What was once the premier Sports magazine, and pinnacle of sports journalism seems to be coming to an end.

The publisher of Sports Illustrated is laying off most, maybe all, of the outlet’s staff. Added in with their publishing license revoked, the near 70-year publication could soon be nearing the end.

The Arena Group, which publishes SI, recently missed a $3.75 million payment to SI’s license holder, Authentic, leading Authentic to sever the deal.

Authentic, the licensing group that purchased Sports Illustrated for $110 million from Meredith five years ago, has terminated the agreement it holds with The Arena Group to publish SI in print and digital, according to an email obtained by Front Office Sports.

The Sports Illustrated union posted on X: “This is another difficult day in what has been a difficult four years for Sports Illustrated under Arena Group (previously The Maven) stewardship. We are calling on ABG to ensure the continued publication of SI and allow it to serve our audience in the way it has for nearly 70 years”.

Arena informed employees of the situation on Friday, via email.“We were notified by Authentic Brands Group (ABG) that the license under which the Arena Group operates the Sports Illustrated (SI) brand and SI related properties has been officially revoked by ABG,” the email explains, via Perez. “As a result of this license revocation, we will be laying off staff that work on the SI brand.”

“Some employees will be terminated immediately, and paid in lieu of the applicable notice period under the [the union contract]. 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.”

Stay tuned for more updates…