Just pulled this week's SI out of the mailbox

And would love to get folks' thoughts on the cover hed:

http://jetsrant.com/2011/09/13/mark-sanchez-sports-illustrated-cover-kickin-sweet-live-ass/

Edit: Changed to a link.

 

I think "The Chase Begins" is OK.

 

I think a smaller image wouldn't take 2 minutes to load.

 

Not a fan.

Not clever, no matter how fascinating the Ryan brothers explanation is.

Also, I'm on a high-speed connection and that photo took an hour and a half to load.

 

It's wishy-washy. They want to sound hipster, juvenile and borderline vulgar to compete with publications (and networks) that sell that sort of thing, then they wash their hands of it by throwing in the disclaimer and blaming the Ryan brothers.

Without having read the story -- my issue usually comes in the mail on Thursday -- I have no problem with quoting the Ryans like that, but to splash it on the cover while distancing yourself from it sends a mixed message.

Bet they sell a few more on the newsstand, though.

 

I don't know what they're talking about from the cover blurb. So it looks like they just wanted to print "Ass" on the cover to seem hip.

And there's this conversation:
Graphics Dude: "What do you think? It's kickin'."
Editor: "We can't print ass on our cover."
Graphics: "It's in a frickin' quote."
Ed: "Oh. Right. Okay then."

 

SI wasn't always so hip.

 

They'll use the same headline next week when Glen Rice sits down for a cover story on recent revelations.

 

My goodness that's a horrible headline. Plus, the Mayweather fight on the front?

 

(The brother will explain)

 

I don't disagree but SI's never been a place for great headlines on the cover. The inside pieces have had some classics and are always pretty good. The cover's never been a place for great creativity. It was the magazine that simply said YIPPEE after the Cowboys defeated the Broncos in the Super Bowl.

SI has thousands of classic stories. But take a tour through the Vault and you won't see a whole lot of classic cover lines.

 

SI's best-ever headline was the one that ran on the Miracle on Ice cover in 1980.