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.
About the Role
The Athletic is seeking a Contract Event Programmer to develop and execute compelling programming for our live events. This role will work closely with our newsroom, editorial leadership, and commercial and creative development teams to shape conversations, identify talent, and bring our journalism off the page and onto the stage.
This is a highly collaborative, creative role for someone who understands the sports landscape, thrives at the intersection of media and live experiences, has experience sourcing and managing talent, and framing and producing high-level conversations - from top-tier athletes and journalists to emerging voices in the industry.
This is a freelance, project-based position supporting key tentpole events throughout the year.
Responsibilities
Partner with The Athletic newsroom and editorial leads to develop event concepts and programming that reflect our journalism and audience interests
Research, identify, and secure talent - including athletes, coaches, executives, and cultural figures – working through outreach, negotiations, and contracting
Build and shape run of show, including conversation arcs, formats and session structure
Collaborate with moderators, journalists, and hosts to prepare for on-stage conversations, including briefing materials and prep calls
Work cross-functionally with internal teams (editorial, marketing, commercial, creative development, production) to ensure seamless execution
Stay ahead of trends across sports, media, and culture to inform timely and relevant programming
Contribute to extending the life of event content across platforms (editorial, video, audio, social)
Requirements
Minimum of 8+ years of experience programming live events, ideally within sports, media or entertainment
Deep knowledge of the sports landscape, including leagues, athletes and key storylines
Proven experience sourcing, booking, and managing high-profile talent
Strong editorial instincts and the ability to shape compelling narratives and conversations
Experience working with journalists or editorial teams is highly preferred
Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with a strong network across sports and media
Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously
Comfortable working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and adapting to evolving priorities
Willingness to travel for events as needed
