Sports Illustrated's decline reveals the effects of cultural change

Sports Illustrated was once the standard-bearer for sports journalism. Before there was SportsCenter, OverTime, or Bleacher Report, there was SI (Time, Inc.), a publication with millions of readers over decades and bookshelves filled with journalism awards.

But despite its prominence, Sports Illustrated was on the brink of closure after massive layoffs. The job cuts come just days before the emerging media brand was rescued through a licensing deal with London-based digital media publisher Minute Media. The media outlet has agreed to publish SI for the next 10 years, with an option for an extension of up to 30 years.

Unfortunately, this is not a unique story. Technology evolves, and with it our consumption behavior. From streaming to ride sharing to rentals, they are all disrupted by internet-based networks and currency exchange. The magazine and newspaper industry also suffers from this dynamic. However, Sports Illustrated's case is a bit more novel than the broader industry, as it's not just changes in technology that have posed challenges for SI. The biggest blow to brands was the change in culture and the brand's inability to change with it.

Since its founding in 1954, Sports Illustrated has created and cornered a market for sports journalism that goes deeper into sports than traditional media outlets. The publication initially focused on covering major sporting events and telling behind-the-scenes stories that weren't broadcast on television or printed in newspaper copy. SI's in-depth journalism and outstanding photography helped the publisher create a lane of its own and set a standard for other outlets to follow.

However, changes in the media landscape have changed the way people consume and engage with content, especially in sports. The social web has provided sports fans with widespread access to sports content and a means to foster conversations among other fans. Over time, it was no longer enough for fans to simply sit back and consume content. They wanted to contribute to the creation, contextualization, and distortion of content through memes, hashtags, discussions, and conspiracy theories.

In the literature, these exchanges of communication are referred to as metatexts: texts about texts, stories about stories, and reactions to actions on the court, field, or ring. These interactions open the door to participation so that even beginners who are not avid sports fans can understand the importance of sports events and participate with perspective.

Journalist Ryan Broderick takes this idea further, saying, “In a world where you can read, watch, or listen to anything, the act of consumption is unimpressive. We reward each other by doing so.” In fact, commentary on plays and player commentary can confuse the Internet, often as convincing or explosive as the authoritative opinions of Sports Illustrated magazines around the world. It becomes a thing.

Suffice it to say, bystander comments are no longer exclusive to journalists, whose voices were once considered sacrosanct. The best of Steve A. Smith's takes will be just as meaningful and valuable as Steve A.'s actual takes themselves. Whether the audience is as large as Kai Cenat or more general like TBT Talks' Instagram sports commentary, metatext draws people into sports.Click here for commentsThis requires modern journalism to move from simply reporting sports news to provoking discourse that excites metatexts among sports fans.

As sports themselves have changed, so has the world of sports journalism. What happens off the court is just as culturally important and fascinating as what happens during the game. Metatext rethinks fan engagement. This gives leagues like the NBA the opportunity to extend their seasons from six months of gameplay to 12 months of games, and allows fans and modern journalists alike to engage in metatexts even during the offseason. Masu. This cultural shift means big business for brands that understand it, and trouble for those that don't.

Changes in media consumption aren't the only cultural changes challenging Sports Illustrated. Changes in society are also creating headwinds for brands. One of his more popular articles for Sports Illustrated was the coveted swimsuit issue. Launched in 1964, SI's Swimsuit Issue featured photos of supermodels, athletes, and artists in swimsuits set against exotic backdrops. The women spotlighted in these images are primarily typical depictions of society's standards of beauty, and are traditionally thin and often white. In the rare instances in which Sports Illustrated deviates from this aesthetic, this was a notable deviation. When Tyra Banks appeared on the cover of her swimsuit issue in 1997, she remembers unfolding and taping her photo of Tyra Banks to her high school bedroom wall. That was a big problem.

However, society's values ​​have evolved. The scope of what is considered beautiful today has widened to include a wide range of characters beyond the narrow lens of the past. Modern beauty stands now include different skin tones and different body types, thanks to cultural discourse around body positivity. Unfortunately, Sports Illustrated's selection of swimsuit talent represented an exclusive and unrealistic portrayal of female beauty that perpetuated outdated cultural norms.

By the time SI adapted to these changes by featuring curvy models on its covers, the move was criticized as a token gesture from a brand that had distanced itself from society. That's because publishers still use highly retouched editing techniques on their photos, undermining the core of society's movement towards body acceptance. Although the zeitgeist had changed, Sports Illustrated still tried to cling to old conventions that promoted a singular concept of beauty. This nudged people in the wrong direction, encouraging them to voice their opinions in public, further contributing to the brand's decline in cultural relevance.

Barbie once faced a similar problem. The toymaker has previously been the focus of criticism over the influence its dolls' physiques have on young girls. Headlines equated Barbie's commercial decline with a decline in cultural relevance regarding body image discrepancies, sparking heated public debate. These criticisms were substantiated by a scientific study conducted on 162 girls between the ages of 5 and 8, which found that girls who were exposed to Barbie dolls had lower body self-esteem and It turns out that I experience a desire to lose weight.

Coincidentally, Barbie herself was once featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, which caused further backlash for the brand and publisher. But Barbie turned that around. So Sports Illustrated might be able to do that, too. But we've seen how difficult it is for brands like Victoria's Secret to recover after facing similar challenges.

No one knows what the future holds for the sports icon. But one thing is for sure: it depends on your willingness to embrace the culture. And that's the hard part. Culture is always changing. It is always moving forward and must change with it. Otherwise, you risk being left behind.

With each new idea, product release, or content submission, the general public uses meaning-making to determine whether it is “cool” or “uncool” and “in” or “out” based on cultural conventions. Participate in the process. that day. So the name of the game is culturally relevant. If you happen to find your brand straying from modern cultural orthodoxy, you too may become a target for criticism, or worse, your brand itself may be shut down. My advice to business leaders is to lean into the culture.