Most of the staff of Sports Illustrated received layoff notices Friday in a stunning blow to the storied sports publication. In a statement on X, the magazine’s union implored SI’s owner, Authentic Brands Group (ABG), to “ensure the continued publication of SI and allow it to serve our audience in the way it has for nearly 70 years.” They wrote that these layoffs, which may effect the entirety of SI’s editorial team, come after a troubled four years under the Arena Group, whose license to publish SI was revoked by ABG after it missed a payment on publishing rights. The layoff notices informed staff that some would be terminated immediately, while others would get the axe after 90 days. The magazine has faced multiple cuts and layoffs in the past decade, but these may spell the end for the publication.
