Almanac of Story Tellers: Sports Illustrated

 Every day brings a new story.  And each day contributes to story telling -- in prose and in poetry, in art and in music, on the stage, on the screen, and, of course, in books. 

Today is the story of Aug. 16th

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    It is the 228th day of the year, leaving 137 days remaining in 2022. 

   

The cover of the first issue

  On this date in 1954, the first issue of the magazine Sports Illustrated hit the newsstands.

    It was the first weekly magazine dedicated to sports coverage. Its stories were written by some of the best in the business, and its articles illustrated by some of the best sports photography ever shot.

    At a time when sports coverage was limited to daily newspapers and radio reports, the magazine started several new conventions: The extensive use of photos, many in color; instituting previews of major sporting events, such as the World Series and college Bowl Games; and hiring and helping to establish some of the top sports photographers and writers in the business.  

    Some of the writers who graced its pages were Rick Reilly, Sally Jenkins, Robert Creamer, George Plimpton, Frank Deford, Pat Forde, Roy Blount Jr., Peter Gammons, and Joe Posnanski. 

    Its pages have included the artistry of photographers Walter Iooss Jr., Lynn Johnson, James Drake, and Neil Leifer, who took the famous photo of Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston in 1965 after knocking him out. (He was the only cameraman using color that night.) Leifer also shot the picture from the rafters above the ring, published in Sports Illustrated, when Ali laid out Cleveland Williams in the 1966 heavyweight title bout.

    Success did not come immediately, but by the 1960s, Sports Illustrated was the dominant sports magazine, and it continued to set trends. It named a Sportsperson of the Year, generating stories (and coverage for itself); in 1999 it named Ali as Sportsperson of the Century; and it has compiled lists of the greatest athletes and teams in various sports.

    The magazine continues to be popular, along with its web site, SI.com. It also created Sports Illustrated Kids, and separate editions in various countries.