Longtime Sports Illustrated writers Greg Bishop and Michael Rosenberg were laid off in a round of cuts on Friday, sources told Front Office Sports. Baseball writer Stephanie Apstein also announced that she has been let go after nearly 15 years. Overall, about 10 to 15 people were affected, one source said.
Bishop and Rosenberg could not be reached for comment, nor could a rep for the SI union, or a spokesperson for Minute Media, the conglomerate that publishes SI.
“Eight days shy of my 15th anniversary at Sports Illustrated, I’ve been informed that I’ve joined the extensive ranks of writers laid off from there,” Apstein wrote on Twitter/X. “I loved my time at SI, I’m very sad to see it end and I’m eager to do the best work of my career elsewhere. Thank you for reading.”
Bishop joined SI in 2014 after previously writing for the New York Times. He wrote a cover story on first overall pick Fernando Mendoza for SI’s NFL Draft preview last month. Rosenberg joined in 2012 after previously working for the Detroit Free Press.
College sports reporter Mike McDaniel also announced he was among the cuts, after four-and-a-half years at the outlet, as did writer Madison Williams after more than four years. Writer and editor Kyle Koster was also among the cuts, sources said. Koster was previously the editor-in-chief of The Big Lead, which Minute Media acquired from USA Today in 2019 and sold in 2024. Writer Stephen Douglas, who also came over from The Big Lead, was additionally let go.
The outlet Calcalist reported that Minute Media is laying off 12% of its global workforce, or approximately 60 people, following an aborted acquisition of Indian company VideoVerse.