Pretty Pictures and Stale News
Sports Illustrated
I remain one of the intermittent subscribers that confound circulation managers at Sports Illustrated. I just ended a third subscription term with the magazine, and while it has improved over time, I still don't find extensive sports coverage. Periodicals such as The Sporting News strive to be more like SI, or its corporate cousin, People, but supplies much more information and analysis. As I made the decision not to renew, I thought about the two magazines and what should be overlapping coverage. A light bulb went off instead and I realized that SI was content to make the magazine more accessible for the casual sports fan while providing gorgeous photos. Duh. That is where the Illustrated name came from. But in an era of instant web access and multiple sports channels, full motion video of those same events is available with the click of a few mouse keys. Meanwhile, SI continues its efforts in providing a little coverage in a lot of areas, rather than focusing on hard news.
Swimsuits and Comedians
The magazine is perhaps known in pop culture circles for its annual swimsuit issue, but even this has become less controversial over the years and merely serves as a lightweight Victoria's Secret catalog. The magazine tries to compensate by including regular features that allow readers to anchor themselves in a familiar routine. Those features, including several very funny columns, are the highlight of each issue. Sports Illustrated occasionally scoops other media outlets with an investigative piece, but those stories are rare. What the reader frequently receives is a print version of ESPN Sports Center that is at least several days old.
Swimsuit models aside, the magazine is beautifully laid out and even more visual than in previous years. Readers are not overwhelmed, as they might be with Wired or other tech magazines that leave little white space and sometimes seem to be a chore to read. Different treatments are used throughout each issue, tying up the whole thing in a pretty presentation. In addition to the two page color photos published in the front of each issue, SI includes extensive photos with every article. Like Rolling Stone, the photos range from candid to whimsical to fantasy, but never stock head shots of an athlete or coach. There are also frequently caricatures or line drawings that enhance the visual experience.
The magazine also has recruited several terrific columnists whose work is almost worth the subscription price. Bill Scheft, David Letterman's head monologue writer, contributes a rapid-fire written monologue each week. A semi-serious interview with a non-athlete celebrity (Shania Twain, anyone?) is found in the same section. Columnists Steve Rushin and the typically controversial Rick Reilly also lend thoughtful analysis and access to sports' biggest names.
But a handful of strong columnists and some pretty pictures don't add up to a magazine that gives me value for my subscription dollar.
What Else You'll Find
Standard features such as letters to the editor and small features dot the front of the magazine. Also there is the ubiquitous Faces In The Crowd column. I did not research its origin, but I am going to guess that Faces has been running for at least three decades. The column is an interesting feature that highlights amateur sports accomplishments. Most of the athletes covered here are high school or college competitors, but SI does a good job in ferreting out other amateurs, including special athletes who compete with disabilities and older amateurs.
Also worth perusing is a memoir column written by the editorial staff in each issue. Catching Up With highlights an athlete who was once on the cover of the magazine, but is no longer a public figure. These small vignettes are interesting although because of size constraints, they often focus more on what originally brought the athlete notoriety rather than updating the person's biography. That type of education is consistent throughout SI's editorial pages. The magazine is really written for casual fans.
In addition to several feature articles that tend to vary with seasonality, readers will find a large section called Inside The Week In Sports. SI staff uses this section to cover major events in several sports, but in a perfunctory manner. I find this section is often the weakest editorially, both in style and depth.
Yes, SI can be whimsical and fun too. Mets fans are still outraged more than a decade later over the magazine's April Fool's prank article by George Plimpton about a mysterious pitcher named Sidd Finch (yes, two d's) who was destined to change the game forever. Paying attention to the rich detail Plimpton provided rather than his byline, fans were queuing up for World Series tickets before Opening Day. Score one for the editors.
The Bottom Line, Renewal Cards and All
While it tries to be all things to all people and focuses on being a celebrity-based vehicle for athletes, Sports Illustrated remains a magazine that will be redundant for most serious sports fans. Those with a passing interest in multiple sports who do not have the time to follow those sports may find it useful as an overview, but other magazines do the job better in a more workman-like fashion.
Five Things To Remember From This Review
1. It's called Sports Illustrated for a reason. Lots of pretty pictures
and nice layouts make reading the magazine a pleasant experience.
2. Much of the standard editorial content is stale news.
3. The columnists may be SI's strongest feature after the pictures. Check
out Reilly for sometimes poignant, sometimes outrageous columns and Scheft
for laughs.
4. The weekly sports coverage is not comprehensive and there is little statistical
information compared to other pubs in this segment.
5. Think People for Sports.
