Image via Sports Illustrated
With large gatherings being banned and industries suddenly shutting down to fight the spread of COVID-19, Sports Illustrated magazine barely has much to cover now that athletes can no longer compete outdoors.
Still, the publication stuck to its monthly schedule and prepared an April 2020 issue, even when Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus and the NBA suspended its season. The content for this edition had already been finalized, but everything was to be scrapped as it would have been insensitive to publish these stories during this uncertain time.
“And so, [we asked ourselves] another question we’d never considered, at least not on this scale: What does Sports Illustrated look like without sports?” executive editor Stephen Cannella pondered.
A new impactful cover was selected, displaying an empty stadium audience with minimal text to illustrate the effect COVID-19 has left on the sports industry.
The April 2020 issue will showcase the financial dent left from the coronavirus, as well as features unrelated to the virus—“the kind of analysis, commentary, journalism and immersive storytelling you always expect from SI, Cannella described.
To cope with the ever-changing landscape influenced by the coronavirus, the magazine has also launched a new podcast, hosted by Luis Miguel Echegaray, called Coronavirus + Sports.