribune Layoffs Cut Staff By 10 Percent
It seems like every week another media company is shedding staff, sports media included. ESPN’s massive layoffs in 2017 made headlines everywhere, and many other brands have followed: Fox Sports shed their writing staff when they pivoted to video in 2017, The New York Daily News “gutted” their sports department in 2018, and to start 2019, Derek Jeter‘s player-produced site, The Player’s Tribune, announced a round of layoffs.
Reports have varied on the exact number, with some reporting eight, and others saying 12-15, but Awful Announcing wrote at the end of January that the layoffs will cut the company’s staff by 10 percent.
According to CEO Jeff Levick, the layoffs were “part of a shift in our business strategy to better position The Players’ Tribune moving forward.” The Players’ Tribune has made no secret that they are trying new things to raise revenue other than advertising and investment capital. Just a few months ago, the company announced they acquired Unscriptd, a site where athletes could “record, edit and publish short-form videos.” In addition, The Players’ Tribune revealed partnerships with The Athletic for a video series on Gordon Hayward as well as Michigan University. The company also launched offices in London and Barcelona to capitalize on the international market.
The news, now two weeks old, isn’t shocking by any stretch but it goes to show you that even niche sites are vulnerable; The Player’s Tribune is unlike anything else but it all comes down to dollars and cents. That said, it’s a shame any time there are fewer sports media jobs to go around.