ESPN: The Magazine will shutter after 21-year run

Who said print was dying? ESPN, apparently.

The sports and entertainment company reportedly told its staff on Tuesday that it will shutter its print edition, ESPN: The Magazine, in September after a 21-year run. The good news is that there seemingly won't be any major job losses as a result, though a "handful" layoffs are expected, Sports Illustrated reports. Still, it's unclear how ESPN will maintain its longform content, though there's some speculation that it will wind up behind the company's newer, digitally-based ESPN+ paywall.

As recently as last September, ESPN senior vice president of original content, Rob King, told SI that the magazine was coming off its most successful year, creatively. But that apparently didn't translate money-wise. ESPN said in a statement regarding the end of production that the company's data shows the "vast majority" of readers already consume the magazine's journalism in digital form.

Even if it is fiscally responsible, the announcement has sparked a wave of nostalgia in the sports journalism world, with many folks taking to Twitter to pay tribute to the magazine's well-respected journalism which netted three National Magazine awards for general excellence.

I am heartbroken to hear about ESPN the Mag. It is home to some of the greatest writers I know, and I love each of them. I will be grateful forever for them letting me publish, at length, my favorite story of all time, which I will never do better than. https://t.co/vsYhRsa1uH

— Taffy Brodesser-Akner (@taffyakner) April 30, 2019

The bylines of several of the most prominent voices in contemporary sports journalism passed through the pages of magazine, including Bill Simmons, Mina Kimes, and Wright Thompson.