Is The Athletic legit?
Yes. HasTrust rates The Athletic Trusted (82/100), checked 2026-06-23: Highly regarded, in-depth sports journalism and beat reporting; Ad-free reading experience for subscribers; Access to a wide range of podcasts and audio content.
What we measured
Why this score?
Our own checks found no measured risk signal for theathletic.com: nothing we measured on the site counts against it. The domain was registered 25 years ago, and it has been on the public web since 2002. Its HTTPS certificate is valid. We rate it Trusted on what we measured ourselves; the score breakdown lists every signal. Reviews and claims from other sites are shown separately and do not count.
Video reviews
Pros
- Highly regarded, in-depth sports journalism and beat reporting
- Ad-free reading experience for subscribers
- Access to a wide range of podcasts and audio content
Cons
- Difficult and frustrating cancellation processes
- Widespread reports of unauthorized or unexpected auto-renewal charges
- Lack of clear renewal notifications for annual plans
- Poor customer service responsiveness regarding refund requests
- Confusing subscription management when bundled with NYT or third-party platforms like Apple
- Numerous customer complaints regarding unexpected and unauthorized auto-renewals
- Reports of websites offering misleadingly difficult cancellation paths
- Strong patterns of complaints regarding lack of refunds for renewal charges
Better options
Why switch: If you already subscribe to NYT All Access, you likely already have access to The Athletic. Bundling provides better value than paying for a standalone subscription separately.
Better if you are looking for video content and live sports streaming rather than just written sports journalism.
Better for casual fans who do not require deep-dive analysis or ad-free experiences and want to avoid subscription costs.
What web sources say (not checked by us)
Third-party ratings
Facts
Based on 8 sources
The Athletic Media Company | BBB Reviews | Better Business BureauThe Athletic HQ Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of theathletic.comThe Athletic Terms of Service Analysis | News Subscription ToS Review | ToS WatchdogThe Athletic UK Reviews 46The Athletic HQ Reviews 255The Athletic Review 2026 – Worth It? | SportBot AIThe Athletic NPS & Customer Reviews | ComparablyThe Athletic Review 2026: Honest Pros, Cons & Alternatives | ClickOff.💬 Ask about this shop
Answers come from what we checked about this site — the AI only picks the topic, it writes nothing.
🛡️ Site safety check
What you should do
- Still pay with a method that has buyer protection (credit card or PayPal), never a bank transfer.
- Check the returns policy and delivery time before ordering.
- We keep tracking this site — check back here if anything feels off later.
🔍 What we checked ourselves
Each row is a check HasTrust ran, and the day it ran.
| Check | What we found | How | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| HTTPS certificate | Certificate expired 2026-08-14 — not re-checked since | TLS handshake from our servers | before 2026-06-23 |
| Domain registration | 2000-12 (25 years old) | RDAP registry record | before 2026-06-23 |
| First seen on the web | 2002 | Internet Archive | before 2026-06-23 |
| Popularity rank | #5274 on Majestic Million | Majestic Million list | before 2026-06-23 |
| Blocklist | Not listed | HasTrust blocklist | |
| Trust score history | 6 recorded points since 2026-06-23, 25 → 82 | HasTrust score model |
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Checked 98 days ago. · How we score →
Frequently asked
Is The Athletic legit?⌄
Trusted. HasTrust trust score: 82/100. Our own checks found no measured risk signal for theathletic.com: nothing we measured on the site counts against it. The domain was registered 25 years ago, and it has been on the public web since 2002. Its HTTPS certificate is valid. We rate it Trusted on what we measured ourselves; the score breakdown lists every signal. Reviews and claims from other sites are shown separately and do not count.
Is The Athletic a scam?⌄
Our check surfaced no major scam signals — still verify payment and seller details before you pay.
What is the The Athletic trust score?⌄
HasTrust rates The Athletic 82/100 (Trusted). Unsure
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