A California capital city has lost its entire newspaper sports desk. McClatchy’s latest round of layoffs wiped out the Sacramento Bee’s three-person sports team, leaving the region without dedicated beat reporters for its NBA franchise, temporary MLB tenant, or high school athletics.
The cuts arrived Thursday as part of a broader purge exceeding 90 positions across the publishing chain’s unionized newsrooms, according to NewsGuild. Several Central Valley outlets absorbed significant hits, including the Fresno Bee and Modesto Bee.
In Fresno, seven staffers lost jobs, among them an investigative reporter, an accountability journalist, and the final remaining employee from the bilingual Vida en el Valle publication. Modesto’s 12-person newsroom shed three reporters, including its high school sports beat. Union officials noted that recent departures there won’t be backfilled.
Sacramento’s losses carry particular weight given the city’s unusual sports moment. The Kings remain the market’s anchor franchise, while the Athletics temporarily relocated this season. Division I programs and fervent prep sports scenes rounded out the beat. Now, zero full-time sports reporters remain at the newspaper.
Joe Davidson’s departure marks the most striking loss. During his 38-year tenure, Davidson became synonymous with Sacramento-area high school sports. Jason Anderson, the Kings beat reporter since 2018, described the role as his childhood dream. Senior reporter Chris Biderman also lost his job after covering the 49ers and the A’s relocation.
All three received four weeks’ notice. Their final day lands October 9. McClatchy’s California executive editor did not respond to questions about future sports coverage plans. Meanwhile, the communities those reporters served face a news vacuum in the middle of a historically crowded sports calendar.
