Chock Full of Sports (Illustrated) for Kids

I am reviewing the April 2001 issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids which has a wonderful picture of Derek Jeter, a New York Yankee, on the cover with a caption “Inside –Monster Baseball Preview” plus a giant Jeter poster and it didn’t disappoint!

My children are grown but I remember buying it on several occasions for my younger daughter. She wasn’t that interested in it. Many of the classrooms in which I have substitute taught subscribe to the magazine and I have seen many issues. All the issues are laid out the same, which is nice, I think, for children who like predictability. The magazine is best for children ages 8 and up.
What does it offer?

• The first thing we see is SIKids Online (Sikids.com) and a discussion of good video game cheat codes telling children that they can unleash their super powers in SIKids.com games. Maybe I am overreacting, because the magazine is a good one and I will rate it highly, but are they actually promoting cheating on the games? I think so, though it may be all in fun with no harm done.

• There is a cute contest to find 6 pranks hidden in the whole issue and if you get them right you could win a Derek Jeter jersey.

• There are 4 pages of Freeze Frame News which consists of “big pictures, big news of among others, Jennifer Capriati and an update on her.

• You’ll find 5 pages of Warm Ups with a joke corner, some inside news of sports celebrities, pro-bowl picks, future starts to watch and the answer to polls the children do inside. For example last month’s poll was “Should a kid athlete be suspended if his parents misbehave at a game?” Some of the actual responses were sited as well as the statistics which were an overwhelming 7% yes and 93% no.

• There is a very nice easy to read and follow calendar. On the calendar you’ll find what is happening in sports this month as well as various sports figures birthday and events they may be at.

• The Jeter article and pullout is excellent (even if he is a Yankee!). There is a great interview with him written at a kid’s level. By the way, Jeter’s most competitive opponent is Pedro Martinez, our Red Sox pitcher.

• There are 10 pages of Baseball 2K1 with team by team predictions, rookies to watch and the top 20 players. A very well done section.

• A cute 4-page NBA Player’s Guide to the Galaxy is well done as well. You’ll find basketball stars rating the best and worst of things such as uniforms, crowds, mascots and cities.

• There are 5 pages of “The end zone” with a lot of information kids will find interesting. The end zone consists totally of quizzes including a quiz on “the world in sports.” I think the kids will find this a lot of fun.

• Each month there are 9 sports cards with players’ information on the back. I was glad to see that some not so mainstream sports were represented such as surfing and distance running.

• “What’s the call” is about sports rules and asks kids to send in questions about the rules and answer then as well.

• There is a great trivia challenge. For example, which short stop did not win rookie of the year?
a. Derek Jeter
b. Alex Rodriquz
c. Nomar Garciapara
All the answers to the trivia challenge games are at the end of the magazine. The answer to the above question is at the end of this review.

Sport Illustrated for Kids is a great magazine for sports fans. I would highly recommend it for the child who is very much into sports either as a player or spectator or one who wants to be. I don’t recommend it if it is the parent who wants the child to be interested in being a terrific football player. He/she won’t like the magazine.

Each issue is $2.99 although only 80 pages it is chock full of information, challenges and games that will keep your child busy for quite a long time. I think it is a good outlet as downtime when he or she is not in school. I think anything children read is better than nothing and anything (almost) is better than most television, so if your child wants a subscription to SI for Kids and will read it, go for it. For $29.75 for 13 issues it is a good investment, in my opinion.

I almost forget to tell you the answer..it is B.