Miami on SI’s mind

Pricey Super Bowl party set for revamped mag

Sports Illustrated’s highly anticipated magazine redesign will debut at a Super Bowl party on Saturday that in and of itself is a sign of changing times at the 66year-old sports publication.

In perhaps the starkest indication that Sports Illustrated is under new ownership, the companies behind it are throwing a public Super Bowl party at Miami’s Fontainebleau hotel — and charging admission. “VIP” tickets cost $999 for an open bar. “VIP Tables” tickets, offering “premium bottle service,” cost $20,000.

The party will feature the Black Eyed Peas and SI’s new monthly magazine, which is now printed on a heavier, glossier paper and focuses entirely on long-form journalism.

The party is being run by Authentic Brands Group, which paid $110 million to buy the rights to SI last year. Maven, a tech platform for brands like Rachael Ray and Maxim, then forked over $45 million for a 10-year licensing deal to run the magazine and digital site.

“There will be less issues, but higher quality,” Ross Levinsohn, CEO of Sports Illustrated, told The Post. “More like a Vanity Fair for sports.”

The issue opens with a gatefold cover of the nine NFL legends who won Super Bowl MVP Awards when the game was played in Miami.

Stories in the February issue now on newsstands carry Super Bowl themes, but won’t try to cover the clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.

Instead, there’s a piece on a bizarre kidnapping that tied back to a Super Bowl box pool in upstate New York. There’s also a speculative piece on whether Arch Manning, the teen nephew of Peyton and Eli, may be the best Manning QB yet.