Sports Illustrated Lays Off All Staff Photographers

Sports Illustrated laid off its six remaining staff photographers on Thursday, an insider familiar with the situation told TheWrap.

“It’s true,” SI Director of Photography Brad Smith told News Photographer Magazine. “There was a decision made through the company to restructure various departments, including at Sports Illustrated. Unfortunately economic circumstances are such that it has cut the six staff photographers.”

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As the news filtered out, big time sports personalities took to social media to react.

Smith also said the plan is to “re-evaluate what’s best for the magazine, not just financially but also content-wise. Our commitment to photography is as strong as ever, and we will continue to create the best original content possible.”

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He went on to praise the departing photographers, saying they’ve “contributed to the success of the magazine and the Sports Illustrated franchise, and I hope that they may continue to do so under slightly different circumstances.”

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This latest round of layoffs comes close to a year after Time Inc. laid off 500 employees before officially spinning off from Time Warner Inc.

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