The Final Edition: Sports Illustrated Folds After 70 Years By: Brody Sorbera
Once upon a time, it was every athlete’s dream to make the cover of Sports Illustrated, the iconic magazine that was a staple of every news counter and checkout line at the grocery store. Hardcore sports fans always awaited their latest interview from their favorite athletes, predictions for upcoming seasons, and retrospectives of teams gone by. Not to mention the thousands of men who eagerly looked forward to the yearly swimsuit edition which like the magazine has become a relic due to circumstances that were mostly not their fault.
Print media is sadly going the way of the VHS and DVD and Sports Illustrated appears to be the latest casualty, after nearly 70 years, the famous publication has laid off nearly all of its remaining staff and its parent company, Arena Group failed to make its 3.75 million quarterly payment to Authentic Brands Group which controls the Sports Illustrated brand license. To think that what was once a pinnacle part of American culture has now ended on one of the business basics is a sad thought but, the recent years of behind-the-scenes drama, the AI scandal, and financial hardship have all taken their toll.
The first signs of trouble came in 2017 when there were reports of massive layoffs, now layoffs here and there isn't necessarily a sign of a company in trouble but the fact that print publications are giving way to online options that are usually free was a sign of a company in decline, the next year began a period of ownership hot potato where ownership and editorial responsibilities went through many different companies to the point where it became difficult to keep up with. It was also around this time that SI switched to a bi-weekly publication and in 2020 switched to monthly.
The final nail in the coffin was the AI scandal that erupted in late 2023, it was exposed that Sports Illustrated was producing AI-generated articles under fake AI-generated writers. At that point, most of the magazine’s best writers had been let go and had been reduced to literal unpaid temps writing the articles. Some articles were contracted out to different companies using AI to make their articles which made it into publication and their website. It was another fatal blow to the company already on life-support as SI was forced to fire more writers and staff involved.
In my view, I'm very sad to see what was once a magazine I loved take a nosedive like this but at the same time I am not surprised as print media has been on a decline since the 2000s and this is what happens when the media landscape changes dramatically and the company fails to adapt and becomes just another relic. Now the magazine isn’t officially gone yet but the entire staff is being laid off, It is very unlikely that this piece of American culture will ever return.