IT is one of the most iconic magazines in the world — as famous for the models it put on the cover of its swimsuit edition as for its groundbreaking sports journalism.
But the future of Sports Illustrated is now in doubt as it is set to axe its entire staff, just six months shy of the illustrious publication’s 70th anniversary.
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It follows moves by the magazine to diversify which don’t appear to have sat well with the more conservative members of America’s society.
In recent years it has featured plus-sized and transgender models, and two years ago its Kim Kardashian cover sparked a huge backlash, with critics branding the supposedly feminist magazine a hypocrite.
One reader wrote on Twitter, now X: “Go woke go broke. Sports Illustrated has been trash for the last 10 years.”
In a shock email on Friday, magazine staffers were told to expect mass lay-offs, with some being cut immediately and the potential for the entire workforce to be gone in three months.
It comes after weeks of turmoil during which the magazine was acccused of running articles written by artificial intelligence and its CEO Ross Levinsohn was fired.
Launched in 1954, the weekly glossy sports mag, which is now a monthly, was developed by Henry Luce, the creator of Time magazine, and made a name for itself for using sports to look into wider issues.
Top sportsmen vyed for a coveted spot on the cover – with basketball superstar Michael Jordan, boxing legend Muhammad Ali and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps among those who succeeded.
Yet it was putting women on the front – albeit in its special Swimsuit Issue – that brought the magazine to a wider audience after then-editor Andre Laguerre thought it a good way to fill the pages during winter’s slower sporting calendar.
The Swimsuit Issue became the magazine’s most popular issue, selling one million copies at its peak.
Gaining a place on its cover launched careers and was “the pinnacle of success” according to supermodel Elle Macpherson.
Sports Illustrated really launched my career and I have a lot to thank them for.
Kate Upton
In 2015, a raunchy shot of model Hannah Davis pulling her bikini bottom down was dubbed overly-suggestive by critics.
ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today were forced to censor the cover so they could show it on television.
Could this have prompted a change of tack?
In 2016, Ashley Graham made history by becoming the first plus-size model on the Swimsuit Issue cover.
She later revealed that not everyone in the industry was happy that a size 16 model had been chosen.
During a chat with Naomi Campbell for the British supermodel’s YouTube series in 2020, Ashley revealed: “There was another model who was so upset that I had gotten the cover and she said I was very large and that women my size should not be on the cover.”
Another milestone followed in 2021 when model and actress Leyna Bloom became the first transgender cover model for Sports Illustrated – followed last year by Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Kim Petras.
But then Kim Kardashian’s 2022 cover – featuring the reality TV star in a gold bikini – sparked fierce criticism.
One commenter wrote: “This is embarrassing. After all you’ve been working towards to show regular day to day women who are incredible . . . This is what you do? Yikes.”
Another reader insisted: “Honestly, this is so bad. First SI Issue I won’t be buying in years.”
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Kim, who posed in a gold bikini, said at the time: “I was so excited when I got the call to be in Sports Illustrated. It’s very iconic people have done it before, so, big dream come true to me.”
Models have seen their careers surge thanks to the coveted cover spot.
These include Kate Upton, who made her debut aged 18 in 2011, when she was named Rookie of the Year and earned covers in 2012, 2013 and 2017.
Kate, 31, has revealed she almost got frostbite after posing in a bikini in Antarctica for the 2013 cover splash but insisted it was worth it, adding: “Sports Illustrated really launched my career and I have a lot to thank them for.”
Supermodel Elle Macpherson – who has appeared on a record five covers – has said: “For a while I was on the cover of every Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, which was regarded as the pinnacle of success in America.”
News of the lay-offs was announced after Authentic Brands Group, which bought the title in 2019 for £85.5million, terminated the agreement it had with The Arena Group to publish both the print and digital arm of the magazine.
This is embarrassing. After all you’ve been working towards to show regular day-to-day women who are incredible . . . This is what you do?
Reader on the Kim K issue
That move – apparently made after Arena missed a payment of more than £2.9 million — comes hot off the heels of the AI scandal.
Investigative journalists at tech publication Futursim claimed to have found Sports Illustrated articles that were written by AI.
The Arena Group denied the allegations and said the articles were commercial content sourced from a third-party advertising company.
A few weeks later, Arena Group CEO Ross Levinsohn was replaced by interim chief Manoj Bhargava.
Then employees were reportedly sent an email from HR declaring that “holiday happy hours” had been cancelled. It added: “We will host a party after our company achieves break-even/profitability.”
Mr Bhargava – founder of the 5-Hour Energy drink – told employees at a virtual town hall to “stop doing dumb stuff.”
He reportedly said: “The amount of useless stuff you guys do is staggering. “
While the future of the magazine remains in doubt, Arena Group have said: “Even though the publishing licence has been revoked we will continue to produce Sports Illustrated until this is resolved.
“We hope to be the company to take SI forward but if not, we are confident someone will. If it is another business, we will support with the transition so the legacy of Sports Illustrated doesn’t suffer.”
And the Sports Illustrated Union and the NewsGuild of New York vowed to “fight” for its members.
In a joint statement, they said: “We expect The Arena Group to honor all the terms of our union contract and will fight for every one of our colleagues to be treated fairly.”
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In a nutshell
The first cover star was German model Babette March in 1964
Aussie Supermodel Elle Macpherson holds the crown for the most covers in the issue’s history, with five.
Beyonce got a coveted spot in 2007, making the singing superstar the first non model or non athlete to get a cover.
Ashley Graham made history in 2016, becoming the first plus-size model to ever appear on the cover.
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka became the first black athlete cover model in 2021.
Model and actress Leyna Bloom became the first out transgender cover star in 2021.
At 81, American businesswoman and writer Martha Stewart became the oldest cover star in 2023.
