Both in the States, and on the blog.
Granted, I’ve put in the effort for almost 20 years to have this opportunity.
But not for one hot second do I take it for granted.
Which is obviously bad news for the ex-Times staffers.
But apparently no walk in the park for anyone who works for The Athletic, either.
At least not according to Bob Kravitz.
I hesitate to acknowledge his existence, Kravitz said.
I think he hates the Patriots, Portnoy told me.
Hes trying to basically do anything to cast them in a negative way.
I said, I think your website is garbage, Kravitz recalled.
Everything youve written about what happened is completely wrong and completely misrepresents who I am and what I did.
Portnoy doesnt remember Kravitz saying that.
Portnoy had written a post fingering the now-famous Mike Kensil as Kravitzs source.
Portnoy hadnt included any I think caveats.
You cant say with 100 percent certainty that he was my source.
He said, Who was your source?
I said, Go fuck yourself.
What he describes is the work-a-day world of an Industrial Revolution workhouse.
Grinding out piecemeal work in dangerous conditions.
(And during the pandemic, no less).
You would think that might have some impact on their thinking, but no.
I had to produce 395 subscriptions in three months or else.
Thats absurd, unfair and outrageous, especially given my health situation.
But that soured me on the place forever.
I felt it in my bones:
They dont give a fk about me as a human being.
I wasnt happy that I had four editors in four years, all of them wanting something different.
No, write strong opinion columns.
No, write about roster construction (what?).
The goalposts kept moving, and theyre still moving with the New York Times acquisition of The Athletic.
And the metrics…everything was metrics.
It was soul-sucking, honestly.
After reading that, I regret comparing The Athletic to a workhouse.
Dickens himself couldn’t imagine forcing someone to work while convalescing from a quadruple (!!!)
This shouldn’t happen to anyone.
Or who believed Bill Belichick and Tom Brady deserved to be banned from pro football over some cold footballs.
The entire labor movement was created to put an end to these very sorts of working conditions.
That doesn’t force their employees to whore themselves out for clicks and subscriptions.
Just to be themselves and try the best they can to entertain the audience.
You hate to see what the rest of the media landscape has become.
Just hate to see it.
