The SI Photo Blog on Tumblr: A new way to experience Sports Illustrated’s iconic photography With the launch of the SI Photo Blog on Tumblr, Sports Illustrated is providing its fans with a new destination for 57 years worth of iconic, award-winning photography. It’s a treasure trove of thousands of photos dating back to the magazine’s birth in 1954; some of the photos are classic, some are funny and some are just plain weird. All of them will be managed and posted by SI.com special projects producer Andy Gray (@si_vault). So how did Andy develop this idea? “It’s something I’ve wanted to do ever since I started a Twitter feed for the SI Vault,” he says. “Whenever I posted photos — especially quirky ones from the 70s and 80s — they got a ton of response. So I started thinking of what I could do to branch out.” Read the rest of this entry »

Recapping Beyond Sport United: Jon Wertheim on his interview with Luma Mufleh Yesterday at Yankee Stadium, Sports Illustrated served as the official media sponsor for Beyond Sport United — a first-of-its-kind symposium focusing on how teams can effect social change in their communities. The event, which was supported by the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and WNBA, brought together representatives of more than 75 professional teams from around the world, along with league officials, business and government figures and grassroots entrepreneurs to share information, ideas and positive practices. As part of the agenda, senior writer Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) conducted an on-stage interview with Luma Mufleh, who was profiled by Gary Smith (Sports Illustrated, 6/23/2008) for her work as a youth soccer coach for young war refugees living outside of Atlanta. In addition to being blown away by Mufleh’s story — which has been chronicled in the New York Times and on CNN, The Today Show, ESPN and The Early Show — Wertheim learned a lot about how she is currently drawing attention to her cause. Read the rest of this entry »

Walter Payton on national cover of Sports Illustrated; Phillies and Bills appear on regional covers This slideshow requires JavaScript. Walter Payton appears on the national cover of this week’s Oct. 3, 2011, issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands now. In addition, Phillies pitchers Cliff Lee and Ryan Madson (available in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia) and Bills cornerback Drayton Florence (available in New York and New England) appear on regional covers. Below is the last time each team appeared on the cover and how many appearances they’ve had overall: Bears: Jan. 24, 2011 (Jay Cutler); 25th appearance

Phillies: July 18, 2011 (Carlos Ruiz); 26th appearance

Bills: Dec. 17, 2007 (Kevin Everett); 12th appearance Read the rest of this entry »