There’s a lot of uncertainty around the future of Sports Illustrated. Owner Authentic Brands Group pulled publisher The Arena Group’s license to publish the magazine in January, which led to Arena sending notices of immediate or impending layoffs to most employees. And while it does seem that the publication will continue in some form, with Authentic insisting it will “not go dark,” many have already chimed in with memories and tributes as if the brand was dead.
What’s interesting about some of that conversation, though, is how it overlooks the writing that is still taking place at the magazine. That’s been especially true with very harsh comments from former staffers like Peter King (“There isn’t a Sports Illustrated now. It doesn’t exist“) and Rick Reilly (“It’s been a shell of itself“), who haven’t worked there in five-plus and 20-plus years respectively.
Yes, SI has faced countless challenges in the last decade. Those have included recurring waves of layoffs, repeated ownership and publisher changes (and changes in leadership at those owners and publishers), fake byline and AI scandals and dubious endorsements, regular lowering of their print issue count and early closing of issues, and more. But there have still been powerful stories done at the magazine, and it has done a lot of adaptation to a more digitally-focused age, even around such things as covers and late-breaking news.
And many of the recent eulogy-esque comments on SI seem to downplay or be unaware of the work still being done there. They also often overlook the adaptations the publication has made and the bizarre particular circumstances in the Authentic-Arena fight (which make this much more complicated than a “Print publication struggles in digital age” story, but also suggest there can be a path forward under the right publisher). And on that front, Jon Wertheim (a correspondent for CBS News’ 60 Minutes since 2016 and a SI senior writer since 1997) used a CBS Sunday Morning platform Sunday ahead of the network’s Super Bowl LVIII broadcast to make the case for the continued relevance of the publication:
Sports Illustrated maintained its reputation for decades as an iconic source of athletic news consumed by millions. Now, as the magazine contends with an uncertain future, Jon Wertheim makes a case for its comeback ahead of #SBLVIII. https://t.co/iI909AJyFE pic.twitter.com/lZuH6qkKsL
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) February 11, 2024
The whole piece is worth a watch, with Wertheim describing both the magazine’s past (“For millions of Americans, SI was a weekly sacred text. …It represented something more, the idea that sports mattered.”) and its present (“Reports of its death may be premature, but in sports terms, it’s in need of a comeback as the scoreboard clock ticks down”). He also touches on much of what’s discussed above, including the Authentic-Arena licensing dispute (“a fight that even current employees, dogged reporters, don’t fully understand while it leaves them as collateral damage. I count myself among that crew”). But his closing remarks making the case for the future of SI are perhaps particularly notable, starting around 1:58:
“For 27 years now, I’ve been fortunate to write for Sports Illustrated. Bear that in mind, there’s zero objectivity here when I argue the following: SI still means something, in the present, and hopefully in the future. This isn’t the Model T, or a Sony Walkman, or a throwback jersey that simply tickles the nostalgia pleasure centers.
“SI remains vital to the cultural conversation, especially as sports mean more than ever. Cold, rational analysis to offset passionate hot takes. A media outlet whose partnership is with its audience, the sports fans, not with the league it pays billions to cover.
“Super Bowl LIX will be held next year in New Orleans. We hope your team will be there. I hope mine will too.”
The point about media outlets paying leagues is perhaps especially notable. There have always been discussions of challenges for broadcast partners and league networks in covering leagues. And that discussion is set to possibly go to a new level still if the NFL actually takes an equity stake in ESPN (which has done hard–hitting NFL journalism despite broadcasting the league, but has also come under question there at times).
SI certainly isn’t the only independent outlet out there. And they have their own questionable partnerships beyond their audience. But even after all the waves of layoffs, they remain one of the largest and most prominent sports media outlets that isn’t tied to a broadcaster. And there is some value to that.
Beyond that, yes, modern SI isn’t the same as it once was. And some of the magazine’s current decisions, staffing-wise, editorially, and business-wise, can certainly be debated. But there are many who do still find value in SI and its various platforms. And Wertheim made a good case for it here.
[CBS Sunday on Twitter/X]
