All Sports Illustrated employees are being laid off.
The iconic magazine’s entire staff was notified Friday that their positions are being eliminated.
Former SI writer Richard Deitsch took to Twitter to share a screenshot of an all-staff email employees received informing them of the news.
The memo explained that Authentic Brands Group — the licensing company that bought SI for $110 million from Meredith in 2019 — had terminated the agreement it holds with the Arena Group to publish the magazine in print and digital.
“Dear All: On Thursday, January 18th, we were notified by Authentic Brands Group (ABG) that the license under which the Arena Group operates the Sports Illustrated (SI) brand and SI related properties has been officially revoked by ABG. As a result of this license revocation, we will be laying off staff that work on the SI brand,” the email read.
“All impacted employees will receive severance pay, and will be entitled to any applicable WARN or notice period outlined in the Union agreement (‘MOA’). Some employees will be terminated immediately, and paid in lieu of the applicable notice period under the MOA.”
The memo continued, “Employees with a last working day of today will be contacted by the People team soon. Other employees will be expected to work through the end of the notice period, and will receive additional information shortly.”
It concluded, “We appreciate the work and efforts of everyone who has contributed to the SI brand and business.”
According to Front Office Sports, Arena missed a $3.75 million payment last month, which breached the company’s SI licensing deal.
Following the announcement, the Sports Illustrated Union released a statement calling upon ABG to “ensure the continued publication of SI.”
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NFL editor and unit chair Mitch Goldich added, “We have fought together as a union to maintain the standard of this storied publication that we love, and to make sure our workers are treated fairly for the value they bring to this company. It is a fight we will continue.”
At this time, it’s unclear whether ABG will establish a new operator or allow Arena to renegotiate its current deal.
Founded by Stuart Scheftel, SI was first published in 1954 as a sports magazine. It’s best known for its annual swimsuit issue, which has been published since 1964.
Among the famous faces and bodies to have graced the SI Swimsuit Issues are supermodels Christie Brinkley, Elle Macpherson, Heidi Klum, Rebecca Romijn, Chrissy Teigen, Irina Shayk and Kate Upton.
In 1997, Tyra Banks covered the magazine as the first black model to do so. In 2007, Beyoncé became one of the first non-models, and non-athletes to land the spot. And in 2023, 81-year-old Martha Stewart earned the title of oldest SI Swimsuit covergirl.
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