Guys it has nothing to do with "politics," something sports writing has always had, or the swimsuit issue's editorial decisions. I know it isn't the focus of this forum, but SI is a sports magazine that employs (for now) writers who cost actual money to write about sports for the vast majority of their output. It's not a case of investors adding or withdrawing funds based on what body types are featured in the swimsuit issue, but wanting to milk all the value out of a legacy brand.
Which meant, among other things, Authentic Brands charging a licensing fee to Arena to publish SI. They've been rent-seeking off the brand in other ways, and were accused of already replacing writers with AI, and trying to make a buck off slapping the Sports Illustrated label on supplements and sponsorships.
It's not dissimilar to what's happening to a lot of newspapers and magazines that don't have swimsuit issues at all. It's a trend in the entire profession, regardless of editorial perspective. If you picture a landlord who stops doing maintenance while raising rents until the tenants can't afford to pay anymore, you're actually pretty close to what's happened to SI.
