Sports Illustrated lays off most of its staff

[BitterYoungMatador2]

They should run one last cover of a Spirit Halloween store.

 

[wicked]

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?

 

[exmediahack]

SI SportsBook never paid me out my $200 deposit bonus.

 

[Vombatus]

Goddamnit. Right before the swimsuit issue, which had to already be in the works by now.

 

[DanOregon]

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.

 

[playthrough]

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.

 

[Typist Clerk]

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.

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.

 

[The Big Ragu]

SI SportsBook never paid me out my $200 deposit bonus.

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?

 

[goalmouth]

Hope it all works out, @playthrough

I wonder who owns the rights to The National...

 

[Vombatus]

Hope it all works out, @playthrough

I wonder who owns the rights to The National...

Ditto.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Hope it all works out, @playthrough

I wonder who owns the rights to The National...

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.

 

[exmediahack]

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?

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.