The magazine's first cover, Aug.16, 1954, was, even by today's standards, impressive - the Braves' Eddie Mathews finishing a swing, Giants catcher Wes Westrum and umpire Augie Donatelli behind him, sold-out stands in Milwaukee's County Stadium looming in the floodlit background.
Since then, Sports Illustrated has become part of the landscape of the best and worst of the world's fun and games. And its cover has become sort of ... what do the true believers call it? Oh, yeah. A jinx. Just ask Eagles fans; on Jan.19, the day Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb appears, Carolina picked off three of his passes to win the NFC championship 14-3.
For its 50th anniversary, SI decided to throw itself a party and invite, well, everyone. Its yearlong traveling multimedia road show stops Feb. 5-14 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, concurrent with the 100th anniversary of the state fair. A ticket to the fair includes free admission to the SI program.
Among the exhibits at the football field-sized site are an original film highlighting great sports moments for the past 50 years; blowups of selected covers and a kiosk with a database to access all the covers; trivia contests; Game Face: What does a Female Athlete Look Like, a photo exhibit depicting the physical and emotional experience of competition and play; interactive baseball, football, soccer and basketball challenges and interactive basketball, and Best Seat in the House, a display of the latest electronic devices for sports fans.
Visitors also can get a free picture of themselves on a Sports Illustrated cover.
