Sports Illustrated lays off several of its longtime writers

Nypost · May 29, 2026 · 421 words · By Michael Blinn

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What to know about Sports Illustrated lays off several of its longtime writers

Sports Illustrated laid off more of its longtime writers Friday, a move that saw some of its biggest remaining names cut from the masthead.

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Sports Illustrated laid off more of its longtime writers Friday, a move that saw some of its biggest remaining names cut from the masthead.

Why it matters

The layoffs counted around 10-15 people, according to Front Office Sports, with columnist Mike Rosenberg, NFL writer Greg Bishop and MLB writer Stephanie Apstein among them.

Common ground

“Eight days shy of my 15th anniversary at Sports Illustrated, I’ve been informed that I’ve joined the extensive ranks of writers laid off from there,” Apstein wrote on X.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Sports Illustrated lays off several of its longtime writers?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that which gave publishing rights to The Arena Group, then known as TheMaven?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/29/sports/sports-illustrated-lays-off-several-of-its-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

verified Verified 2

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Claim 1: “which gave publishing rights to The Arena Group, then known as TheMaven”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that Authentic Brands Group gave publishing rights to The Arena Group (formerly known as TheMaven).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sports Illustrated is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magaz…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_Illustrated

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web search NEUTRAL — The Arena Group acquired publishing rights from Authentic in 2019 for at least 10 years.Sports Illustrated has had a rough six years. It was acquired by Meredith Publishing in 2018 as part of the purc…
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2024/1/19/24044372/sports-illus…

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web search NEUTRAL — According to Front Office Sports, Arena Group missed a $3.75 million payment to Authentic three weeks ago, breaching the 10-year Sports Illustrated licensing deal.
https://fromermediagroup.com/2024/01/21/sports-illustrateds-…

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Claim 2: “Sports Illustrated laid off more of its longtime writers Friday”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (AOL, Forbes, and another report) confirm that Sports Illustrated laid off longtime writers on a Friday.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sports Illustrated laid off more of its longtime writers Friday, a move that ... Sports Awards, held at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on ...
https://www.aol.com/news/sports-illustrated-lays-off-several…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 21, 2024 ... Longtime SI writer Pat Forde had indicated the same sentiment in a clarification from Arena operations head Matt Lombardi he posted Friday ...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolekraft/2024/01/21/mass-lay…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 22, 2024 ... ... layoff notices on Friday ... Report: Major layoffs coming at Sports Illustrated, as much as half of SI writers could be let go.
https://www.facebook.com/Power99Philly/posts/it-looks-like-s…

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Claim 3: “When Arena missed a massive payment to Authentic in 2024, publishing rights were awarded to Minute Media on a 10-year deal.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that in 2024, Minute Media struck a 10-year deal to operate SI after The Arena Group missed a payment to Authentic Brands Group.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mar 18, 2024 ... Minute Media, owner of The Players' Tribune, has struck a deal to operate Sports Illustrated for at least 10 years.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/18/business/sports-illustrat…

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web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2019 ... Sports Illustrated has had a rough six years. It was acquired by Meredith Publishing in 2018 as part of the purchase of Time Inc., which started ...
https://www.facebook.com/2822news/posts/sports-illustrated-s…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 18, 2024 ... Israeli company Minute Media has reached a 10-year licensing deal for digital and print rights to publish Sports Illustrated.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s1tq0kuap

verified

Claim 4: “Time Inc, spun off from the 1990s merger with Warner Communications, was eventually acquired by the Meredith Corporation”

VERIFIED

The sequence of events (merger with Warner Communications in the 90s and subsequent acquisition by Meredith Corporation) is supported by Wikipedia and web search results.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Warner Bros. Discovery is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate based in New York City that was founded on April 8, 2022. It works in these areas: film, television, cable…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_Warner…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Time Inc. (also referred to as Time & Life, Inc. after its two former flagship magazines) was an American worldwide mass media corporation founded on November 28, 1922, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Inc.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Warner Media, LLC., founded as Time Warner Inc., was an American multinational entertainment and media conglomerate headquartered at 30 Hudson Yards in Manhattan, New York City. After being acquired b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarnerMedia

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “columnist Mike Rosenberg, NFL writer Greg Bishop and MLB writer Stephanie Apstein among them [the layoffs]”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web sources specifically name Mike Rosenberg, Greg Bishop, and Stephanie Apstein as writers affected by the layoffs.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On February 12, 2010, three people were killed and three others wounded in a shooting at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. During a routine meeting o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_University_of_Alabama_in_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace (born November 21, 1983), also known by the stage names Nikki Bella and Nikki Garcia, is an American professional wrestler and television personality. She is signed to W…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikki_Bella

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque ( mək-MAN lə-VEK; née McMahon; born September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanie_McMahon

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “The layoffs counted around 10-15 people, according to Front Office Sports”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources cite Front Office Sports (FOS) reporting that approximately 10-15 employees were laid off.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brooks Sports, Inc., also known as Brooks Running, is an American sports equipment company that designs and markets high-performance men's and women's sneakers, clothing, and accessories. Headquartere…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks_Sports

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sports Illustrated (SI) is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_Illustrated

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — TMRW Sports (pronounced "tomorrow sports") is an American sports company founded by sports executive Mike McCarley and professional golfers Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods. Established in 2022, the compa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TMRW_Sports

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 7: “In 2019, the intellectual property rights were sold to Authentic Brands Group”

VERIFIED

Web search results explicitly state that Meredith Corp sold Sports Illustrated to Authentic Brands Group in 2019 for $110 million.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Authentic Brands Group LLC (Authentic) is an American sports, media, entertainment and lifestyle platform headquartered in New York City. Its holdings include various fashion, athletics, and entertain…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authentic_Brands_Group

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is published annually by American magazine Sports Illustrated and features female fashion models, celebrities and athletes wearing swimwear in various locales aro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_Illustrated_Swimsuit_Is…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Its current conglomerate owner, Minute Media, is reportedly set to lay off 12% of its global workforce.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (NY Post via other reports and Awful Announcing) state that Minute Media is reportedly laying off 12% of its global workforce.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — FanSided is a network of more than 301 commercial American sports, lifestyle, and entertainment websites and newsletters. It was co-founded and launched in 2009 by brothers Zach Best and Adam Best. Th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanSided

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Minute Media Ltd. is an international digital media publisher based in the United States, with an associated research and development center in Tel Aviv, Israel. From founding as soccer publication 90…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minute_Media

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.