Without question, Sports Illustrated has been the gold standard for a sports publication in America for 64 years since the first edition hit the new stands in 1954. Sports Illustrated is an American sports media franchise owned by Time Inc….whose self-titled magazine has over 3 million subscribers….and is read by 23 million people each week….including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice….and its swimsuit issue….which has been published since 1964….is now an annual publishing event that generates its own television shows, videos and calendars.
Since 1954, Sports Illustrated magazine has annually presented the Sportsperson of the Year award to “the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement.”….as Roger Bannister won the first-ever Sportsman of the Year award thanks to his record breaking time of 3:59.4 for a mile (the first-ever time a mile had been run under four minutes)….for men and women have won the award, originally called “Sportsman of the Year” and renamed “Sportswoman of the Year” or “Sportswomen of the Year” when applicable…and it is currently known as “Sportsperson of the Year.”
During the 1970s and 1980s, the SI Sportsman of the Year Award Show televised on national network television….and in 1979, the Best Athlete of the 1st 25 Years of Sports Illustrated show was aired on HBO….as seen in this video herewith….which was hosted by Actor James Caan….and featured highlights of the greatest athletes, teams and events that took place in sport over their first 25 years of publication, which makes the footage in this video a rare treasure in our ImaSportsphile library….and best of all, The
Greatest Muhammad Ali won the award….which makes this MUST SEE TV to any and all sports fans. ENJOY!!!
