Sixers

Damn, They Got Rich Hofmann

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Jun 12th, 2023 · 11:36 AM EDT

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Well this is shitty:

Well, the news is going to get out somehow, so might as well say it here… I was part of the layoffs today at The Athletic. The news came as a surprise and I'm still processing it, but coming close to six full years there, I'd like to think it was a pretty good run.

— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) June 12, 2023

Rich is one of the best basketball minds and writers in the region. No bullshit, no hot takes, just good, solid Sixers analysis. His stuff is and always was very good, be it straight copy or Xs and Os content with interesting and succinct video clips. You could learn a lot reading Rich’s stories.

The Athletic began with three Sixers writers and now they have zero. It was Derek Bodner, who went back to doing his independent thing, Mike O’Connor, who is writing for RTRS now, and then Rich, who joined from Philly Voice when The Athletic was created about six years ago.

As you know, The New York Times acquired The Athletic recently, so there’s been some reshuffling in the process. There’s a round of layoffs taking place right now, but it does not seem to be related to money, or, if it is, that’s a surprise to me considering they posted a $200k management job a few weeks back. If the company needs to reorganize and shore up the business model, that’s understandable, but I am personally stunned that they let Rich go considering that the Sixers are a major team in a major city and there were plenty of other places the company could look to trim.

update here:

“They (are) shifting away from having one beat reporter per sports team to broader coverage …”

Terrible. Great stories come from having “boots on the ground,” talented reporters embedded with teams. https://t.co/YyXcbrQX3g

— Ryan Lawrence (@ryanlawrence21) June 12, 2023

This is a bad idea. The Sixers writer cannot also be the Nets writer, or whatever the plan is. They will lose subscriptions in Philly.