The Best of Sports Illustrated Since its inception in 1954, Sports Illustrated has been America's premier sports journal. The Best of Sports Illustrated takes readers on a stirring trip through the magazine's past, with a year-by-year pictorial review of athletic highlights starting with the first issue. The book is divided into four sections, starting with "The... more » Golden Age" from 1954 to 1962. This was the crucial period when the major leagues moved west, television became the key sports medium, and sports dynasties ruled. The impact of the counterculture marked "The Age of Audacity," 1963 to 1975, when athletes such as Joe Namath and Muhammad Ali ushered in the era of the outspoken superstar. Free agency forever changed sports during "The Era of Freedom" from 1976 to 1983. Women became increasingly prominent in a variety of sports, and politics hit the Olympics. "The Selling of Sports," 1984 to 1998, charts the takeover of sports by big business, athletes becoming corporations, and agents becoming as prominent as players.« less