The Civil War Tearing Sports Illustrated Apart

A narrowly avoided legal war, accusations of unpaid bills, a former high-school teacher on the payroll who once pleaded guilty to having “an improper relationship with a student.” The company that runs Sports Illustrated has in recent months made a series of moves that have left staffers more demoralized and dejected than ever—and worried about the financial health of the company.

The Maven, the digital-media organization which has controlled Sports Illustrated since last fall, has been a controversial steward of the iconic sports magazine since nearly day one: The company laid off nearly half of SI’s staff immediately after taking over; numerous other staffers left following those slashes; editorial employees chafed at the rollout of Maven’s plans to establish hundreds of traffic-chasing digital sites covering pro and college sports teams, à la SB Nation; and, following the police killing of George Floyd, staffers revolted over Maven’s platforming of a “disgraceful” Blue Lives Matter website full of misinformation and racist comments.

The Maven came to control Sports Illustrated after magazine publisher Meredith sold the magazine to Authentic Brands Group (ABG), which, in an unusual arrangement, then handed over the management rights of the publication to Maven, a controversial tech and media company. 

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