Demise of Sports Illustrated especially sad as it played a key role in launch of my career

CALIFORNIA — A great magazine died recently, Sports Illustrated, with the announcement Jan. 19, 2024, that it would be laying off its entire staff. The magazine’s ownership had missed a $3.75 million quarterly licensing payment to Authentic Brands Group, which then terminated its licensing agreement with the publication.

The magazine had once been one of the crown jewels in the storied Time-Life publishing group dating back to its inception in the mid-1950’s. It’s writers and photographers became media stars, internationally known. Circulation surpassed 3 million per week at the peak of the magazine’s popularity, more than TIME or Reader’s Digest.