The people ‘ affiliations of the NFL, MLB, WNBA, NHLPA, MLS, NWSL, and USL are stepping up for SI’s writers as the future of Sports Illustrated is questionable.
In a new speech, the athletes ‘ organisations warn that” Sports Illustrated will no longer be Sports Illustrated” if SI’s control replaces full-time unionized staff with less protected employees.
The AFL-CIO Sports Council, which was established in 2022 to support athletes in unionizing, made the statement on Monday.
There are no certain effects that might be outlined in the notice. People in those leagues was, nevertheless, reject attending SI parties and other forms of content creation and refuse to do discussions with SI writers and podcasters. A lack of access to players and their unions would render reporting more difficult, and it would weaken and vilify the SI brand, according to the storied publishing, which for decades had a profound impact on the sports market.

The people ‘ organizations add that they will “always call out any attempts by management to treat their employees badly” and “demand that these union-busting methods stop now” at one of America’s most significant literary organizations.
The statement does not mention the NBPA, which is the only significant U.S. club union. A request for comment was ignored by an NBPA member.
Five days after the National Labor Relations Board received a complaint against SI’s publication, Arena Group, by the union representing SI workers, The Communications Workers of America’s Local 31003 of the NewsGuild of New York accuses Arena of breaking the National Labor Relations Act ( NLRA ) by allegedly terminating SI employees due to their union activities.
After Arena missed a$ 3.75 million monthly payment, Authentic Brands Group, SI’s owner, revoked Arena’s license to operate and release SI in January. Arena responded by reducing its workplace, with some letting go right away, and others promising to do so in the coming weeks or months. In a regulatory filing next month Arena stated that it was anticipating reaching a new deal with Authentic for at least the near future.
Companies are prohibited by the NLRA from violating workers ‘ rights to organize or act in retaliation because they unionized. If Arena ( or a choice made by Authentic ) fires all the unionized writers and appoints replacements with part-time or independent contractors, Arena will probably encounter unfair labor exercise charges and possible lawsuits. It might be liable to pay back and restore fired employees.
If Authentic relaunches SI with a non-unionized team led by a fresh publisher and terminates the salaried employees, it may encounter legal issues. The action might be thought of as an attempt to avoid union workers protections.
If SI was shut down and a new release were introduced, Authentic would have more safety, but it would also reduce the well-known brand of SI, as well as the cooperation of athletes and perhaps other entertainers.

How interconnected are these unions with another Authentic’s SI portfolios in terms of business. For instance, organizations frequently work with game companies to obtain licenses, and Authentic has done so for the SI Sportsbook.