sports illustrated

Sports Illustrated Lays Off Their Entire Staff

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Sports Illustrated has informed its entire editorial staff that they will be laid off. According to a screenshot of the email staffers received on January 19, the parent company of SI‘s parent company, Authentic Brands Group, informed SI‘s parent company, the Arena Group, that it was revoking SI’s brand license. The future of the SI brand itself remains unclear. Arena Group acquired the publishing rights for SI from ABG in 2019. That marked SI‘s second owner in as many years after being sold by Meredith Publishing in 2018, who sold to ABG in 2019.

SI employs nearly 1000 people, per the latest employment reports. Once the pinnacle of sports media, SI will now become the latest sports outlet to clean house. In October 2019, G/O Media cleaned house at Deadspin. Meanwhile, Vox Media has levied several rounds of layoffs at SB Nation since the pandemic. This included entirely removing their hockey and soccer verticals in 2023. However, this is sadly a trend that will continue as private equity continues to acquire more and more legacy media brands.

Read More: Cowboys Cheerleaders Accuse Packers Players Of “Unsportsmanlike Conduct”

Pitchfork Absorbed Into GQ

Furthermore, Sports Illustrated is not even the first outlet this week shuttered by its parent company. Pitchfork, often seen as the industry standard for music journalism, would cease operation as an independent publication. Instead, it would be folded into GQ as a vertical. Both publications are owned by Conde Nast, the publishing giant that also owns Vogue amongst many other publications.

“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 is a fight we will continue,” Mitch Goldich, a union unit member at SI, said in a statement. Furthermore, the guild also called for Authentic Brands Group to “ensure the continued publication of SI and allow it to serve our audience in the way it has for nearly 70 years.”

Read More: Luenell Wants Club Shay Shay Interview, Shoots Her Shot With Shannon Sharpe

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The post Sports Illustrated Lays Off Their Entire Staff appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Martha Stewart Shuts Down Plastic Surgery Rumors After Swimsuit Issue Cover: ‘No Plastic Surgery Whatsoever’

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Martha Stewart Covers Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue at Age 81

Martha Stewart should take a listen to Kanye West’s “Bring Me Down” as it is a special bar in there for her:

There’ll always be haters, that’s the way it is
Hater niggas marry hater bitches and have hater kids

Martha Stewart made history this week becoming the oldest model to cover Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue at age 81.

On Instagram, background info of the shoot was revealed, citing that Stewart was offered the storied cover in November 2022, and the shoot took place in January 2023. Martha had three months to prepare.

“Trying new things is very good,” Martha said. “Being fearless is very good. Don’t be afraid of anything.”

But the Internet believes she looks as good as she does due to plastic surgery. Stewart shuts down that belief in an interview with Variety.

“I’ve had absolutely no plastic surgery whatsoever,” Stewart said. “I have very healthy, good hair. I drink green juice every day. I take my vitamins. I eat very healthfully. I have very good skin doctors. I’m very careful in the sun. I wear hats and I wear sunblock every single day.”

You can read more about Martha Stewart’s cover shoot preparation here.

The post Martha Stewart Shuts Down Plastic Surgery Rumors After Swimsuit Issue Cover: ‘No Plastic Surgery Whatsoever’ appeared first on The Source.

Martha Stewart Covers Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue at Age 81

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Martha Stewart Covers Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue at Age 81

Baddies come in all ages. Adding to the growing list of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover stars is 81-year-old Martha Stewart.

On Instagram, background info of the shoot was revealed, citing that Stewart was offered the storied cover in November 2022, and the shoot took place in January 2023. Martha had three months to prepare.

“Trying new things is very good,” Martha said. “Being fearless is very good. Don’t be afraid of anything.”

The post Martha Stewart Covers Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue at Age 81 appeared first on The Source.

Angel Reese Poses In Purple Bikini For Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover

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Angel Reese has become one of the most famous basketball players in the world. Overall, this designation is very well deserved. During the March Madness tournament for women’s basketball, Reese was able to lead her LSU Tigers to a National Title. Subsequently, this led to controversy over her taunts at Caitlin Clark. However, most rational people realized that Angel had done nothing wrong. Either way, she is a huge National star right now, and she is stacking accolades.

Moreover, her LSU team is stacked with new talent. Consequently, there is this sense that the Tigers are going to go back-to-back. It’s hard to see why they wouldn’t seeing as though they are loaded. Now, however, Angel Reese is getting recognized in another way. Today, it was revealed that she would be on the cover of the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. For those of you who are curious about the image SI has gone with, you can see it right here. In the image, Reese can be seen sporting a purple bikini.

Read More: Angel Reese NIL Evaluation

Angel Reese For Sports Illustrated

Angel Reese #10 of the LSU Lady Tigers speaks during a press conference after the LSU Lady Tigers beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85 during the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game at American Airlines Center on April 02, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

SI Swimsuit editor-in-chief MJ Day got to talk about Reese and why they chose her for this cover. As you can see, it was due to her amazing achievements, and what she means to women’s basketball. “Angel Reese is a phenomenal basketball player,” Day explained. “She’s an All- American and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. While we’re of course here to celebrate her incredible achievements and athleticism, it wouldn’t be an SI Swimsuit moment if we weren’t shining a light on Angel’s achievements off the court.”

At this point, it is safe to say that Angel Reese is going to be a star for years to come. She is an amazing basketball player who will be in the WNBA soon enough. For now, however, she is building a legacy at LSU. We cannot wait to see what she pulls off next.

Read More: Shaq Has Big Praise For LSU’s Angel Reese

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LSU Gymnast To Feature On SI Swimsuit Issue Cover

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Olivia Dunne is one of the hottest commodities in college athletics at the moment. She has shone a new light on the traditionally overlooked collegiate gymnastics circuit. That is thanks to her good looks, undeniable talent, and millions of followers on social media. Dunne has 7 million TikTok followers and 3 million Instagram followers.

However, her fame has been an issue for LSU at times. The university had to issue a crowd conduct warning due to the raucous behavior of some fans at meets. In a different vein, the school had to issue a statement on the use of chatbots and AI after Dunne did sponsored content for an essay-writing AI tool. Despite these hiccups, Dunne’s star continues to shine and she is about to take her biggest step yet.

Dunne To Feature As SI Swimsuit Issue Cover Model

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition has been an annual staple since 1964. It has featured a range of models and celebrities in the prestigious role of cover model. However, athletes have had the rare honor of gracing the cover. The first athlete to do so was Ronda Rousey in 2016. The only other athletes to appear on the cover are soccer player Alex Morgan (2019) and tennis player Naomi Osaka (2021). Dunne will be the fourth athlete to star on the cover, and the first collegiate athlete to do so.

“It’s a dream come true. It’s an honor to be included because I love everything the magazine represents. It is all about supporting women from all different paths.” Dunne said. “The way that the [SI Swimsuit] brand has evolved and has become such a positive spotlight for women to tell their stories and to spread awesome messages of being strong, sexy and beautiful, I knew that was something I wanted to be part of,” she added. Swimsuit editor M.J. Day also spoke on what it meant to have Dunne on the cover.

“The refusal of some to appreciate Livvy for being more than just a pretty blonde is missing the point. The backlash she received for ‘leveraging’ her sexuality for endorsement dollars after the NIL restrictions were lifted is incorrect. We are here to celebrate this incredible young woman and encourage the world to respect and applaud Livvy and her fellow athletes for owning the blood, sweat and tears that have fueled a lifetime of achievements.”

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editor M.J. Day

The 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition will debut in May.

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Here’s Meg Thee Stallion, Naomi Osaka + Leyna Bloom Swimsuit Covers

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The newest edition of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit is here, and there are some major stars donning the cover. The pictures are major fire and the release of the magazine has fans of all walks excited. Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion, tennis star Naomi Osaka and transgender actress Leyna Bloom are rocking out on their respective […]

Megan Thee Stallion Covers The ‘Sports Illustrated’ Swimsuit Issue, Making Her The First Rapper To Do So

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Getty Image

The cover stars for this year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue were unveiled today, and among them is a familiar face to music fans: Megan Thee Stallion, as she, tennis star Naomi Osaka, and actress/model Leyna Bloom all got their own covers.

Sharing the cover on Instagram, Megan wrote, “REAL SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT EDITION COVER MODEL SH*T!!! Thee first female rapper on the cover of @si_swimsuit [crying emojis] I want to thank all the strong women in my life who inspired me to love my body and live my best hot girl life. It means the world to me to be on this cover DREAM COME TRUE!!”

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit editor-in-chief MJ Day said of Meg, “Megan Thee Stallion doesn’t stay in one lane. In fact, she encourages everyone to be in multiple, and this is what we love about her. She captured the world’s attention with her music and style, but what caught our attention was her unfiltered approach to the way she makes you think. She uses her platform to push boundaries, dissect societal norms, and encourage humans to think about the backward way our society continues to operate. Megan is a vessel for change, and we are honored to have her on our 2021 cover.”

Megan is the first rapper to cover the swimsuit issue, but not the first musician, as Beyonce graced the cover back in 2007.

Check out Megan’s Sports Illustrated photo gallery here.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.