Down for the count? – Winnipeg Free Press

American sports magazine Sports Illustrated made headlines in mid-January when its parent company announced immediate layoffs of union representatives, including journalists, photographers and editors, leaving the future of the 70-year-old award-winning publication in limbo. very doubtful.

Although a company spokesperson followed up, Arena Group “will continue to produce Sports Illustrated Not everyone bought into the brand and online content until the situation was resolved.

in an interview Time magazine, ex SI the employee commented that while it was true that not all workers were relieved of their duties, “its writers and producers felt like they were getting their last at-bat with 12 runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.”

The first thing Winnipegger Jeff Krieg did after learning of the potential demise of the Magic was to dust dozens and dozens of dust. Sports Illustrated issues he has dealt with over the years. Krieg, whose home business, Adanac Antiques & Collectibles, specializes in sports memorabilia, says he was in his 20s when he started reading. SI on a semi-permanent basis. At first, he bought new copies from the newsstand, but over time, he began to focus on old models as well.

“I've always been a big Denver Broncos fan, so if I saw one with John Elway or Tim Tebow on the cover, I'd buy them just for that reason,” he says, flipping through the pile. coffee table magazines, most of them from the 1950s and 60s.

Krieg, 62, has always liked to be consistent SI column called Faces in the crowd, which highlighted prospective high school and amateur athletes. Whenever he picked up second-hand copies at thrift stores or flea markets, he would turn the page and see if he recognized any of the famous athletes who went on to successful professional or Olympic careers.

Krieg, who collects CFL Gray Cup programs and any and all Winnipeg Jets-related ephemera from the World Hockey Association era, isn't sure if his mugs will go up in value. SI like old rock star albums, when an artist leaves for a great gig in the sky, he stops publishing altogether.

“Out of curiosity, I looked online and noticed a few that I used to sell for around $20—like early releases of swimsuits or old Super Bowl previews—are now going for $30 to $40,” she says. high quality copy Sports IllustratedThe first edition, dated August 16, 1954, sold for thousands of dollars when it was auctioned in 2021.

“Unfortunately, I don't have anything of much value,” he added with a shrug.

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Scott Smith of Pompton Plains, Mass., a self-proclaimed “SI King”. The 59-year-old not only keeps a copy of each Sports Illustrated this publication—in the vicinity of 3,500 editions—95 percent of its lot boasts the signature of the person featured on the front cover.

For example, the legendary basketball player Michael Jordan SI'c released 50 covers, and through a combination of luck and persistence, Smith convinced the Hall of Famer to personally autograph 35 of those covers. As much as he enjoyed rubbing shoulders with the likes of Tiger Woods and Tom Brady, his most memorable autograph session came in 1989 when he personally escorted Muhammad Ali to his New York City hotel room. John Hancock will give away free after release.

Smith, A Sports Illustrated A subscriber since 1973, he was not surprised to read about the periodical's recent troubles.

“Sports Illustrated sold two or three times in the last six years and became a branding company focused on paid applications, a ticket broker and a hotel chain,” he says when he arrives at his home in New Jersey.

According to him, the decision to switch from a weekly publication to a monthly publication in 2019 was also a contributing factor. When a new magazine comes out, “yesterday's news is old news,” he says, and most people aren't interested in reading about a football or baseball game that happened three or four weeks ago, especially when they have access to so much news. the same information on their phone within a second.

When Krieg was asked about the collectible value, Smith said he believed the monetary value of his collection would increase if the world had actually seen the last copy of the dead tree. Sports Illustrated. (In 2009, Smith caused an uproar in sports circles when he unsuccessfully listed his then-collection on eBay, with an asking price of $2 million).

“A lot of things never go down, and with any new editions and the scarcity of collectors picking up things they can find in close condition, I think they'll increase in value over time.”

By the way, if you're wondering if and when Smith is going to be down SI officially it's called a day, even if it's down the road, think again.

“Selfishly for me, it's a blessing in disguise, because after 42 years of doing this, I may have an end game in sight,” he says. “Also, I have a huge database of collectors who help sign magazines (and) it doesn't stop because it's so much fun. But new magazines that are no longer published will be a good thing for me.”

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