Can an assist bring Sports Illustrated back to full strength? Here's some of the mag's iconic covers
Sports Illustrated is making a comeback.
Back in January, the legendary outlet laid off more than 100 employees. That happened because The Arena Group, which had a deal with Authentic Brands to publish SI content online and in print, missed a $4 million payment.
At the time, the publication said it would switch to a more "streamlined business model," and the layoffs nearly forced the magazine to stop the presses for good. Then, The NewsGuild of New York and the Sports Illustrated Union filed a lawsuit accusing Arena of union-busting.
Now, Authentic has a new 10-year licensing deal with Minute Media, which also owns sports websites The Players' Tribune and Fansided. Minute Media chief executive Asaf Peled told The New York Times the company plans to hire back some of the staff let go two months ago.
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That's a relief to generations of sports fans. "If you are older, you knew exactly what day Sports Illustrated showed up in the mailbox … if your team made the cover, it was the greatest thing ever, " posted ESPN's Scott Van Pelt on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, when the bad news hit SI in January.
If you are older, you knew exactly what day Sports Illustrated showed up in the mailbox. Found this just last week and it took me back to a time when the team was great, they were called something different and if your team made the cover, it was the greatest thing ever. RIP SI. pic.twitter.com/z4li784b8x
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) January 19, 2024
Tom Brady also had thoughts:
To celebrate Sports Illustrated's new agreement, here are some iconic covers:
Some iconic Sports Illustrated covers
60 years ago, Muhammad Ali was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated after winning the Heavyweight Champion title from Sonny Liston in Miami, Florida.
Check out our new online experience about the fight here: https://t.co/s1nL3UmUMk
📷: @LeiferNeil / @AuthenticBrands pic.twitter.com/Hux8yJgDjb— Muhammad Ali Center (@AliCenter) March 9, 2024
Sports Illustrated: The swimsuit issue
SI covers for all seasons
May 31, 1982 Sports Illustrated Cover: dunking on the Boston Celtics at Boston Garden. NBA Playoffs, Game 7.
Photo by Heinz Kluetmeier /Sports Illustrated pic.twitter.com/rcetSlovxX— Julius Dr J Erving (@JuliusErving) March 14, 2024
35 years ago today, the cover of Sports Illustrated. @Jumpman23 pic.twitter.com/KKNqkp7Jnc
— TodayInSports (@TodayInSportsCo) March 13, 2024
3/9/87
Cal Sr., Cal Jr., and Billy grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Here is the rest of March 9th in 1980s Baseball: https://t.co/W9711B7jLD pic.twitter.com/XrlG9zbIwi— ⚾ J. Daniel ⚾ (@JDaniel2033) March 9, 2024
Today in 1992, Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs on the cover of Sports Illustrated after becoming the highest paid baseball player at the time ($7.1 million per season). #TodayInSports #Cubs #OTD #EverybodyIn #SpringTraining pic.twitter.com/Iuibhhqb7k
— TodayInSports (@TodayInSportsCo) March 16, 2019
And he was also a Kansas Jayhawks fan.
If you're also a KU fan, then you probably own this great Sports Illustrated cover with his name on it as he wrote the cover story for the 2008 National Championship game. pic.twitter.com/HLPXkMTi8X— Joe (@ByJoeDavis) December 10, 2022
Contributing: Steve Gardner and Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture. You can follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sports Illustrated covers: With new deal, a look back at magazine