Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/01/23/sports-illustrated-dead-as-70-year-old-magazine-hit-with-mass-layoffs.html
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I was going to remark “AI or death!”
AI = death.
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Oh darn. Now teen boys will have nothing to wank with that their mothers would not bat an eye over.
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Two comments in, thanks for keeping the bar high, dude 
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I’m not into sports, really, and never bought an issue of SI. But I still feel a bit bummed about it. It was an institution for sports fans for a long time.
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At one point, I would say it was even beyond just sports fans. George Plimpton and Kurt Vonnegut wrote for SI at times. To me, it was up there with Time, Life, and National Geographic as the epitome of what a magazine was supposed to be.
ETA: I don’t think it’s a coincidence that 3 of the 4 magazines I listed have, or are about to, cease print publication. And it will probably happen to Time sooner than later. I think the periodical magazine format is just dying overall.
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The loss of the “Illustrated” bit is saddest to me. The sports photography was sometimes astounding.
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I guess a new sport will involve identifying all the errors in the AI-generated images. 
At this rate, maybe they’re taking odds in Vegas on how many years remain before players get robot replacements, too. 
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I look forward (not) to the interim bionic stage.
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I think an large amount of the problems SI faced came from the sportsbookification of sports media in general which even ESPN is having problems with adapting to also.
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This is late stage capitalism at its peak, turning storied companies into “brands” that are meaningless, all for whatever profits they can squeeze out. And when the profits aren’t enough, they try dubious ideas like algorithms writing stories, ensuring they have tanked and ruined a name forever.
I don’t care about sports. I don’t read SI. But this is the writing on the wall for all such publications and the end result of a long 40 years of decline from Reagan’s greed uber alles views and policies.
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See National Geographic.
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For me it was Glamour
Yeah. It’s a terrible time to be a writer. We’re losing publications at all levels, including the places people used to dream about writing for. There’s not going to be anything left by the time the dust settles.
From what I’m seeing, they also did more layoffs today.
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They had a large layoff back in June. I haven’t heard of anything recent.
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I saw someone post about being laid off today. It could be an isolated layoff or a delayed announcement from June. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if they’re still hacking away at what’s left.
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Maybe someone should start a Hilketa league? Given the popularity of professional wrestling and gridiron football, it would probably do pretty well!
I recall hearing that SI was instrumental to getting young boys to read (and this was pre-swimsuit edition). I have to believe reading skills have done nothing but decline in recent times. And now, maybe a little faster.
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Sports Napkin Sketch?
Wait, Sports Midjourney.
Of course!
Just checked w a few NGers and no such mass layoff occurring today to anybody’s knowledge. Whew.
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Oh good! I’m losing track of all the layoffs right now. Glad to hear NG isn’t about to get hit again.
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