Sports Illustrated’s recent announcement to lay off a substantial amount of their employees after their licensing deal was revoked has sent shockwaves through the world of sport. Few could have foreseen the disintegration of one of the country’s great media outlets.
The story of Sports Illustrated’s decline is both a cautionary tale and a case study in the rapidly changing landscape of sports journalism.
The fall of Sports Illustrated is just the latest of many blows to sports journalism in recent years. 🔽https://t.co/99b7divpy1
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 23, 2024
In a recent piece for Awful Announcing, Murjani Rawls argues that Sports Illustrated downfall is part of a larger story in the world of sports media.
Many other outlets such as Grantland and the New York Times sports section have suffered a similar fate. Rawls also mentions the emergence of network debate shows such as Undisputed and The Pat Mcafee Show as one of the reasons some of the traditional companies have lost popularity. Add to that the numerous former athletes that are now podcasting (Draymond Green, Mookie Betts and Dwayne Wade come to mind), and its clear to see why fans are turning to alternative mediums to get their sports information.
Sports Illustrated printed their first magazine in 1954 and has been a staple in the American household over a 70-year period. In 2018, it switched from a weekly to a biweekly publication. In 2020, the decision was made to release the magazine monthly.
During its peak, Sports Illustrated was considered one of the top US sports magazines and had a loyal a dedicated following. Over time, and with the emergence of newer forms of media, the once popular magazine gradually lost followers and some of its allure. It is unclear whether the brand will continue, but cutting some of the top writers and staff is a massive blow for sports fans everywhere.
