The publisher laid off most of its staff as a tribute to the magazine

Sports Illustrated is reportedly laying off a majority of its staff. Fans of the publication had quite the reaction online. Tributes for once Iconic magazine flood social media. Sports Illustrated was once the most popular magazine in the world, but now it's laying off some staff.

The owner of Sports Illustrated laid off most or “probably all” of its guild-represented staff, union says. The iconic magazine and website was laid off by the publisher, its union said. Sports Illustrated's union says most or "probably all" of its staff were laid off.

Sports Illustrated publisher The Arena Group fired CEO Ross Levinsohn on Monday. The publication was caught using AI to produce content by fake authors. The Arena group fired CEO after the publication posted fake content on its website using AI-generated content. It's the first time the publication has fired a CEO since it was caught by the publication.