Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated (SI) is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice. It is also known for its annual swimsuit issue, which has been published since 1964, and has spawned other complementary media works and products.

Owned until 2018 by Time Inc., it was sold to Authentic Brands Group (ABG) following the sale of Time Inc. to Meredith Corporation. The Arena Group (formerly theMaven, Inc.) was subsequently awarded a 10-year license to operate the Sports Illustrated–branded editorial operations, while ABG licenses the brand for other non-editorial ventures and products. In January 2024, The Arena Group missed a quarterly licensing payment, leading ABG to terminate the company's license. Arena, in turn, laid off the publication's editorial staff.^[4]

In March 2024, ABG licensed the publishing rights to Minute Media in a 10-year deal, jointly announcing that the print and digital editions would be revived by rehiring some of the editorial staff.^[5] On May 17, 2024, Sports Illustrated failed to deliver a print copy of the publication for the month to its subscribers for the first time in the magazine's 70-year history, according to the New York Post's Josh Kosman.

Vor der Gründung des aktuellen Magazins am 9. August 1954 gab es bereits zwei Vorgängermagazine mit dem Namen „Sports Illustrated“. ^{[ 6 ]} 1936 gründete Stuart Scheftel „Sports Illustrated“ mit dem Zielpublikum Sportler. Er veröffentlichte das Magazin monatlich von 1936 bis 1942. Der Schwerpunkt lag auf Golf, Tennis und Skifahren, wobei Artikel über die wichtigsten Sportarten erschienen. Anschließend verkaufte er die Namensrechte an Dell Publications, die „Sports Illustrated“ 1949 herausbrachten. Diese Version erschien nach sechs Ausgaben eingestellt. Dells Version konzentrierte sich auf die wichtigsten Sportarten (Baseball, Basketball, Boxen) und konkurrierte im Zeitschriftenhandel mit „Sports“ und anderen monatlichen Sportmagazinen. In den 1940er-Jahren erschienen diese Magazine nur monatlich, was die Berichterstattung über aktuelle Ereignisse erschwerte. Es gab kein breit angelegtes, allgemeines, wöchentliches Sportmagazin mit nationaler Leserschaft, das über aktuelle Sportereignisse berichtete. Zu dieser Zeit begann Henry Luce, der Gründer von Time, zu überlegen, ob sein Unternehmen diese Lücke schließen sollte. Damals waren viele der Ansicht, Sport sei nicht seriösem Journalismus würdig und man könne damit keine Wochenzeitschrift füllen, insbesondere nicht im Winter. Mehrere Berater von Luce, darunter Ernest Havemann vom Magazin „Life “, versuchten, die Idee zu verwerfen, doch Luce, der selbst kein Sportfan war, entschied, dass der Zeitpunkt günstig sei. ^{[ 7 ]}

Luce und die Redakteure des geplanten Magazins trafen sich 1954 im Pine Lakes Country Club , dem ältesten Golfplatz in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina . Im Pro-Shop des Golfplatzes erinnert eine Gedenktafel an die Treffen und vermerkt, dass die erste Ausgabe dem Golfplatz geschenkt wurde. Sie ist dort ausgestellt. Tracy Conner, Geschäftsführerin der Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association, schreibt dem Magazin zu, Myrtle Beach zu einem beliebten Golfreiseziel gemacht zu haben. ^{[ 8 ]}

Viele bei Time-Life belächelten Luces Idee; in seiner mit dem Pulitzer-Preis ausgezeichneten Biografie „ Luce and His Empire “ schrieb W. A. ​​Swanberg , dass die Intellektuellen des Unternehmens das geplante Magazin mit Spitznamen wie „Muskeln“, „Jockstrap“ und „Schweißsocken“ belegten. Es erschien am 9. August 1954, war aber nicht profitabel (und sollte es auch die nächsten zwölf Jahre nicht sein) ^{[ 9 ]} und anfangs nicht besonders gut geführt, doch Luces Timing war gut. Die Popularität von Zuschauersportarten in den Vereinigten Staaten stand kurz vor einem explosionsartigen Anstieg, und diese Popularität wurde maßgeblich durch drei Faktoren angetrieben: wirtschaftlichen Aufschwung, Fernsehen und Sports Illustrated . ^{[ 10 ]}

The early issues of the magazine seemed caught between two opposing views of its audience. Much of the subject matter was directed at upper-class activities such as yachting, polo and safaris, but upscale would-be advertisers were unconvinced that sports fans were a significant part of their market.^[11]

In 1965, offset printing began. This allowed the color pages of the magazine to be printed overnight, not only producing crisper and brighter images, but also finally enabling the editors to merge the best color with the latest news. By 1967, the magazine was printing 200 pages of "fast color" a year; in 1983, SI became the first American full-color newsweekly. An intense rivalry developed between photographers, particularly Walter Iooss and Neil Leifer, to get a decisive cover shot that would be on newsstands and in mailboxes only a few days later.^[12]

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, during Gilbert Rogin's term as Managing Editor, the feature stories of Frank Deford became the magazine's anchor. "Bonus pieces" on Pete Rozelle, Woody Hayes, Bear Bryant, Howard Cosell and others became some of the most quoted sources about these figures, and Deford established a reputation as one of the best writers of the time.^[13]

After more than a decade of steady losses, the magazine's fortunes finally turned around in the 1960s when Andre Laguerre became its managing editor. A European correspondent for Time, Inc., who later became chief of the Time-Life news bureaux in Paris and London (for a time he ran both simultaneously), Laguerre attracted Henry Luce's attention in 1956 with his singular coverage of the Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, which became the core of SI's coverage of those games. In May 1956, Luce brought Laguerre to New York to become the assistant managing editor of the magazine. He was named managing editor in 1960, and he more than doubled the circulation by instituting a system of departmental editors, redesigning the internal format, and inaugurating the unprecedented use in a news magazine of full-color photographic coverage of the week's sports events. He was also one of the first to sense the rise of national interest in professional football.^[14]

Laguerre führte außerdem das innovative Konzept einer längeren Geschichte am Ende jeder Ausgabe ein, die er als „Bonus-Beitrag“ bezeichnete. Diese gut geschriebenen, tiefgründigen Artikel trugen dazu bei, Sports Illustrated von anderen Sportpublikationen abzuheben und die Karrieren legendärer Autoren wie Frank Deford zu beflügeln . Deford schrieb im März 2010 über Laguerre: „Er rauchte Zigarren, trank Scotch und ließ die Sonne über den Himmel wandern … Sein Genie als Redakteur bestand darin, dass er einen dazu brachte, ihm gefallen zu wollen, aber er wollte, dass man dies auf seine eigene, unverwechselbare Art tat.“ ^{[ 15 ]} Laguerre wird auch die Konzeption und Gestaltung der jährlichen Bademodenausgabe zugeschrieben .

1984 wurde Mark Mulvoy der jüngste Chefredakteur in der Geschichte des Magazins. ^{[ 16 ] [ 17 ]} Er wollte Sports Illustrated durch investigativen Journalismus zum „Gewissen des Sports“ machen . ^{[ 17 ]} Er führte die Beilage „Golf Plus“ für ein älteres Golfpublikum ein, ^{[ 18 ]} gründete „Sports Illustrated Kids“ für ein jüngeres Publikum und verdoppelte den Umfang der Bademodenausgabe auf 40 Seiten. ^{[ 19 ]} Die Bademodenausgabe wurde zu einer jährlichen Sonderausgabe, und der Gewinn von Sports Illustrated vervierfachte sich. ^{[ 16 ]} 1986 schloss das Gemeinschaftsunternehmen HBO/Cannon Video einen Vertrag zur Produktion von Videoversionen des Magazins für 20 US-Dollar im freien Verkauf ab, die nur 30–45 Minuten lang waren. ^{[ 20 ]} 1990 fusionierte Time Inc. mit Warner Communications zum Medienkonzern Time Warner . Sports Illustrated erwarb FanNation.com im Jahr 2007, um im Web-2.0- Markt konkurrieren zu können; die Website aggregierte Sportnachrichten und ermöglichte nutzergenerierte Inhalte . ^{[ 21 ]} Im Jahr 2014 wurde Time Inc. von Time Warner abgespalten.

In 2018, Meredith Corporation acquired parent company Time Inc. Meredith planned to sell Sports Illustrated due to not aligning with its lifestyle properties.^[22]Authentic Brands Group announced its intent to acquire Sports Illustrated for $110 million the next year, stating that it would leverage its brand and other assets for new opportunities that "stay close to the DNA and the heritage of the brand." Upon the announcement, Meredith would enter into a licensing agreement to continue as publisher of the Sports Illustrated editorial operations for at least the next two years.^[23][24] In June 2019, the rights to publish the Sports Illustrated editorial operations were licensed to the digital media company theMaven, Inc. under a 10-year contract, with Ross Levinsohn as CEO. The company had backed a bid by Junior Bridgeman to acquire SI.^[25][26] In preparation for the closure of the sale to ABG and Maven,^[27]The Wall Street Journal reported that there would be Sports Illustrated employee layoffs,^[28] which was confirmed after the acquisition had closed.^[29]

In October 2019, editor-in-chief Chris Stone stepped down.^[30] Later that month, Sports Illustrated announced its hiring of veteran college sports writer Pat Forde.^[31] In January 2020, it announced an editorial partnership with The Hockey News, focusing on syndication of NHL-related coverage.^[32][33] In 2021, it announced a similar partnership with Morning Read for golf coverage, with its website being merged into that of Sports Illustrated.^[34] It also partnered with iHeartMedia to distribute and co-produce podcasts.^[35]

Im September 2021 erwarb Maven, heute bekannt als The Arena Group, die in New Jersey ansässige Sportnachrichten-Website The Spun , die in Sports Illustrated integriert werden sollte . ^{[ 36 ]} 2022 kündigte ABG mehrere Projekte außerhalb des redaktionellen Bereichs an, die die Marke Sports Illustrated betrafen , darunter eine Bekleidungslinie für JCPenney , die von legendären Sportmomenten inspiriert war (es war nicht der erste Ausflug der Marke in den Bekleidungsmarkt, da sie 2018 in Verbindung mit ihrer Swimsuit Issue eine eigene Bademodenlinie auf den Markt gebracht hatte) ^{[ 37 ]} , sowie Resort-Hotels in Orlando und Punta Cana . ^{[ 38 ]} Im September 2023 erweiterte das Unternehmen seine Namenslizenzierung für Resorts durch eine neue Partnerschaft mit Travel + Leisure . ^{[ 39 ]}

Am 27. November 2023 veröffentlichte Futurism einen Artikel, in dem behauptet wurde, Sports Illustrated veröffentliche KI-generierte Artikel unter Namen von ebenfalls KI-generierten Autoren. Diese Praxis erstreckte sich offenbar auch auf die Profilfotos der Autoren, die laut der Website von Online-Marktplätzen für solche Fotos stammten. ^{[ 40 ]} Nachdem Futurism die Arena Group kontaktiert hatte, entfernte das Magazin angeblich einige der betroffenen Autoren und veröffentlichte ihre Artikel unter anderen KI-generierten Autoren mit Hinweisen, die die Beteiligung der Mitarbeiter dementierten. ^{[ 41 ] [ 42 ]} Als Reaktion auf den Bericht erklärte ein Sprecher von Sports Illustrated , die betroffenen Artikel seien Produktrezensionen, die ohne KI-Beteiligung von AdVon Commerce, einem Drittunternehmen, verfasst worden seien. AdVon Commerce habe Pseudonyme verwendet, um die Privatsphäre der Autoren zu schützen, und die Zusammenarbeit sei bereits beendet worden. Autoren und Redakteure des Magazins kritisierten die mutmaßlichen Praktiken scharf. ^{[ 42 ]}

On January 5, 2024, The Arena Group missed a $3.75 million quarterly licensing payment to Authentic Brands Group.^[43] Two weeks later, on January 19, Authentic Brands Group terminated its licensing agreement. As a result, The Arena Group announced that it would lay off the entire Sports Illustrated staff.^[44] In March 2024, Authentic Brands Group licensed the publishing rights to Minute Media in a 10-year deal, jointly announcing that the print and digital editions would be revived by rehiring some of the editorial staff.^[5] Minute converted the Fan Nation-branded sites to "On SI".^[45][46] In August 2024, Minute Media and RTA Media Holdings (and RTA's brand Racing America) entered into a partnership, forming Racing America on SI. This partnership allows Racing America's coverage of NASCAR and grassroots racing to be presented to a wider audience through Sports Illustrated's platforms.^[47]

• Who's Hot, Who's Not: a feature on who is on a roll and who is going to fold.
• Inside the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, College Football, College Basketball, NASCAR, Golf, Boxing, Horse Racing, Soccer, and Tennis (sports vary from issue to issue): a section where writers from each sport address the latest news and rumors in their respective fields.
• Faces in the Crowd: a section which honors talented amateur athletes and their accomplishments.
• The Point After: a back-page column featuring a rotation of SI writers as well as other contributors. Content varies from stories to opinion, focusing on both the world of sports and the role sports play in society.

In 1956, Sports Illustrated began presenting annual awards to fashion or clothing designers who had excelled in the field of sportswear/activewear. The first ASDAs of 1956, presented to Claire McCardell with a separate Designer of the Year award to Rudi Gernreich, were chosen following a vote of 200 American top retailers.^[48] The following year, the voting pool had increased to 400 fashion industry experts, including Dorothy Shaver and Stanley Marcus, when Sydney Wragge and Bill Atkinson received the awards.^[49] The Italian designer Emilio Pucci was the first non-American to receive the award in 1961.^[50] The awards were presented up until at least 1963, when Marc Bohan received the prize.^[51] Other winners include Jeanne S. Campbell, Bonnie Cashin, and Rose Marie Reid who formed the first all-women winning group in 1958.^[52]

Maya Moore of the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx was the inaugural winner of the award in 2017.^[53]

Since 1954, Sports Illustrated has annually presented the Sportsperson of the Year award to "the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement."^[54][55]Roger Bannister won the first-ever Sportsman of the Year award thanks to his record-breaking time of 3:59.4 for a mile, the first-ever time a mile had been run under four minutes.^[54][56] Both men and women have won the award, originally called "Sportsman of the Year" and renamed "Sportswoman of the Year" or "Sportswomen of the Year" when applicable; it is currently known as "Sportsperson of the Year."

The 2017 award winners were Houston Texans defensive end J. J. Watt and Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve.^[57] Both athletes were recognized for their efforts in helping rebuild the city of Houston following Hurricane Harvey in addition to Altuve being a part of the Astros team that won the franchise's first World Series in 2017.^[58] The 2018 winners were the Golden State Warriors as a team for winning their third NBA Title in four years.^[59] The 2021 winner was Tom Brady for his Super Bowl LV win.^[60] The 2023 winner was Deion Sanders, coach of the Colorado Buffaloes football team.^[61]

In 1999, Sports Illustrated named Muhammad Ali the Sportsman of the Century at the Sports Illustrated's 20th Century Sports Awards in New York City's Madison Square Garden.^[62]

In 2015, the magazine renamed its Sportsman Legacy Award to the Sports Illustrated's Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. The annual award was originally created in 2008 and honors former "sports figures who embody the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership and philanthropy as vehicles for changing the world." Ali first appeared on the magazine's cover in 1963 and went on to be featured on numerous covers during his storied career. His widow, Lonnie Ali, is consulted when choosing a recipient.^[63] In 2017, football quarterback Colin Kaepernick was honored with the Award, which was presented by Beyoncé.^[64] In 2018, WWE professional wrestler John Cena was honored with the award.^[65]

• Top 20 Female Athletes of the Decade (2009)
• Top 20 Male Athletes of the Decade (2009)
• All-Decade Team (2009) (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, college basketball, college football)
• Top 10 Coaches/Managers of the Decade (2009)
• Top 10 GMs/Executives of the Decade (2009)
• Top Team of the Decade (2009) (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, college basketball, college football)
• Top 25 Franchises of the Decade (2009)
• Major League Baseball honors
• National Basketball Association honors
• National Football League honors
• National Hockey League honors
• College basketball honors
• College football honors^[66]

For a 2002 list of the top 200 Division I sports colleges in the U.S., see footnote.^[67]

The magazine's cover is the basis of a sports myth, known as the Sports Illustrated cover jinx. Several athletes and other figures appeared many times on the magazine's cover.^[77]

On March 28, 1990, the magazine credited the contributors of its covers up to that date.^[78] The November 10, 2003, issue of the magazine listed 379 contributing photographers and agencies.^[79]

Sports Illustrated has helped to launch a number of related publishing ventures.

• Sports Illustrated Kids magazine (circulation 950,000)
  • Launched in January 1989
  • Won the "Distinguished Achievement for Excellence in Educational Publishing" award 11 times
  • Won the "Parents' Choice Magazine Award" 7 times
• Sports Illustrated Almanac annuals
  • Introduced in 1991
  • Yearly compilation of sports news and statistics in book form
• SI.com sports news web site
• Sports Illustrated Australia
  • Launched in 1992 and lasted 6 issues **
• Sports Illustrated Canada
  • Was created and published in Canada with US content from 1993 to 1995. Most of the issues appear to have the same cover except they say 'Canadian Edition'. These issues are numbered differently in the listing. A group of the Canadian issues have unique Canadian athletes (hockey mostly) and all the Canadian issues may have some different article content. The advertising may also be Canada-centric.
• Sports Illustrated Presents
  • Launched in 1989
  • This is their tribute and special edition issues that are sold both nationally or regionally as stand alone products. **Originally started with Super Bowl Tributes the product became a mainstay in 1993 with Alabama as the NCAA National Football Champions. Today multiple issues are released including regional releases of the NCAA, NBA, NFL, MLB champions along with special events or special people. Advertising deals are also done with Sports Illustrated Presents (Kelloggs).
• CNNSI.com a 24-hour sports news web site
  • Launched on July 17, 1997
  • Online version of the magazine
  • The domain name was sold in May 2015^[83]
• Sports Illustrated Women magazine (highest circulation 400,000)
  • Launched in March 2000
  • Ceased publication in December 2002 because of a weak advertising climate
• Sports Illustrated on Campus magazine
  • Launched on September 4, 2003
  • Dedicated to college athletics and the sports interests of college students.
  • Distributed free on 72 college campuses through a network of college newspapers.
  • Circulation of one million readers between the ages of 18 and 24.
  • Ceased publication in December 2005 because of a weak advertising climate
• Sports Illustrated Online Casino
  • Launched on February 7, 2023, in Michigan^[84]
  • Operated in co-operation with 888 Holdings^[85]
  • Also includes Sports Illustrated Sportsbook which launched in September 2021^[86]
• Esports Illustrated
  • Launched in March 2023 in partnership with Gaud-Hammer Gaming Group.^[87]

The reading of Sports Illustrated was mentioned in the "Weird Al" Yankovic song "A Complicated Song", on his album Poodle Hat, as a thing he couldn't do after being decapitated.^[88]

• List of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover models
• University of South Carolina steroid scandal

• Academy, U. S. Sports. “The Effects of Competitive Orientation on Performance in Competition.” The Sport Journal, 21 Feb. 2020, https://thesportjournal.org/article/the-effects-of-competitive-orientation-on-performance-in-competition/.
• Oliver, Joseph Thomas. “The Positive Influence of Sports Magazines.” Medium, 3 May 2014, https://medium.com/@oli_joseph5/the-positive-influence-of-sports-magazines-19ed0f8ac9e7.

• McEntegart, Pete; Wertheim, L. Jon; Menez, Gene; Bechtel, Mark (December 16, 2002). "SI's "The Top 100 Sports Books of All Time"". CNN/Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 11, 2011.

• Official website
• SI Vault (complete archive of Sports Illustrated issues including Swimsuit)
• Archived Sports Illustrated Magazines (1954–2016) on the Internet Archive