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Sports Illustrated lays off most of its staff

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Neutral Corner, Jan 19, 2024.

Page 2 of 9
  1. BitterYoungMatador2

    BitterYoungMatador2 Well-Known Member

    They should run one last cover of a Spirit Halloween store.
     
    BitterYoungMatador2, Jan 19, 2024
    #13
    2muchcoffeeman and HanSenSE like this.
  2. wicked

    wicked Well-Known Member

    Don’t wanna grave-dance today, but I also don’t see all these SI restaurants and shops in airports that ABG promised us. Maybe the SI Experience will return to the Vegas F1 race?

    No wonder why Arena was using AI material on its sites.

    I was surprised they still had 80 people on staff. What was the staff at its peak?
     
    wicked, Jan 19, 2024
    #14
  3. exmediahack

    exmediahack Well-Known Member

    SI SportsBook never paid me out my $200 deposit bonus.
     
    exmediahack, Jan 19, 2024
    #15
    2muchcoffeeman likes this.
  4. Vombatus

    Vombatus Well-Known Member

    Goddamnit. Right before the swimsuit issue, which had to already be in the works by now.
     
    Vombatus, Jan 19, 2024
    #16
    HanSenSE likes this.
  5. DanOregon

    DanOregon Well-Known Member

    I was thinking about Playboy - Hefner's widow has a tell-all book out - and the demise of that mag. Obviously SI and Playboy and all print suffered from the transition to digital - but with Playboy, Hefner was so successful in making porn/sex "mainstream" that his publication ended up seeming "quaint" by the end.
     
    DanOregon, Jan 19, 2024
    #17
    Inky_Wretch likes this.
  6. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    I still have a job at Sports Illustrated. Do I think I'll still have it by year's end? Or in six months? Eh, I might not put money on that at SI Sportsbook (h/t @exmediahack). As if there weren't enough uphill battles in this business, the national story today that SI is done and finished isn't true. Just like the AI. But it's gonna take some serious maneuvering to get this operation on solid ground, like with so many other journalism entities.
     
    playthrough, Jan 19, 2024
    #18
    CD Boogie, dixiehack, TigerVols and 5 others like this.
  7. Typist Clerk

    Typist Clerk Well-Known Member

    Good luck to you.

    Will there be a February issue – it had to be close to closing by now – and will the printer want money in advance? Who's in charge, Authentic or a new licensee? Or Arena under new terms? It does seem the vultures have reason to circle when the licensee can't pay the license fee.
     
    Typist Clerk, Jan 19, 2024
    #19
  8. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    I know I commented on this when Meredith sold the name to Authentic Brands. ... Everyone was focused on them licensing the name to "The Maven," for publishing, but the first thing I saw was Authentic Brands saying that they were interested in slapping the SI name on live events, sports gambling and e-sports. I suspect that was their real hope for trying to make money while bludgeoning the name, at the time. Licensing the name to someone to publish with it was obvious for as long as that entity could keep paying the licensing fees, but it couldn't have been the big-picture plan making the purchase seem worthwhile. SI was already dying a rapid death.

    They saw a name with a lot of good will built up and I am guessing they thought they could slap it on sports-related ancillary products like sports gambling and leverage the name to make money. As many have found out, sports gambling has been a very competitive market and very cash intensive -- people piling money in to try to gain market share and losing money in the process. When I saw later on that they had partnered with 888 Holdings on gambling. ... it was obvious that they weren't even trying to compete on that level, and that they were literally just trying to grab as much cash up front as they could while destroying the SI name. I am curious. ... did they even address stiffing you on the sign up bonus?
     
    The Big Ragu, Jan 19, 2024
    #20
    wicked likes this.
  9. goalmouth

    goalmouth Well-Known Member

    Hope it all works out, @playthrough

    I wonder who owns the rights to The National...
     
    goalmouth, Jan 19, 2024
    #21
    Vombatus likes this.
  10. Vombatus

    Vombatus Well-Known Member

    Ditto.
     
    Vombatus, Jan 19, 2024
    #22
  11. BitterYoungMatador2

    BitterYoungMatador2 Well-Known Member

    On a whim, I bought a copy of a June 1990 issue off of eBay this summer. I'd never held a copy in my hand. Growing up in Pittsburgh, it never made it to our market. Man, the stories about how good it was don't do justice to how good it actually was.
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2024
    BitterYoungMatador2, Jan 19, 2024
    #23
    Slacker and Typist Clerk like this.
  12. exmediahack

    exmediahack Well-Known Member

    Never got an email, never got through to the "live chat" feature. SI Sportsbook had its name on one of the worst-run betting apps I had ever come across. Not a big deal (I think it was deposit $50 / get $200) but it was a crappy product.

    This means no more SI Football Phones, right?

    Courage, @playthrough. Courage. :)
     
    exmediahack, Jan 19, 2024
    #24
    HanSenSE likes this.
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