OT: SI could be no more...

[Scrutineer]

I remember in 1980 when Rod Foster had an interior photo that took up a page and a half. That's why he's at UCLA and not UConn, I thought. And back then it had a couple pages of regional college tidbits that rarely mentioned UConn. One time it did came when Karl Hobbs grabbed an offensive rebound while flying down the lane and scooped it in high of the glass in one motion to beat Nova at the buzzer. SI quoted Hobbs saying "It was a totally tremendous play on my part." Truth!

And he continued to excel as a coach.
In fact, he's a big reason why RU coaches have coached players who've made billions of dollars in the NBA..............

 

[Scrutineer]

Print media is pretty much finished and mainstream media is damn close. I like what technology has brought us in terms of access to instant information, but good lord do I miss the charm of reading SI or the Sporting News back in the old days. When you didn't have access to instant highlights and every game out there, reading about Fernando Valenzuela or Dwight Gooden, or the events of some game you didn't see was great. It made it all feel more legendary in a way.

And it made you think and visualize the types of plays the writers were describing.....sort of like listening to mystery shows on the radio when I was driving late at night in the 70's and 80's.

 

[Scrutineer]

Not really a surprise. I would imagine in a few years it will be difficult to find any print media, magazines and newspapers will be extinct.

We've lived in a popular tourist area in coastal South Carolina for the past 14 years and print journalism is exemplified by our local daily newspaper.
When we moved here full time in 2011 it was robust. Lots of pages, full-sized like the Courant (as I remember it), full of local stories plus national and international news, etc. Also lots of pull out ads and coupons.
It cost something like $60 per quarter in 2011 and was up to almost $200 per quarter when my wife said it was too ridiculous to pay that much as it had shrunken in size, pages and the content was a few local stories about some political issue or car accident and mostly wire service generic features like what color kitchen cabinets are being featured this Spring.
We still get the Sunday edition at $5.99 but it's shrinking to the point where we're not going to buy it anymore either.
They are in a death spiral and don't know how to get out of it.
Meanwhile, a local weekly is full of ads and lots of local stories and features. It can be done but this operation, run by a major national corporation, will soon be gone.

 

[temery]

Not really a surprise. I would imagine in a few years it will be difficult to find any print media, magazines and newspapers will be extinct.

Newspaper are good for garden mulch and to start a fire. That's about it.

 

[BigTenFan]

I am really dating myself....who remembers having to wait until the morning to get the box scores from the previous night's games?

 

[uconn13]

Last time SI was relevant was when Elle Macpherson was on the cover of the Swimsuit Issue.

Holy Elle! The cover with her, Kathy Ireland and Rachel Hunter in the early 90's,
Schwiiiing!

 

[Chin Diesel]

Frank DeFord, Dan Jenkins, Leigh Montville, Rick Reilly, Walter Bingham, Peter Gammons, Peter KIng, and many other terrific writers. You could read a story on a sport you had no particular interest in and just enjoy the way the article was written.

PE helped kill SI. AI just kills this quality of writing in general.

Some of those reporters are still alive and all of them moved on from SI years ago because the model has been dead for 20 years.

 

[Shamon30]

The swimsuit issue ain't what it used to be

I'd pay money to not receive it now.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Newspaper are good for garden mulch and to start a fire. That's about it.

The only newspaper worth a damn is the Wall Street Journal. And barely.

 

[Deepster]

I am really dating myself....who remembers having to wait until the morning to get the box scores from the previous night's games?

I used to cut out the box scores and tape them in a note book and make notes on the side. I also used to cut out the weekly batting average and HR leaders.

 

[huskiemaniac]

too bad. my dad used to bring them home from his office for me. always enjoyed reading them.

most likely a combination of private equity ghouls, the demise of attention spans to read an article more than 300 words, and dumb decisions to alienate readership (the swimsuit thing, duh).

We have access to instant information now…by the time it’s in your mail box it’s already old news…i used to love it though…really enjoyed Steve Rushin‘s article every week.