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§ Private Profile · San Francisco, CA, USA
Subscription sports media.
The Athletic is a direct-to-consumer digital sports media company committed to helping subscribers experience storytelling in a whole new way. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in San Francisco, The Athletic has over 600 full-time employees and covers more than 250 professional sports and collegiate teams in the US, Canada and the UK. The Athletic’s newsroom has produced thousands of in-depth articles along with more than 120 podcasts and premium video content. The Athletic is a remote-friendly company as we have offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, and Melbourne.
The Athletic has raised $67.0M across 4 funding rounds.
Key people at The Athletic.
The Athletic was founded in 2016 by Adam Hansmann (Founder/COO) and Alex Mather (Founder/CEO).
The Athletic has raised $67.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
The Athletic is a subscription-based digital sports media company that delivers in-depth, ad-free sports journalism to passionate fans. It offers comprehensive coverage of over 250 professional and collegiate teams across the US, Canada, and the UK, including national and local stories, long-form journalism, podcasts, and premium video content. The Athletic’s product serves sports enthusiasts who seek detailed, high-quality storytelling and analysis beyond traditional sports media, addressing the problem of superficial or ad-driven sports coverage. It has demonstrated strong growth, reaching over one million global subscribers by 2020 and maintaining high retention rates[1][2][3].
Founded in 2016 by Alex Mather and Adam Hansmann, former colleagues at the fitness company Strava, The Athletic emerged from their belief that sports fans would pay for superior, ad-free journalism. The idea was to create a subscription-based alternative to struggling ad-supported sports media, focusing on smarter, more detailed coverage for die-hard fans. Early traction came from hiring respected sportswriters and expanding coverage rapidly across North America and later the UK. The company’s growth was marked by aggressive hiring and a commitment to quality content, culminating in its acquisition by The New York Times in 2022 for $550 million[1][3][6].
The Athletic rides the broader trend of digital subscription media disrupting traditional ad-supported journalism. Its timing capitalized on growing consumer willingness to pay for quality content and the decline of local newspapers’ sports sections. Market forces such as the fragmentation of sports fandom across multiple teams and regions, and the demand for personalized, in-depth coverage, work in its favor. The Athletic influences the ecosystem by setting a new standard for sports journalism, demonstrating the viability of subscription models in niche media, and pushing competitors to improve content quality and user experience[3][7].
Looking ahead, The Athletic is poised to expand its subscriber base well beyond its current scale, potentially surpassing 10 million subscribers as it broadens its content offerings and geographic reach. Trends shaping its journey include the increasing consumption of digital media, the rise of personalized content, and the integration of multimedia formats like podcasts and video. Its influence may evolve as it leverages The New York Times’ resources to innovate in sports journalism and deepen engagement with a global audience, reinforcing its position as a leader in subscription sports media[2][3][7].
The Athletic has raised $67.0M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $40.0M Series C in October 2018.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2018 | $40M Series C | Eric Stromberg, Founders Fund | Courtside Ventures | Announced |
| Mar 1, 2018 | $20M Series B | — | CapitalG, Courtside Ventures, Expa, Greylock, NEO, Next Play Ventures, Y Combinator, Adrian Aoun, Charlie Songhurst, Drew Houston, Farzad Nazem, Gabriel Naouri, Hadi Partovi, Henry Kravis, Jeff Bezos, Jeffrey Wilke, Marc Benioff, Nicolas Berggruen, Noosheen Hashemi, Shane Neman, TOM Chapman | Announced |
| Jul 1, 2017 | $5M Series A | — | Cherubic Ventures, Coefficient Capital, Courtside Ventures, Kevin Ding, Dynamo Ventures, Fullstride Ventures, Hannah Grey, Hans Tung, Robin LI, Primitive Ventures, Y Combinator, PIP Wilson | Announced |
| Jan 1, 2017 | $2M Seed | Courtside Ventures | Coefficient Capital, Fullstride Ventures, Hannah Grey, Hans Tung, Robin LI, Advancit Capital, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, Luminari Capital | Announced |
Key people at The Athletic.
The Athletic was founded in 2016 by Adam Hansmann (Founder/COO) and Alex Mather (Founder/CEO).
The Athletic has raised $67.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
The Athletic's investors include Eric Stromberg, Founders Fund, Courtside Ventures, CapitalG, Expa, Greylock, NEO, Next Play Ventures, Y Combinator, Adrian Aoun, Charlie Songhurst, Drew Houston.
