[Friday Tangent:] Another Storied Magazine I Loved As A Kid... Now Winking Out Of Existence?

I used to wait, literally beside the mailbox, bundled up in my ski gear, in my small mountain town. . . for the mailman, when the next SI was due to be delivered. I'd wait all afternoon, if need be. [The local and regional papers carried almost zip about my hero, the French skier, Jean-Claude Killy -- he's depicted at lower right, with the legendary Jim Brown.]

Then, I'd run inside with it, grab a tall glass of cold milk, some fresh chocolate chip cookies my mom had just baked -- still steaming from the oven, in the chilly winter air, even indoors in our sweaters and turtlenecks. . . and look for the stories on our ski- and football- and basketball- heros. But the very best part was the full page, full color photo that accompanied every feature story. What a time that was: no digital media, and only blurry images on a small TV (and only black and white until I reached ninth grade -- in our home -- with only three stations broadcasting at enough power to clear the high Rockies passes).

So -- if this is the end of some 70 years, of SI. . . it is indeed a sad day (though I am fairly certain some men of my era will lament only the swimsuit issue's demise -- just as some others -- men and women -- may cheer it):

. . .On Friday the storied publication Sports Illustrated began laying off staffers en masse as the outlet’s union warned that “possibly all” of its guild-represented staffers could be affected.

“Earlier today the workers of Sports Illustrated were notified that The Arena Group is planning to lay off a significant number, possibly all, of the Guild-represented workers at SI, a result of Authentic Brands Group (ABG) revoking Arena’s license to publish SI,” the NewGuild of New York, which represents about 80 editorial workers at the magazine, and the Sports Illustrated Union said in a statement early on Friday. “This is another difficult day in what has been a difficult four years for Sports Illustrated under Arena Group (previously The Maven) stewardship. . . .”

“We hope to be the company to take SI forward but if not, we are confident that someone will. If it is another business, we will support with the transition so the legacy of Sports Illustrated doesn’t suffer. . . .”

Me? I would not bet the ranch on it. Sadly, so it goes -- for many stalwarts of a largely. . . by-gone era, in sports, and journalism. Onward, with a sad sort of smile. . . this evening.

नमस्ते