Sports Illustrated is making a comeback.
Back in January, the legendary outlet laid off more than 100 employees. The move occurred after The Arena Group, which had a contract with Authentic Brands to publish SI content online and in print, defaulted on a $4 million payment.
At the time, the magazine announced it was switching to a more “streamlined business model,” and the layoffs nearly forced the magazine to cease publication permanently. New York's News Guild and Sports Illustrated Union then filed a lawsuit accusing Arena of union-busting.
Now, Authentic has signed a new 10-year licensing agreement with Minute Media, which also owns sports websites The Players Tribune and Fanside. Minute Media CEO Asaf Peled told the New York Times that the company plans to rehire some of the staff it laid off two months ago.
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That's a relief to generations of sports fans. ESPN's Scott Van Pelt said, “If you were older, you probably knew exactly what day Sports Illustrated arrived in your mailbox…If your team was on the cover, it was… It was the best thing that ever happened,” ESPN's Scott Van Pelt posted on social network X, formerly known as Twitter. When bad news hit SI in January.
Tom Brady thought so too.
To celebrate our new deal with Sports Illustrated, here are some iconic covers.
Some iconic Sports Illustrated covers
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Contributors: Steve Gardner and Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY
Julia is a trend reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered a variety of topics from local businesses and government to technology and pop culture in her hometown of Miami. you can follow her X, formerly known as TwitterInstagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz.
