17 staffers lose jobs

Layoffs hit Sports Illustrated on Wednesday as the media business continues to have a rough winter with job losses.
Among the layoffs was executive editor Adam Duerson, who announced on Twitter that he is out. An internal memo obtained by The Post said that Ryan Hunt, the co-editor-in-chief who has been with the outlet for 25 years, is retiring in March.
“We are saying goodbye to 17 colleagues and have created 12 new openings to reflect the new needs of the SI business,” the memo said. “Since October of 2019, when we partnered with Authentic Brands Group to take over operations of the print and digital web and mobile businesses, we have evolved SI by repositioning the print business as a monthly publication, with premium journalism and excellent storytelling, while also developing a robust digital presence across many platforms. The strategy has helped propel our sports vertical to rapid growth, adding more than 30 million users to our sports vertical since inception.
Sports Illustrated laid off 17 staffers on Wednesday and had a shakeup in the top editorial ranks. Getty Images for Captain Morgan
2020 Sports Illustrated Awards Getty Images
“The SI Team revamped the print strategy, won awards for their incredible journalism, and reset the editorial direction, design and experience of SI and SI Kids magazines. The digital audience has grown substantially, but increasingly, consumers are interacting with our content on other platforms and in new ways. The changes announced here will allow us to continue to respond and address those evolving audience needs. It is critical that we invest in the growth areas of our brands, while maintaining the expectations of our existing and long-time consumers.”
A number of staffers announced their time with SI has come to an end.
“I was laid off by Sports Illustrated today,” tweeted college sports editor Molly Geary. “I came here as a nervous and awed 22-year-old fresh out of college and leave nearly 9 years later having grown immensely. I’ve worked with so many tremendous people and I’m really proud of everything we accomplished.”
Said features writer Alex Prewitt: “After seven and a half years of writing about the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB, LPGA, World Cup, Olympics and more, I, too, have been laid off by Sports Illustrated this morning.”
Dan Patrick speaks with LeBron James at the 2012 Sports Illustrated sportsman of the year celebration. Getty Images
Additional employees who announced they were among the layoffs were copy editor Sarah Kelly, NBA editor Jarrel Harris, baseball editor Matt Martell, soccer editor Avi Creditor, NBA writer Jeremy Woo, features editor Chris Almeida and associate betting editor Matt Ehalt.