The first cover featured Baseball. It's a shot of Eddie Matthews with the Milwaukee Braves.
The first African-American on the cover of Sports Illustrated was Calvin Jones - September 27, 1954.
eddie matthews
Baseball
The first issue of the Sports Illustrated magazine, as it is known today, was published circa August 16, 1954. Previous incarnations of Sports Illustrated were originally published in 1936 and 1949, but they did not attract an audience.
The first issue of Sports Illustrated was published in 1954 and featured a baseball player on the cover. As a highly sought-after collector's item, the value of the first issue can vary widely depending on its condition, but it can be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.
1974- Beverly Johnson
Obama
First Edition Sports IllustratedThe first edition of Sports Illustrated was issued on August 8, 1954 and featured Eddie Mathews on the cover. The magazine included a three-page center foldout of 1954 Topps baseball cards. The first issue of Sports Illustrated is worth about $225.00 - $350.00 in Excellent - Near Mint condition. Common flaws would be staining, foxing (yellowing), fading, stains, creases, rips, loose pages, cracked binding, writing on the cover, and mailing labels. Any of these flaws could bring the value down significantly.
Olympic figure skater Carol Heiss Jenkins was the first woman athlete to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1956.
She was the first black model to be on the cover of sports illustrated.
Tyra Banks was the first black woman to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1997.
Tyra Banks was the first black model to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.