RIP SI's Sign of the Apocalypse?

Twenty-three years ago, Jack McCallum came up with the idea when he took over Sports Illustrated's Scoreboard section. Back then he called it This Week's Sign That The Apocalypse Is Among Us. His first entry came in an issue dated almost 23 years ago to the day, October 18, and concerned a Swedish radio station which paid a player on the Roma soccer team to wear a jersey number that matched the station's call letters.

Nearly 1,200 signs later the Apocalypse has yet to arrive. In one sign, birders complained to CBS about geographically incorrect background chirping on golf telecasts in 2000, leading to CBS admitting to using taped bird sounds. Another sign came in 2013 when a school board rejected the nickname of Cougars for a new Utah high school because it might be objectionable to middle-aged women. Last January a Patriots fan brought us another sign when he tattooed Tom Brady's name on his lip so it would always be on the tip of his tongue.

In all 23 years, though, Cleveland has never been mentioned in SI's Sign of the Apocalypse. Since the Apocalypse has not yet arrived, we've clearly been waiting for Cleveland to crash the stage.

Now it has.

The Apocalypse is due Wednesday, October 26. We know this because next Tuesday night in downtown Cleveland, just 100 yards apart, Corey Kluber will throw the first pitch of the World Series in Progressive Field at the exact same moment the Cavaliers raise their 2015-2016 NBA championship banner. Back in June the Cavaliers ended Cleveland's long championship drought of 52 years. Now the Indians have a chance at ending Cleveland's short championship drought of 4½ months.

Two teams, two seasons, two championships back-to-back? Probably won't happen, what with the world ending the day after the 2016 World Series starts. But it could happen. In Cleveland. Starting next Tuesday night.

RIP, SI's Sign of the Apocalypse. You had a good run. But just like Cleveland's championship drought, your time has come to an end. Either that, or the world actually will finally end.

 

Cite?

 

I remember when it started, it felt gimmicky. I still think so.

 

McCallum's foreward in this:

Sports Illustrated Book of the Apocalypse

Various websites with listings of SI's apocalyptic signs.

 

Gimmicks can work. And if they're good, they last.

 

Just like the Poin Files!!

 

The problem is, a "sign of the Apocalypse" should, by definition, be kind of rare.

Making it a weekly staple just ensured it would be a weak staple.

 

It was a deliberate overstatement. The idea is that such absurdities are all too common, so common that the Apocalypse is coming every single week.

 

Kind of like Kenny McCormick getting killed.

 

You bastards.

 

A swimsuit issue with several models not even wearing "swimsuits", or painted swimsuits. And maybe it's just me, I actually kind of liked the token article or column they would throw in there to "legitimize" the enterprise. No, I'm not "that" guy - I actually preferred the way they did it back in the day when the photos actually showed off some of the local culture, people interacting with the models, not just some generic beach background.
And maybe it's just me, but they seem to zap all the personality of the models with their photos now. They used to look like they were having fun.

 

It used to be an actual issue of SI, with stories about sports and everything. The swimsuit part was a feature in the magazine about whatever location they were shooting at that year, with the models illustrating it.