Amidst internal challenges at Sports Illustrated, an executive linked to the magazine’s publisher reportedly intervened to remove a story on transgender boxing from the upcoming March edition. Authored by Chris Mannix, the article focused on USA Boxing’s new transgender policy, allowing male boxers transitioning to compete in the female category from 2024. The decision to exclude the piece was allegedly communicated by an Arena Group executive just days before the magazine’s scheduled release at the end of February.
The article delved into the contentious subject, incorporating perspectives from both advocates supporting transgender athletes and those opposing their participation. Despite the final draft being circulated among editors, an unexpected turn of events occurred as a new NBA story replaced the transgender boxing piece within 24 hours. This change reportedly followed a conversation between Arena Group executive Orestes Baez and Sports Illustrated’s editor-in-chief, Steve Cannella.
While Baez’s spokesperson asserted that the article was not withdrawn, they deemed it no longer newsworthy. Baez, currently serving as a de facto general manager, is part of ongoing changes in the newsroom following the termination of several executives. This unexpected move puzzled staff, particularly given Sports Illustrated’s history of reporting on transgender sports participation. The incident compounds recent troubles for Sports Illustrated, including mass layoffs, financial issues, and concerns about transparency in authorship.
The magazine faced upheaval as Authentic Brands Group (ABG), which acquired Sports Illustrated in 2019, terminated its agreement with Arena due to a missed $2.8 million payment. Earlier, Sports Illustrated’s credibility was questioned when it fired a company responsible for articles on its website, attributed to seemingly non-existent authors. Despite denying AI involvement in story creation, the magazine faced scrutiny for using AI-generated portraits for some authors. The recent decision to remove the transgender boxing story adds another layer of turmoil to the iconic media brand.