SI For Kids Publisher Cleary Simpson and Research Dir
Donna Sabino are the subject of the "SGB Interview" by Chris
McEvoy. Sabino, on which leagues kids favor: "[W]hen I
started at SI for Kids in 1991 the NBA was not one of kids'
favorite leagues. Then the NBA made this deliberate,
concerted effort to reach out to kids and say, 'Here's this
guy Michael Jordan.' Then kids responded by thinking that
well, this is kind of cool. The NFL then took the
initiative and started telling kids 'We want you to keep
track of your team. ... Pay attention every Sunday.' The
leagues can't take for granted anymore that kids are
inherently going to know about their sport." Simpson noted
that kids "were very effected by the [MLB] strike," and
added that MLB has "to find a way to get the players more
involved with some of these programs for kids" to boost
popularity. Simpson, on the ages of SI For Kids readers:
"[W]e're getting them earlier. We have a lot of seven-year-
old readers. That's really when you're beginning to learn
to read, and they're keeping it longer. We're graduating
most of them by 14 or 15. ... Right now, our total
readership is about 70/30 boys/girls" (SGB, 4/15 issue).
