No, I don't believe that's correct, it is not legal to reproduce content from stuff that's behind a paywall site. That's in violation of the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act).
A better example would be a major movie released in a theatre. No, it is not legal for someone to create a bootleg video of the movie, and then share it with their friends. The movie studio released the movie only under certain conditions: to be viewed (a) for a fee and (b) in a specific manner. Same with the Athletic-- their content is meant to be viewed only by those who pay the subscription fee, then get the app to view their content.
So yes, I believe it is illegal to copy and paste articles from the Athletic. (Not like someone would get busted for doing it just once, but if it became the norm around here, I wouldn't be surprised if ROD got a "cease and desist" warning from the Athletic. Apparently the Athletic is very protective of their stuff and issues warnings frequently).
FWIW, I think Jourdan Rodrigue is a very talented and hard-working reporter. I rarely pay for these things, but her work is so good that I decided to fork over a few bucks and subscribe to the Athletic. If all her Articles were reproduced here, and I got to read them for free, would I bother to pay for a subscription? No, probably not.
So yes, it's legal to buy a CD and play it in the car for a friend. But no, it is not legal to go watch a movie in a theatre and make a bootleg video.