It is a dark day for sports journalism.
The Arena Group alerted all Sports Illustrated staffers on Friday that their positions were being eliminated.
Richard Deitsch, a sports media reporter who left Sports Illustrated for the Athletic, posted on X the email that all employees received.
“Some employees will be terminated immediately, and paid in lieu of the applicable notice period under the [union contract],” the notice read. “Employees with a last working day of today will be contacted by the People team soon. Other employees will be expected to work through the end of the notice period, and will receive additional information shortly.”
The decision comes after the Authentic Brands Group, the licensing group that bought Sports Illustrated for $110 million from Meredith five years ago, terminated the agreement it holds with The Arena Group to publish the magazine in print and digital, per Front Office Sports.
The Sports Illustrated Union said it was calling upon Authentic to “ensure the continued publication of SI” in a statement following the announcement.