SPORT (magazine)

SPORT (magazine)

SPORT magazine was an American sports magazine. Launched in September 1946 by the New York-based publisher, Macfadden Publications, SPORT pioneered the generous use of color photography – it carried eight full colour plates in its first edition – and almost immediately became half-bible, half-guru to a generation of men coming of age.

SPORT predated the launch of Sports Illustrated by eight years, and is remembered for bringing several editorial innovations to the genre, as well as creating, in 1955, the SPORT Magazine Award. The SPORT Award, given initially to the outstanding player in baseball’s World Series (Johnny Podres of the Brooklyn Dodgers was the inaugural winner), was later expanded to include the pre-eminent post-season performer in the other three major North American team sports. What made SPORT the most distinctive from Sports Illustrated, however, was the fact it was a monthly magazine as opposed to SI's weekly distribution.

SPORT was published continually between its launch and August 2000, when its then-owner, British publisher EMAP PLC, made the decision to close the money-losing title. Today, the photo archive of SPORT, which represents one of the most significant collections of 20th century sports photography in North America, is housed online.