Sports Illustrated, the once-great magazine which ran some of the most important and breathtaking sports journalism ever printed, hit its nadir this week when marketing images were released for new, SI-branded nutritional supplements. The supplements are also listed for purchase on Amazon.
Sports Illustrated was acquired by Authentic Brands Group in 2019, with the day-to-day operation of the journalistic arm handed off to another company, Maven. While Maven has done plenty to degrade the journalistic quality of SI in its time operating the journalism side, this would make sense that it was a move from the Authentic Brands Group, which spoke about utilizing the brand for money-making opportunities back when they bought it.
That strategy apparently has now led to SI-branded supplements such as INTESI-T and BRAIN POWER, and for people who grew up venerating the magazine, it has led to a deep, dark sadness to see what has become of a once-great magazine.
When the images broke, the internet went wild roasting them:
Sports Illustrated was a weekly magazine owned by Time five years ago. Now it's this. https://t.co/l5GFUSmmUE
— Ben Koo (@bkoo) July 28, 2020
"This is your brain on…what remains of Sports Illustrated." https://t.co/fOgKkuCd2P
— Andrew Bucholtz (@AndrewBucholtz) July 28, 2020
Sports Illustrated's patented Brains-Formula has been concocted by leading Mind Doctors to exude the Manful pep and Vigorousness seen in top Sport-Men including New Jersey's most vicious Pedestrian George St. Rutmutton and Middle Weight Champion Gregor The Worst Austro-Hungarian
— BYCTOM (@BYCTOM) July 28, 2020
BRAIN
FORMULA https://t.co/LIJbynaTRU— BUM CHILLUPS, NPR CLASS PUNDIT (@edsbs) July 28, 2020
What a disgrace https://t.co/BtD61pkrzJ
— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) July 28, 2020
Very upset that Sports Illustrated have beaten me to market on Ryan Bailey Nutrition Brain Formula https://t.co/T2mMReREfO
— Ryan Bailey (@RyanJayBailey) July 28, 2020
Classy stuff here. https://t.co/zTskkTlxJr
— Dave Schilling (@dave_schilling) July 28, 2020
oh nooooo, the good writers there don't deserve this https://t.co/v7GAMO1jge
— Lindsay Gibbs (@linzsports) July 28, 2020
i would read a 10,000 word Gary Smith story on how this happened https://t.co/7UuteYwCBI
— Russ Bengtson (@russbengtson) July 28, 2020
— Steven Ruiz (@theStevenRuiz) July 28, 2020
A rail of this, and you're in the lotus position on top of Wrigley Field, calculating Mike Trout's WAR to the 473rd decimal place. pic.twitter.com/v7HsJNvM8k
— Grant Brisbee (@GrantBrisbee) July 28, 2020
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