Your First Sports Illustrated Issue

[Average Reds]

Also I subscribed to Sports Illustrated the actual print magazine for 35-40 years and for a long time, it was a highlight of many of my weeks. But now they have no credibility anymore, a la Newsweek, that piece above is also not worth clicking on with so many of the same pieces out there that are way better done.

Apologies for the digression, but this post made me wistful for the days when the bolded was oh, so true.

I’ll never forget the day I was reading SI in the dentist’s office and I found one of the promotional inserts with an insane trial offer for new subscribers. (Offer was $.08 a week for 52 weeks. I shit you not.) My 12 year old self ripped it out, mailed it in and several weeks later I received my first edition as a subscriber:



As you said, it was the highlight of my week for many decades.

Anyway, thanks for tolerating the digression and please sign X if you are reading, John Henry.

Carry on.

 

[jon abbey]

Apologies for the digression, but this post made me wistful for the days when the bolded was oh, so true.

I’ll never forget the day I was reading SI in the dentist’s office and I found one of the promotional inserts with an insane trial offer for new subscribers. (Offer was $.08 a week for 52 weeks. I shit you not.) My 12 year old self ripped it out, mailed it in and several weeks later I received my first edition as a subscriber:

View attachment 57436

As you said, it was the highlight of my week for many decades.

Anyway, thanks for tolerating the digression and please sign X if you are reading, John Henry.

Carry on.

Funny, my first issue was the same year, a few months later, I was seven years old:

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

I moved this from the front page because I thought that this might be a fun trip down Memory Lane. This was my first SI cover:

I was 12 when my uncle got this for me for Christmas. I think it was one of my favorite Christmas gifts ever. And I still have every issue from the end of 86 until 2005 in my basement (including this one) in three gigantic bins that I've moved from my parents' place to my current house. Why? Because I'm a hoarder, that's why.

 

[OCST]

Together with This Week in Baseball, Steve Sabol's NFL Films narrated by John Facenda, and heavyweight fights on ABC with Cosell.

/aarp

 

[Kliq]

The first one I actually remember seeing as a kid, would have been six years old when it came out and I'm sure it was popular on SOSH.

 

[Senator Donut]

September 6, 1999

 

[loshjott]

It was a long time ago and I have two separate memories of my first cover as a subscriber. I suspect 1978 was correct but not sure now....

or

 

[jon abbey]

Man, I remember both of those covers, I have mixed but somewhat fond memories of Sport Magazine also from back then.

 

[Mooch]

 

[DamageTrain]

Never cared about golf much but I do remember Seve Ballesteros on my first cover...

 

[PC Drunken Friar]

While my dad had a subscription forever, this is the first cover that I remember. Probably because we always did a (Winter) Olympics thing in school, so I was into the summer ones, as well.

 

[JOBU]

I have to go back and look. I started with sports illustrated for kids in the early/mid 90’s then went to the main SI a few years later. Probably only had a sub for 5ish years. Now I only buy the mag to commemorate a Patriots/Sox championship.

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

I have no idea what my first one was, but I definitely had that Seve one. I think I must have first subscribed in 1979 or 1980.

 

[Bergs]

 

[Average Reds]

I’d been with SI for four years at this point, but I always thought this was one of the most compelling covers I ever saw:

 

[Ale Xander]

Tiger Woods' first SI article

"She reigns in Spain" on the cover.

 

[moretsyndrome]

Well he WAS great, especially in NCAA:

 

[bigq]

I don't recall exactly but my first issue was somewhere around here and I remember this cover well. And I'll echo comments from others that finding a new issue of Sports Illustrated in the mailbox was one of the highlights of my week for a number of years.

 

[The Talented Allen Ripley]

Growing up we didn't have a subscription, but my dad bought this one from a newsstand, it's the first issue I remember reading:

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

I don't recall exactly but my first issue was somewhere around here and I remember this cover well. And I'll echo comments from others that finding a new issue of Sports Illustrated in the mailbox was one of the highlights of my week for a number of years.

I think that it might be the reason why deep in my lizard brain Thursdays are still my favorite day. I'd check the mailbox 50 times a day in the summer for that week's SI and Sporting News. And it was absolute torture if, for some reason, the mail man didn't bring either to the house. Was there a problem at the post office? Did I let my subscription lapse? Maybe they aren't going to publish this week for some reason? Maybe Peter Gammons is sick? I went through a wide range of anxieties, man.

 

[E5 Yaz]

I don't think this was my first one, but I do know I had this one

 

[pedro1918]

My (much older) cousin/Godfather gave me a subscription for my birthday in 1974. He kept it for me until I went off to college in 1986. The first issue that came was this one, a week before my birthday.

 

[loshjott]

Growing up we didn't have a subscription, but my dad bought this one from a newsstand, it's the first issue I remember reading:

An all-time classic, of course. No caption. Don't know if they've done that since.

 

[absintheofmalaise]

I’d been with SI for four years at this point, but I always thought this was one of the most compelling covers I ever saw:

View attachment 57447

That was my favorite cover until these came out. I still have all three.

 

[joe dokes]

I moved this from the front page because I thought that this might be a fun trip down Memory Lane. This was my first SI cover:

I was 12 when my uncle got this for me for Christmas. I think it was one of my favorite Christmas gifts ever. And I still have every issue from the end of 86 until 2005 in my basement (including this one) in three gigantic bins that I've moved from my parents' place to my current house. Why? Because I'm a hoarder, that's why.

Thanks. I was about to suggest the same, as I figured there'd be more. My 11th birthday present arrived about a month early. Kept the subscription until I was 57 or so. (I was fortunately able to get a "professional rate" that kept it laughably cheap for what I guess someone thought was my "waiting room.":

 

[ifmanis5]

Was never a SI kid, went with Sport instead.

 

[cornwalls@6]

Man, I wish I could remember/locate the first issue I read. Hard to pin down, because I have 2 older brothers, and my family were subscribers well before I ever picked one up. I'm guessing early to middle 70's. I do vividly remember being so excited every week thereafter(in our case, Thursdays) when it showed up in the mailbox. And one glorious Thursday every month, Sport magazine was in there too. I kept a subscription of my own for many years after college, but finally dropped about 15 years ago.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

I dont remember my first issue, but my father found an old SI #1 in an attic he was doing construction in that he gave me.

I lost it.

 

[lars10]

I dont remember my first issue, but my father found an old SI #1 in an attic he was doing construction in that he gave me.

I lost it.

I sell on Ebay.. so was interested what this would be worth.. in very good condition they're worth about $100-300 or so, depending on whether or not it had the cards.

edit: graded they go for two to three times that... huh, will have to keep an eye out at estate sales.

 

[Zedia]

My older brother or dad had a subscription so I didn‘t really have a first, but this is one of first ones I remember seeing - and I immediately started using Rogie’s knock-kneed stance while playing net in street hockey.

 

[Van Everyman]

I moved this from the front page because I thought that this might be a fun trip down Memory Lane. This was my first SI cover:

I was 12 when my uncle got this for me for Christmas. I think it was one of my favorite Christmas gifts ever. And I still have every issue from the end of 86 until 2005 in my basement (including this one) in three gigantic bins that I've moved from my parents' place to my current house. Why? Because I'm a hoarder, that's why.

Yes, Joe Paterno: great sportsman or greatest sportsman?

The first one I actually remember seeing as a kid, would have been six years old when it came out and I'm sure it was popular on SOSH.

View attachment 57443

Believe this predated his wrist injury by about 12 minutes in 2001 and was the source of all the steroid rumors.

I’d been with SI for four years at this point, but I always thought this was one of the most compelling covers I ever saw:

View attachment 57447

Incredible picture.

Man, the hype around Iron Mike was unbelievable then.

Amazed it took 15 posts to bust out a swimsuit issue. I remember the Elle McPherson Bora Bora one myself.

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

View attachment 57442
September 6, 1999

Which one is Olerud.......?

 

[joe dokes]

My older brother or dad had a subscription so I didn‘t really have a first, but this is one of first ones I remember seeing - and I immediately started using Rogie’s knock-kneed stance while playing net in street hockey.

View attachment 57455

As an aside to this...Sheldon Kannegiesser was among my favorite NHL names for awhile in the mid70s.

 

[joe dokes]

I don't think this was my first one, but I do know I had this one

That one is dated 8/21/67, which IIRC, would be the Sunday or Monday after (I think) it arrived in mailboxes on Thursday. (even though it might have been in newsstands on Wednesday). Tony C. got beaned on 8/18, Thursday.

EDIT: NM (kinda) 8/18/67 was a Friday.....

 

[Zedia]

As an aside to this...Sheldon Kannegiesser was among my favorite NHL names for awhile in the mid70s.

Ha, Yvan Cournoyer is one of mine. Three great names in that pic.

 

[h8mfy]

I started getting SI probably around 1974, and don't really remember the cover of the first issue I got, but yesterday, when the Nets announced their new coach, the first image in my head was his cover shot while he was at Kansas. I was surprised to learn that it was in 1995.

 

[deanx0]

This may not have been a first one for me, but I remember it because of the "Homer-Mad Red Sox" article referenced in the upper right corner (it was a time when the Sox hit 33 homers in 10 games and it was against good Yankee and Oriole pitching).

What I really remember about the article was SI trying to come up with a nickname for the Sox squad and settled on "Boomer and the Crunch Bunch"m which even 8-year-old me knew was an epically stupid nickname.

 

[E5 Yaz]

That one is dated 8/21/67, which IIRC, would be the Sunday or Monday after (I think) it arrived in mailboxes on Thursday. (even though it might have been in newsstands on Wednesday). Tony C. got beaned on 8/18, Thursday.

A few years later ...

 

[joe dokes]

A few years later ...

I remember that one. After he came back. Before my sub, but saw it in a doctor's office. I take it you don't have a recall if you got the Yaz-covered SI on on the same day of the beaning?

 

[E5 Yaz]

I remember that one. After he came back. Before my sub, but saw it in a doctor's office. I take it you don't have a recall if you got the Yaz-covered SI on on the same day of the beaning?

I'd be spitballing, but at that time we'd buy individual issues dependent on the cover. Couldn't afford a subscription.

 

[bankshot1]

I got my first subscription to SI as a Bar Mitzvah present in May 1964. But at that time I was already a veteran SI and Sport reader. My guess is I broke my SI cherry in 1961-1963. I'll have to go into the SI vault and see if next level memory gets awoken.

As an aside, I have a fair amount of SI's from the 60s and 70s that I saved (mostly Sox and Celts related) that I recently unearthed ( long story). Including the 3-parter of Ted Williams on the science of hitting. The one of him swinging in stages is going to soon become wall art.

 

[E5 Yaz]

I remember that one. After he came back. Before my sub, but saw it in a doctor's office. I take it you don't have a recall if you got the Yaz-covered SI on on the same day of the beaning?

I've always wondered how/when they got that Tony C photo. I mean, it had to be in 67 or else the bruising at least would have dissipated. I just can't imagine him posing for it under the circumstances

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

I've always wondered how/when they got that Tony C photo. I mean, it had to be in 67 or else the bruising at least would have dissipated. I just can't imagine him posing for it under the circumstances

Walter Ioss got Jose Santiago to punch Tony C in the eye after the first injury was healed. Tony C. liked the press that much and would do anything for them.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Tony C. liked the press that much and would do anything for them.

That explains Mamie Van Doren

 

[LoweTek]

The first one I actually remember seeing as a kid, would have been six years old when it came out and I'm sure it was popular on SOSH.

View attachment 57443

I have this Nomar issue, mint condition. Let me know if you're interested.

 

[SemperFidelisSox]

Bought this at a Waldenbooks at the mall because I loved Mo and the ‘95 team.

 

[glennhoffmania]

My first was the cover featuring the best QB of all time and some unknown college dude.

 

[bankshot1]

That one is dated 8/21/67, which IIRC, would be the Sunday or Monday after (I think) it arrived in mailboxes on Thursday. (even though it might have been in newsstands on Wednesday). Tony C. got beaned on 8/18, Thursday.

Tony C got beaned on a Friday night.

 

[joe dokes]

Tony C got beaned on a Friday night.

Yeah, but August 18, 2067 is a Thursday! [/i am an idiot]

 

[dirtynine]

Pretty sure this was the first issue after my childhood gift subscription kicked in.