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New Owners Essentially Gutted Sports Illustrated
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What a mess.
So Wednesday night the Wall Street Journal reported that Sports Illustrated was headed for mass layoffs after previous owner Meredith sold SI to a new company, which licensed the publishing rights to a group called TheMaven, run by a dude named Ross Levinsohn. A brief Googling reveals that this guy was booted from the LA Times after a newsroom revolt and has a pretty poor reputation in the industry.
It’s always a bummer to see this stuff happen at media outlets, and it feels like we write about a different place being hollowed out every other week. The Inquirer just went through another round of layoffs and buyouts while smaller newspapers in this area saw a change in ownership.
Sports Illustrated is another one of those outlets that was trying to evolve digitally in a world where magazines just aren’t what they used to be. Inevitably the business model changes; it’s just a matter of whether the new people in charge actually give a shit about journalism as much as money.
The layoff tweets started coming in last night, and I see headlines out there saying “half of the staff” was let go while the WaPo is reporting a 35-40% number. Here are some of the folks who didn’t make it:
https://twitter.com/charlottecrrll/status/1179862852968091657?s=20
https://twitter.com/andrewsharp/status/1179865029425926144?s=20
I’ve been laid off as part of the purge at @SINow. If you need a writer, reporter, podcaster, please let me know. Any journalism job at all. I’ll work in the mailroom. My DMs are open.
— Tim Rohan (@TimRohan) October 3, 2019
Fun while it lasted: Six weeks after being hired as a @SInow staff writer, I was part of today's mass layoffs. pic.twitter.com/cbtnQVuaXB
— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) October 3, 2019
https://twitter.com/JATayler/status/1179857610473910272?s=20
Getting to help lead Sports Illustrated after starting my career there as a fact-checker was a thrill of a lifetime, and beyond my dreams. I’m leaving after 3 years proud of the work we did and filled with love and admiration for this staff and this place.
— Mark McClusky (@markmcc) October 3, 2019
Four years ago I first stepped foot in SI's newsroom. Today is unfortunately my last day as an SI employee, as part of today's layoffs. It's been a devastating day in the office, but I'm looking forward to whatever's next. And I'll forever cherish the people at 225 Liberty.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) October 3, 2019
So my time at @SInow has ended. SI was a dream job when I was a kid, so I will cherish my four-year run. It was amazing.
To be frank, I’m devastated I won’t be able to work with my friends anymore, and I have too many people to thank.
— David Sanchirico (@DavidSanchirico) October 3, 2019
So on and so forth. Apparently they’re going to hire 200 contractors (freelancers) in the coming days/months/whatever.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com