Sports Illustrated

Founded in 1954 by Henry R Luce, Sports Illustrated is a weekly sports magazine owned by Time Warner. It's subscription base stands at over 3 million, the magazine is read by 23 million people each week, and of that 23 million, 18 million are men. roughly 19% of the males in the USA read Sports Illustrated. John Huey is currently the Editor-in-Chief, and Ann S Moore is the CEO.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/about_us/staff/mag_staff.html

The annual Swimsuit Edition franchise, which consists of videos, calendars, the magazine, and an iPhone app, is the most profitable single-issue magazine branded franchise in the world. The company regularly spends an entire year planning, packing, and preparing for several location shoots for the one issue. In 2009 the swimsuit issue generated 7 percent of the entire company's advertising revenue. Many super models have graced the cover of the swimsuit issue. Some of which include Kathy Ireland, Elle Macpherson, Rachel Hunter, Cheryl Tiegs, and Heidi Klum.http://hubpages.com/hub/The-History-Of-The-Sports-Illustrated-Swimsuit-Edition

Many world renown writers are currently writing for Sports Illustrated. Some of these writers include Peter King, Paul Zimmerman, Tom Verducci, Rick Reilly, and the former ESPN anchorman Dan Patrick.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/about_us/staff/mag_staff.html

• 1954: First issue published August 16
• 1960: John F. Kennedy appears on cover
• 1964: SI introduced first Swimsuit Issue
• 1966: First year to turn a profit
• 1977: Big Bird becomes only non-human SI cover subject
• 1983: Becomes first full-color American newsweekly
• 1989: Launch of Sports Illustrated KIDS
• 1989: Highest selling Swimsuit Issue features cover model Kathy Ireland
• 1997: Launch of SI.com
• 1999: Crowns Muhammad Ali "Sportsman of the Century"
• 2000: Launch of Sports Illustrated Women

In the 1930s and 1940s there were two other companies attempting to run a magazine called Sports Illustrated...both would fail. A few years down the road a man named Henry Luce who helped Time Magazine gain worldwide fame, decided to started a magazine dedicated solely to sports. He attempted to get the naming rights to "Sport" however he was unsuccessful. He settled on "Sports Illustrated" despite the past failures with that name, and on August 16, 1954 the first issue hit the stands with baseball player Eddie Mathews on the cover.

It would be 13 years before the magazine would turn a profit, but Luce continued writing despite being in the red. As sports like Football increased in popularity, so did the readership. Luce passed away in 1967, however Sports Illustrated has continued and is now the largest Sports based magazine in the world.http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2825832/history_of_the_magazine_sports_illustrated.html

1. <p>SI.com Official Site: SI.com

2. Slate.com: The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: An Intellectual History (February 14, 2007)

3. Wikipedia: Sports Illustrated

4. Wikipedia: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

5. SI Kids: Sports Illustrated for Kids

6. SI.com: Top 10 Scandals in Sports History (November 11, 2005)

7. SI Vault: [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/ Rea