Sports Illustrated Union

We, the unionized staff of Sports Illustrated, know that the future of the publication is deeply uncertain. But whatever happens to SI, we must be part of that future. 

Since 2019, SI has been owned by Authentic Brands Group, which has licensed the brand to The Arena Group (previously TheMaven) to operate the magazine and website. In January, Arena failed to make its quarterly license payment to Authentic and Authentic responded by revoking Arena’s license to publish SI. Immediately after, all members of the SI Union were issued layoff notices. Nine of our members were laid off with immediate effect, while the rest of our 70-plus members were told that our last day with the company will be in late April. 

In the interim, members of our union have continued to produce world-class journalism under the SI banner, despite this cloud of uncertainty looming over our heads. Authentic, meanwhile, has reportedly been negotiating with Arena and with other potential operators over the SI license. 

While it remains unclear what the future of SI will be—whether it is published by Arena, by another operator or, most drastically, ceases to exist altogether—what is clear is that those in charge are considering a future that does not include members of our union. That is unacceptable. The staff of writers, editors, photographers, on-camera hosts, social and video producers, and others who have worked tirelessly to make SI a premier outlet in this industry are the only reason the brand has any value. Any version of SI that does not include members of our union would be an insult to our readers and to the seven-decade history of this iconic brand. That would be unacceptable. We are SI, and we must continue to be SI.