A George Mason University fan holds up the cover of a Sports Illustrated magazine at a send-off for the team in 2006, in Fairfax, Va. Much of the staff of Sports Illustrated received layoff notices Friday, which essentially could spell the end of a publication that for decades was the gold standard of sports journalism. Lawrence Jackson/Associated Press, file
Much of the staff of Sports Illustrated, and possibly all remaining writers and editors, received layoff notices Friday, which essentially could spell the end of a publication that for decades was the gold standard of sports journalism.
The union of the staff tweeted Friday that it would continue to fight for the publication of the magazine but that its future is now in the hands of the magazine’s owner, Authentic Brands Group.
“This is another difficult day in what has been a difficult four years for Sports Illustrated under Arena Group (previously The Maven) stewardship,” the union said in a statement. “We are calling on ABG to ensure the continued publication of SI and allow it to serve our audience in the way it has for nearly 70 years.”
ABG has owned the magazine since 2019 and sold the publishing rights to a company called the Arena Group. The Arena Group missed a recent payment for those publishing rights, prompting ABG to pull the publishing license and putting the future of Sports Illustrated in jeopardy.
“As a result of this license revocation, we will be laying off staff that work on the SI brand,” the note to staff read, adding that some employees would be terminated immediately, while others would work through the end of a 90-day notice period.
ABG has not told staff of future plans for the publication or if it will license the publishing rights to another company.
Friday’s announcement is the latest turmoil at the fabled sports magazine, following several rounds of layoffs over the past decade. When ABG bought Sports Illustrated from its previous owner, Meredith Corporation, more than 30% of the staff was laid off.
Sports Illustrated still has around 80 employees in its bargaining unit.
ABG has not told staff of future plans for the publication or if it will sell the publishing rights to another company.
The magazine was launched in 1954 by Henry Luce as part of the Time empire. Its striking color photographs and expansive long-form journalism quickly made it the most important sports publication in the country. Weekly issues of SI, with stories from writers like Dan Jenkins, Frank Deford and Gary Smith, were appointment reading for generations of sports fans and redefined the idea of sports journalism.
Along with the rest of Time’s titles, though, Sports Illustrated struggled to adjust to the internet era. Its website has been famously stodgy, and the 24-7 news cycle was not suited to weekly sports coverage. Multiple rounds of layoffs have hollowed out the publication.
Time Inc. sold SI to magazine publisher Meredith Corporation in 2018, which sold it the next year to Authentic Brands Group, a licensing and merchandise company with no journalism background.
ABG has sought to monetize the SI brand with planned resorts, casinos and brain energy pills, while it sold the publishing rights to the Arena Group for $15 million a year.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.