As Sports Illustrated sputters, its owners throw a party for ‘the brand’

By Ben Strauss
February 27, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. EST


The Chainsmokers played at Sports Illustrated's Super Bowl party at the XS Nightclub in Las Vegas. (Authentic Brands Group)

LAS VEGAS — “This is Sports Illustrated, the party!” the DJ yelled. “Tonight is going to be legendary.” ... It was the night before the Super Bowl, and the XS Nightclub, inside the Wynn hotel, was bumping. Outside, hands of blackjack were dealt amid the palm trees and swimming pools and a booth that advertised a “safety shot,” apparently “the world’s first rapid alcohol detoxification.” Inside, green and gold strobe lights flashed on the dance floor. The price for a table reached into the six figures. The Chainsmokers — it’s always the Chainsmokers, isn’t it? — provided the soundtrack.

The Daily Mail, Page Six and “Entertainment Tonight” reserved spots along the velvet rope guarding the red carpet down which Shane Bieber, Brittany Mahomes, Aly Raisman and Jayden Daniels strutted. Victor Cruz posed with a bottle of Captain Morgan. Inside, more A-list celebrities: Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, Miles Teller, Tiffany Haddish, Diplo. (Washington Commanders and Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris was there, too.)

Down a hallway from the dance floor, Sports Illustrated covers of the past decorated the walls: Yao Ming, LeBron James, Serena Williams, Muhammad Ali, a screaming Tiger Woods, Sugar Ray Leonard in the ring. “The Old Man Who Hates to Give Up,” the headline on his cover read. The next day, longtime Sports Illustrated writer and “60 Minutes” correspondent Jon Wertheim appeared on “CBS Sunday Morning.” He looked into the camera and delivered a somber message about Sports Illustrated, the magazine that revolutionized and glamorized sports journalism when it was founded 70 years ago. ... “Reports of its death may be premature,” he said. “But in sports terms, it’s in need of a comeback as the scoreboard clock ticks down.”

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By Ben Strauss
Ben Strauss covers sports and media for The Washington Post. Twitter https://twitter.com/benjstrauss