Sports Illustrated (SI) is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice. It is also known for its annual swimsuit issue, which has been published since 1964 and has spawned other complementary media works and products. Owned until 2018 by Time Inc., it was sold to Authentic Brands Group (ABG) following the sale of Time Inc. to Meredith Corporation. The Arena Group (formerly Maven, Inc.) was subsequently awarded a 10-year license to operate the Sports Illustrated-branded editorial operations, while ABG licenses the brand for other non-editorial ventures and products.
From its start, Sports Illustrated introduced several innovations that are generally taken for granted today. Liberal use of color photos though the six-week lead time initially meant they were unable to depict the timely subject matter. Scouting reports including a World Series Preview and New Year’s Day bowl game round-up that enhanced the viewing of games on television. In-depth sports reporting from writers like Robert Creamer, Tex Maule, and Dan Jenkins. Regular illustration features by artists like Robert Riger. High school football Player of the Month awards. Inserts of sports cards in the center of the magazine (1954 & 1955). In 1994 Sports Illustrated launched Sports Illustrated Interactive CD-ROM with StarPress Multimedia, Incorporating player stats, video, and highlights from the year in sports. In 2015 Sports Illustrated purchased a group of software companies and combined them to create Sports Illustrated Play, a platform that offers sports league management software as a service. In 1965, offset printing began. This allowed the color pages of the magazine to be printed overnight, not only producing crisper and brighter images but also finally enabling the editors to merge the best color with the latest news. By 1967, the magazine was printing 200 pages of “fast color” a year; in 1983, SI became the first American full-color newsweekly. An intense rivalry developed between photographers, particularly Walter Iooss and Neil Leifer, to get a decisive cover shot that would be on newsstands and in mailboxes only a few days later. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, during Gil Rogin’s term as Managing Editor, the feature stories of Frank Deford became the magazine’s anchor. “Bonus pieces” on Pete Rozelle, Woody Hayes, Bear Bryant, Howard Cosell, and others became some of the most quoted sources about these figures, and Deford established a reputation as one of the best writers of the time.
Sports Illustrated presents awards such as the American Sportswear Designer Award (ASDA Awards), Performer of the Year, Sportsperson of the Year, Sportsman of the Century, Sports Illustrated’s Muhammad Ali Legacy Award, All-decade awards and honors, Top Sports Colleges, and Wrestler of the Year. The first ASDAs of 1956, presented to Claire McCardell with a separate Designer of the Year award to Rudi Gernreich, was chosen following a vote of 200 American top retailers. Maya Moore of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx was the inaugural winner of the Sports Illustrated Performer of the Year Award in 2017. Roger Bannister won the first-ever Sportsman of the Year award thanks to his record-breaking time of 3:59.4 for a mile (the first-ever time a mile had been run under four minutes). In 1999, Sports Illustrated named Muhammad Ali the Sportsman of the Century at Sports Illustrated’s 20th Century Sports Awards in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. In 2015, the magazine renamed its Sportsman Legacy Award to Sports Illustrated’s Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. The annual award was created in 2008 and honors former “sports figures who embody the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership, and philanthropy as vehicles for changing the world.” Ali first appeared on the magazine’s cover in 1963 and went on to be featured on numerous covers during his storied career. His widow, Lonnie Ali, is consulted when choosing a recipient. In 2017, football quarterback Colin Kaepernick was honored with the Award, which was presented by Beyonce. In 2018, WWE professional wrestler John Cena was honored with the award.
Sports Illustrated has helped launch several related publishing ventures, including Sports Illustrated Kids, Sports Illustrated Almanac, SI.com, Sports Illustrated Australia, Sports Illustrated Canada, Sports Illustrated Presents, CNNSI.com, Sports Illustrated Women, and Sports Illustrated on Campus.
Sports Illustrated offers a 1-year and 2-year print subscription. The 1-year subscription is $20 for 12 issues, delivered monthly. The subscription includes sports news and expert analysis to stay up to date on everything sport-related, in-depth features, probing profiles, sharp investigative journalism produced by the best writers in the business, and special Issues including previews focused on football, basketball, and baseball. This subscription will automatically renew until it is canceled. The 2-year subscription is $30 for 24 issues, delivered monthly. The subscription includes sports news and expert analysis to stay up to date on everything sport-related, in-depth features, probing profiles, sharp investigative journalism produced by the best writers in the business, and special Issues including previews focused on football, basketball, and baseball. This subscription will automatically renew until it is canceled.
