The Athletic faces layoffs and shifts in sports coverage approach.

The Athletic, a subscription sports website owned by the New York Times, announced layoffs of nearly 20 reporters, or about 4% of its journalistic staff, and a new approach to its sports coverage. The company will move 20 reporters from their current team beats to new ones, including regional coverage or general assignment roles. The new strategy marks a departure from the outlet’s onetime mission, which was to cover every team from every major league across the country with a dedicated reporter. The Athletic has been successful editorially, with millions of subscribers, but that coverage — and the travel and staffing associated with it — is expensive.