The Athletic seems to be moving away from centralized college football coverage. Recently, the New York Times-owned publication parted ways with Audrey Snyder, its longtime Penn State beat writer. While it remains unclear if Snyder was laid off or if her contract wasn’t renewed, she indicated that the outlet no longer planned to cover the Nittany Lions full-time.
It appears that a similar trend is emerging with another Big Ten program. On Friday, Jesse Temple announced he would be leaving The Athletic, stating, “The Athletic has decided it will no longer cover Wisconsin with a full-time beat writer. I was offered a different opportunity at the company and declined. Thank you for subscribing over the last seven years. I’ll be back real soon.”
The Athletic has decided it will no longer cover Wisconsin with a full-time beat writer. I was offered a different opportunity at the company and declined. Thank you for subscribing over the last seven years.
I’ll be back real soon.
— Jesse Temple (@jessetemple) April 18, 2025
Temple is regarded as one of the premier college football writers, covering the University of Wisconsin since 2011. Admittedly, I wasn’t a fan initially; his name seemed to always surface when I looked for information about my alma mater’s football program, whether I was a fan or a student journalist. But eventually, I read his work and recognized his talent. For context, I graduated from Temple University, where I served as a staff writer and reporter for OwlScoop.com, and I can’t count how many times his name appeared in my TweetDeck filters.
While The Athletic has clearly shifted to a more national focus since its acquisition by The New York Times, the decision to drop Wisconsin, following Penn State, comes as a surprise. One would expect Wisconsin to be among the programs The Athletic would prioritize for dedicated full-time coverage.
However, it seems that’s not the case. As The Athletic transitions toward this broader focus, it’s hard to overlook that programs like Wisconsin and Penn State, with their rich histories and dedicated fan bases, certainly deserve representation.
Snyder and Temple also deserve consideration. They would be a wise addition to any team.
