Sports Illustrated hit with mass layoffs impacting "possibly all" of its staff
Sports Illustrated has been hit with “mass layoffs” that could impact all of its unionized staff members.
According to an X post by the Sports Illustrated Union and The NewsGuild of New York, workers at the publication were notified earlier today that The Arena Group — the magazine’s publisher — was planning to lay off a “significant number” and “possibly all” of its guild-represented staff members.
Our statement on today’s mass layoffs at Sports Illustrated pic.twitter.com/tQjJdoHP4p
— Sports Illustrated Union (@si_union) January 19, 2024
The union stated that this was a result of Authentic Brands Group (ABG) revoking Arena’s license to publish Sports Illustrated.
It seems that troubles with the Arena Group have been building. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the layoffs come as The Arena Group missed a $3.75 million quarterly licensing payment to ABG as noted in recent securities filings.
Under the current licensing deal, ABG has the right to end its deal if Arena doesn’t make its payments.
“This is another difficult day in what has been a difficult four years for Sports Illustrated under Arena Group (previously The Maven) stewardship,” reads the notice.
“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.”
The SI union and Newsguild of New York says it expects The Arena Group to uphold the terms of the union contract.
“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’s a fight we will continue,” concluded the union’s statement.
Sports Illustrated first went into publication in 1954 and provides expert analysis, highlights, statistics, and scores for major-league and college-league sports.
It’s also known for its swimsuit editions, which have featured a range of notable models, athletes, and celebrities over the years.
The magazine has run into trouble with senior staff over the past months. In December, The Arena Group fired Sports Illustrated‘s CEO after it was discovered the magazine had published several pieces under fake, AI-generated writers.
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