2014 Sports Illustrated Covers

SI Staff | Jun 3, 2014

2014 Sports Illustrated Covers /

2014 Sports Illustrated Covers

Cristiano Ronaldo

There is no small effort involved in getting the three best soccer players in the world (Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suárez) and the captain of the U.S. national team (Clint Dempsey) on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in the same week. But that's exactly what SI did for our World Cup 2014 preview issue, which features four different covers, all of which are mixed evenly in the distribution of magazines to subscribers and newsstands this week. It's a historic moment for soccer in SI, the 19th time the sport has appeared on the cover of the magazine since it started being published weekly in 1954. Messi, Ronaldo and Suárez are making their first appearances on the cover, while Dempsey is on the front for the second time.

Clint Dempsey

Luis Suarez

Lionel Messi

New York Rangers

From out of the shadow of tragedy, the Rangers have gone on a stirring playoff run that has fueled the passion of their devoted fans, summoned memories of the team's epic journey to the Stanley Cup in 1994 and become one of the most compelling stories of the NHL's postseason. In this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, Brian Cazeneuve examines how the Broadway Blueshirts, with new coach Alain Vigneault and a mix of veteran stars and homegrown talent, have shed decades of mediocrity.

Troy Tulowitzki

Troy Tulowitzki has been the best player in baseball through the first two months of the season, and that hot start has landed him a regional cover of Sports Illustrated. In this week's issue, staff writer Ben Reiter profiles the early National League MVP favorite, who has been tattooing the ball all season, especially in the friendly confines of Coors Field.

Adam Silver

Painting by Tim O'Brien, photo reference by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The first 100 days of new NBA commissioner Adam Silver's administration has been like no other in sports history. In this week's SI cover story, staff writer Lee Jenkins explains how a life both privileged and unconventional prepared Silver for this moment.

Kevin Durant

140513110302-20covv12-durant-promo-single-image-cut.jpg — John McDonough/SI

After winning the NBA's Most Valuable Player award for the first time in his career, Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant appears on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated. In the Sports Illustrated cover story, Durant is profiled by SI's Chris Ballard, who examines the Thunder star's quest for the only missing piece of hardware in his trophy case: an NBA title.

Carlos Gomez

Flamboyant, outspoken and one of baseball's best players: Carlos Gomez has raised a lot of attention as the table-setter for the Brewers, and his rise from former top prospect to MVP candidate has him gracing one of the regional covers of the May 19 issue of Sports Illustrated.

Johnny Manziel

Brad Penner/USA Today, Michael J. Lebrecht II/SI (background)

Some went wild when the Cleveland Browns selected Johnny Manziel at No. 22 overall, but many Clevelanders remain wary of Johnny Football. Mark Bechtel details that tension in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated.

Mike Trout

Baseball's best player now has his own national Sports Illustrated cover. This week's issue features Mike Trout, the Angels' superstar and the best young player in the game, as he pushes forward with a career that has already been historically great. Along the way, SI senior writer Tom Verducci tries to answer the question of just how good Trout can be.

Jose Abreu

Jose Abreu, whose power has already made him a force to be reckoned with in the majors, landed SI's regional cover this week.

Johnny Manziel

The most polarizing figure in the 2014 NFL draft graces the cover of Sports Illustrated's NFL draft preview issue. Former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel has been called everything from a future All-Pro to a bust waiting to happen. What's the reality? TheMMQB's Peter King sat down with five of the best quarterback evaluators in the business to get a definitive read on Johnny Football.

Max Scherzer

Why would a man turn down $144 million? In this week's cover story, that's the question Albert Chen asked Max Scherzer, who rejected a lucrative extension offer from the Detroit Tigers.

Boston Strong

The people of Boston made a strong showing? would you expect anything else?? when SI put out a casting call for a photo shoot last Saturday at the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street, steps from where two bombs exploded on Patriots' Day last year. A crowd of 3,000, including runners who were near the blast, first responders and mayor Marty Walsh, arrived by 7 a.m. to celebrate the city's?and the race's?resilience in the face of the terror attacks. This week's bonus feature from SI Senior Writer Scott Price, "Start at the Finish" focuses on the marathon and examines the lives of more than 15 people who were affected by the bombing, all of whom bring a different perspective to the race. He writes, "The Boston Marathon can't help but regenerate itself. It will always be new because there's something about its history and civic fervor, its oddly attractive personal toll, even its most catastrophic moment, that makes converts of us all." Also part of this week's Boston package is "The Point After," written by David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox. His firsthand account explains how proud he is of the city and its citizens, and how incredible the recovery process has been in the last 12 months. Says Ortiz: "If I had to make a speech this year on Patriots' Day, I'd say, 'God continue to bless America.' Because even though it began with so much pain and tragedy, the last 12 months have been a blessing." Behind the scenes (VIDEO): 'Boston Strong' cover shoot, one year later BISHOP: A year after the Marathon bombings, Bill Iffrig reflects on tragedy

Connecticut

On Monday night, the UConn Huskies defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 60-54 to win the school's fourth national championship. It was the end of a remarkable and improbable run for the Huskies, which were a No. 7 seed coming into the NCAA tournament and had to defeat the Nos. 2 (Villanova), 3 (Iowa State) and 4 (Michigan State) seeds in the East regional. In the national semifinal, they defeated the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, the Florida Gators, before taking down the Gators' SEC rivals for the title. Shabazz Napier, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, averaged 26.2 points per game in the Huskies' six-game stretch. In the cover story, senior writer Michael Rosenberg describes UConn's journey "from the brink of the abyss to a fourth national title."

Kentucky

Kentucky and Wisconsin, winners of the Midwest and West regionals, respectively, each earned a cover of Sports Illustrated this week. In the Final Four previews, our writers make a case for each of the Final Four teams ? and take you inside Kentucky's incredible run to Dallas.

Wisconsin

Masahiro Tanaka

Chuck Solomon/SI, Photo Illustration by Stephen Skalocky

Sports Illustrated's 2014 MLB season preview is here, led by the newest Japanese star, Masahiro Tanaka. The Yankees' $175 million investment and former star in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball is the national cover for SI¹s preview issue, which also features three additional regional covers. Angels superstar Mike Trout, new Mariners slugger Robinson Cano, and Cardinals stalwart Yadier Molina landed the other three covers.

Yadier Molina

Simon Bruty/SI, Photo Illustration by Stephen Skalocky

Sports Illustrated's 2014 MLB season preview is here, and Cardinals stalwart Yadier Molina graces one of the regional covers.

Robinson Cano

Robert Beck/SI, Photo Illustration by Stephen Skalocky

Sports Illustrated's 2014 MLB season preview is here, and Mariners slugger Robinson Cano graces one of the regional covers.

Mike Trout

Sports Illustrated's 2014 MLB season preview is here, and Angels superstar Mike Trout graces one of the regional covers.

Florida

The Gators have rattled off 26 straight wins, picking up an outright SEC championship along the way. The No. 1 overall seed looks strong heading into the NCAA tournament and will face favorable matchups in the South regional.

Syracuse

Syracuse struggled down the stretch, but don't forget about a team that started the season 25-0. Canadian import Tyler Ennis has proved his ability to make game-winning plays throughout the regular season and will be ready to do the same in the Big Dance.

Wichita State

140318113151-12covv24-wichst-promo-single-image-cut.jpg — Al Tielemans/SI, Darren Carroll/SI (Carr inset), Scott K. Brown/SI (McDaniel inset)

In the regular season, no team could stop the Shockers, as they finished 34-0. The Shockers face an incredibly difficult road to the Final Four in a Midwest region stacked with talent, and they're picking up doubters left and right -- but maybe that's just what they want.

Michigan State

140318113136-12covv24-michst-promo-single-image-cut.jpg — Al Tielemans/SI, Erick Rasco/SI (Cleaves inset)

Gary Harris has been the go-to guy for the Spartans all season, and now he's got a fully healthy team behind him. Never bet against Tom Izzo in March.

Arizona

Arizona spent eight weeks at No. 1 before losing Brandon Ashley ? and some games. But now the Wildcats have rediscovered their mojo and are ready to make a run in the tournament.

Connecticut

The defending national champion UConn Huskies enter the tournament with a perfect 34-0 record, and hope to finish it off with the fifth perfect season in school history and a record ninth women's NCAA title.

Doug McDermott

After surpassing 3,000 points in his already illustrious collegiate career, Doug McDermott lands on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. The image is inspired by a cover of Larry Bird, "College Basketball's Secret Weapon," from Nov. 28, 1977. In this issue's cover story, "The Hypnotic Doug McDermott," Luke Winn explains McDermott's calm and recounts the landmark moments from his four years at Creighton. You will learn incredible details about college basketball's best player. <bold>Rising Stars: Doug McDermott (SI VIDEO)</bold>

Pete Rose

This week's Sports Illustrated cover is a trip back in time. Pete Rose, the all-time MLB hits leader and one of the most polarizing figures in the sport's history, graces the cover of the March 10 issue. The reason for Charlie Hustle's stint on the cover? The upcoming release of Kostya Kennedy's Rose biography, "Pete Rose: An American Dilemma." In his book, Kennedy provides a detailed look back at Rose's life, as well as a portrait of the Hit King in retirement, and re-evaluates Rose's lifetime ban from baseball for gambling.

Mikaela Shiffrin

18-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin overcame her nerves and escaped a near-fall to win gold in the Olympic slalom, becoming the first U.S. women's slalom medalist since 1972 and the youngest Olympic slalom gold medalist. With her youth, Shiffrin is poised to become the face of Team USA for future Winter Olympics.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

For the first time in a decade, NASCAR's favorite son finished on top of its signature race as Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the checkered flag in the Daytona 500. The victory offered hope of better times for the ever-popular Earnhardt, who won just his third race since 2006. Earnhardt's second win in the Daytona 500 gave him one more than his dad.

Jonathan Toews - Canada

For the third time in the five Olympics since NHL players began participating, Canada claimed the gold medal in men's hockey. The Canadians dominated the competition, eliminating the U.S. in the semifinals before blanking Sweden 3-0 in the gold-medal game, including a goal from Jonathan Toews. With the NHL refusing to commit to future Olympics, this could be the last truly insurmountable Olympic hockey championship squad.

Jabari Parker and Mike Krzyzewski

Al Tielemans/SI, Jamie Squire/Getty Images (inset)

Freshman phenom Jabari Parker chose to attend Duke despite having interest from schools closer to home. In his intimate profile, Jeff Benedict explains Parker's decision and describes his tight-knit relationship with coach Mike Krzyzewski. The two appear together on one of Sports Illustrated's regional covers this week.

Wichita State

The Wichita State Shockers appear on the other regional cover. The Shockers, one of two remaining undefeated teams in Division I (Syracuse is the other), face every opponent's best game after their Final Four run a year ago.

Michael Sam

Defensive end Michael Sam wanted the NFL team that drafts him to have no doubts about his sexuality. Now he is poised to become the league's first openly gay player. His Missouri teammates accept him. Will the pros?

Michael Bennett, Brandon Mebane and Peyton Manning

After dropping the boom on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, Seattle Seahawks defenders Michael Bennett and Brandon Mebane appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated to commemorate Seattle's first NFL title. "This was Seattle's first championship since they joined the league as an expansion franchise in 1976," writes senior writer S.L. Price in this week's cover story. "Before their run to the Super Bowl in 2006 [an XL loss to the Steelers], they had gone a record 21 years without a playoff win, and until this season always seemed a step behind their rivals in San Francisco. But the unique identity created in 2010 by owner Paul Allen, GM John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll ? brainy, upbeat and tough -- proved perfect for transforming unheralded talent into a smart and singularly fierce outfit."

Bode Miller

For the first time ever, Sports Illustrated has four Olympic Preview covers. U.S women's Alpine skier Mikaela Shriffin, U.S. figure skater Gracie Gold, U.S. men's Alpine skier Bode Miller and U.S. snowboarders Jamie Anderson and Arielle Gold all appear on this week's covers. Each athlete brings his or her own unique story to the Olympics and gives viewers a reason to stay tuned throughout the upcoming games.

Gracie Gold

Mikaela Shiffrin

Jamie Anderson and Arielle Gold

Richard Sherman

Richard Sherman, the talk of the NFL since the NFC title game, appears on one of Sports Illustrated's national covers this week.

Peyton Manning

In advance of Super Bowl XLVIII, Peyton Manning and the Broncos appear on one of Sports Illustrated's national covers this week.

LaGarrette Blount

With Championship Sunday upon us, this week's issue of Sports Illustrated features the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.

Seahawks

With Championship Sunday upon us, this week's issue of Sports Illustrated features the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.

Wes Welker

With Championship Sunday upon us, this week's issue of Sports Illustrated features the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.

Florida State, BCS Champs

The SEC's reign of unchallenged dominance is over. Florida State brought that to an end with its 34-31 comeback victory over Auburn in the BCS National Championship Game on Monday night, placing the Seminoles back atop the college football world. Fresh off the win, Florida State adorns the national cover of the Jan. 13 issue of Sports Illustrated. In the cover image, Seminoles wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin leaps into the air to snag the game-winning touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining. Senior writer Andy Staples shares the story of the game from Pasadena, Calif. ? a dramatic, down-to-the-wire contest in which the Seminoles compiled the largest comeback in the 16-year history of the BCS title game ? and puts the monumental win in context.

Philip Rivers

140108102432-02covv15chargers-promo-single-image-cut.jpg — Joe Robbins/AP

Don't write off the San Diego Chargers as Super Bowl contenders, writes Andy Benoit in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated. Leading the Bolts' surge is Philip Rivers, who has experienced a renaissance under first-year coach Mike McCoy.

Knowshon Moreno

140108102435-02covv17broncos-promo-single-image-cut.jpg — Illustration by Guy Stauber

Moments before the Broncos kicked off against the Chiefs on Dec. 1, Denver Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno had a moment to remember. As the national anthem blasted from the stadium's speakers,tears streaked down Moreno's face. It prompted the question: What could bring a running back in the midst of a breakout year on one of the best teams in the NFL to tears? In this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, senior writer Tim Layden finds the truth behind Moreno's tears.

Andrew Luck

Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts playing in Super Bowl XLVIII in New York? It could happen, says Andy Benoit in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated. Fresh off an improbable comeback over the Chiefs, the Colts are rolling ? and Luck is the reason why.

Published Jun 3, 2014

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