I subscribed to help raise money for my son's school. I expected some news, a few well-written features, and a photo or two. I've been very disappointed.

For starters, the magazine is oversized and printed on cheap paper. It's an awkward, clunky thing to have around the house. Outside of a newspaper, it's the most "throwable" periodical I've ever owned.

The layout of the magazine is a graphic artist's worst nightmare. The pages are filled with tiny, graphic-based factoids, most of them inane and difficult to read. I guess the idea is to start out the reader with comic book-style tidbits before burdening them with the horrendously difficult task of reading an actual article.

Reducing information to brief, brightly colored, graphic-based chunks is the trend these days, ensuring that cretins and 16-year-olds with one-second attention spans will page through long enough to read all the ads (or at least look at the pictures). But for those who want to read a few decent sports-related articles, this magazine, like a bad field goal attempt, misses wide and short.

It does not help that the factoids, interviews, and even the articles are usually printed in a nauseating blend of colors, fonts, and type sizes. Consider it a major victory if you can get through this mess of a magazine without needing glasses.

I've let my subscription lapse, which means I get a bundle of renewal letters every week.

For all of its faults, give me Sports Illustrated instead.



Recommended: No