Sports Illustrated’s publisher lays off most of its staff, union says

Sports Illustrated, the iconic sports journalism magazine, laid off most or “probably all” of its guild-represented staff.

The future of Sports Illustrated was uncertain Friday after the publisher of the iconic magazine and website laid off most or “probably all” of its guild-represented staff, its union said. In a memo sent to staff viewed by CNN, the magazine’s publisher said it is “laying off staff that work on the SI brand.” Authentic Brands Group has owned the magazine and website since 2019. It sold the publishing rights to Arena Group, but the company missed a recent payment for those publishing rights and ABG revoked them, the publisher said in its memo. “This is another difficult day in what has been a difficult four years for Sports Illustrated under Arena Group (previously The Maven) stewardship,” the union said in a statement on X. “We are calling on ABG to ensure the continued publication of SI and allow it to serve our audience in the way it has for nearly 70 years.” Arena Group and a spokesperson for Manoj Bhargava, the 5-Hour Energy founder who owns a majority stake in Arena Group, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The union said it expects the Arena Group to honor its union contract and for all of its employees to be treated fairly.