About Us
Powered by one of the largest global newsrooms in sports media, The Athletic brings sports fans the most comprehensive stories about the teams, sports and athletes they love. The Athletic’s newsroom of 500+ full-time staff delivers in-depth coverage of hundreds of professional and college teams across more than 47 North American markets and all 20 football clubs in the English Premier League, as well as many Championship clubs.
The mission of The Athletic’s internship program is meant to attract and develop the industry’s next stars. The intern will help shape our most informative coverage while helping to advance our goal to be the top destination for sports news around the world.
About the Role
The Athletic is accepting applications for its Leon H. Carter newsroom internship, a 12-week program either remote or based in New York City, which will run from June 2027 to August 2027. Dates of the internship are subject to change.
Leon H. Carter is the Editor at Large at The Athletic. Prior to joining The Athletic in 2021, he was a VP at ESPN. He also worked 15 years at the NY Daily News. Under his leadership, the NYDN won numerous national awards. In 1993, he helped create the Sports Journalism Institute to improve diversity at media outlets. In 2022, he received the Red Smith Award, one of the highest honors in sports journalism.
The intern will be embedded on our Daily Desk team, which interacts with every aspect of the newsroom. This position will be a hybrid, with the expectation that the intern will gain experience as both an editor and a reporter. Six weeks of the internship will be focused on editing and the other half focused on reporting and writing. The intern will have a chance to connect with a number of editors and reporters beyond the Daily Desk, get involved in coverage of all the sports and establish relationships throughout The Athletic.
The rate of pay for this role is $25.00 USD / Hour.
The application deadline is 10/30/2026.
Responsibilities
Attend daily meetings with Daily Desk editors.
Edit stories filed by different sports verticals, asking questions of reporters and vertical editors as necessary.
During the reporting portion of the internship, generate story ideas off the news.
Work writing shifts focused on breaking news and react quickly when news happens, both as a reporter and an editor.
Night and weekend work expected.
Requirements
Undergraduate students who are ideally in their junior or senior year. All undergraduates and post graduates are encouraged to apply however.
Ability to work a 30 to 40 hour work week.
Previous newsroom internship experience is a plus.
Flexibility: ability to adapt to fast-paced work environments where needs and priorities can change quickly.
Deep knowledge of and a passion for sports.
This is a remote internship that will require some travel to New York City. Candidates based in New York City have the option of working on-site in the New York office.
Application Directions
Submit a resume.
Submit an essay between 500 to 700 words explaining why you should be considered for this internship, including but not limited to your main area of interest - Editing / Writing.
Submit 2 letters of recommendation. Letters can be added directly to the application or emailed to careers@theathletic.com
Submit a portfolio of at least 5 relevant samples showcasing strong Editing / Writing skills.
