Sports Illustrated December 21, 1992 Arthur Ashe VF/NM

Sports Illustrated December 21, 1992 issue is one of the magazine’s most poignant and significant editions, as it was the annual "Sportsman of the Year" issue.

The Cover: Arthur Ashe

The cover features a close-up, dignified portrait of tennis legend Arthur Ashe. This selection was unique because it honored Ashe not for his current athletic performance, but for his immense courage, humanitarian work, and leadership.

• The Selection: At the time, Ashe was battling AIDS (contracted through a blood transfusion during heart surgery).He had used his diagnosis to advocate for health awareness and to fight against racial and social injustices.
  
• The Tribute: Written by Kenny Moore, the cover story, "The Eternal Example," remains one of the most celebrated pieces in SI history. It detailed how Ashe’s grace under pressure and his intellectual approach to activism made him a "Sportsman" in the truest sense of the word.

Key Content & Features

While the tribute to Ashe was the centerpiece, the issue also recapped a massive year in sports:

• 1992: The Year in Sports: A comprehensive photo-essay and retrospective looking back at the major milestones of the year, including:
• The Dream Team’s dominance at the Barcelona Olympics.
• The Toronto Blue Jays winning the World Series (the first team outside the U.S. to do so).
• Duke’s back-to-back NCAA basketball championships.
  
• NFL Playoffs Looming: Coverage of the final weeks of the NFL regular season. The San Francisco 49ers were finishing strong with Steve Young, while the Dallas Cowboys were solidifying their place as the team to beat in the postseason.
• The "Say Hey" Finale: By this date, the Sports Illustrated Classic (Fall 1992) with Willie Mays on the cover had become a staple of 1992 sports nostalgia. The "Letters" section of the December 21 issue often reflected on the year's theme of honoring legends, bridging the gap between Mays' legacy and Ashe's humanitarian impact.

Why This Issue Matters

This issue was published only two months before Arthur Ashe passed away (February 6, 1993). It serves as the definitive final tribute to his life while he was still able to see the impact of his work. For collectors, it is considered a "must-have" due to the iconic Michael O'Neill photography and its status as a historical document of 20th-century sports culture.