Ever spent twenty minutes scrolling through a gallery of a "new" Sports Illustrated Cheerleader of the Week only to realize the photos look like they were taken when the iPhone 6 was still high-tech? You aren't alone. It’s one of those internet artifacts that feels like it’s still happening every Tuesday, but the reality of how Sports Illustrated (SI) handles its cheer coverage in 2026 is way more complicated than just a weekly spotlight.
Back in the day—we're talking the peak "Extra Mustard" era around 2014 to 2017—the Sports Illustrated Cheerleader of the Week was a digital staple. It was a simple, effective formula. You’d get a gallery of a dancer from the Charlotte Hornets Honey Bees or a cheerleader from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a list of their favorite movies (usually Remember the Titans), and their celebrity crush. Basically, it was the digital version of a trading card.
But the media world shifted. Hard.
Why the Weekly Spotlight "Vanished" (But Didn't Really)
If you go looking for a "Week 2, 2026" cheerleader feature right now, you might come up empty-handed on the SI homepage. That’s because the brand moved away from the high-frequency, low-context weekly drops. It wasn't just a change in taste; it was a change in how people consume "sports lifestyle" content.
The old Sports Illustrated Cheerleader of the Week format was essentially replaced by two much bigger engines:
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- The SI Swimsuit "Swim Search": This is where the real momentum is now. Instead of just being a "cheerleader," women like Summer Wilson (a former Ravens cheerleader) or Tunde Oyeneyin are using the SI platform to build massive personal brands.
- Social Media Autonomy: In 2015, you needed SI to see a behind-the-scenes look at an NFL sideline. In 2026, you just follow the cheerleader on TikTok.
Honestly, the "Week" designation became a bit of an anchor. Why limit a feature to seven days when a viral sideline moment can rack up ten million views in four hours? SI realized they didn't need to "crown" someone every Tuesday morning if they could just integrate these athletes into their year-round swimsuit and fitness ecosystem.
The Reality of the "Extra Mustard" Legacy
The Sports Illustrated Cheerleader of the Week was born out of the Extra Mustard section, which was SI’s attempt at being "the fun part" of the magazine. It was curated by people like Andy Gray, and it felt like a community. You’d see Nina from Virginia Tech talking about her love for Root Beer floats, and for a second, the massive world of college sports felt human.
Specific examples that still live in the archives show just how wide the net was cast:
- Nicolette from the 49ers: She was a fan favorite who talked about her family’s connection to Bill Walsh.
- Lauren of the Charlotte Hornets: Famous for being incredibly candid about her "worst habit" being her phone—a relatable moment before "screen time" was even a setting on our devices.
- The Houston Texans Twins: Larisa and Marisa made history by being the first Texans cheerleaders featured in the actual Swimsuit Issue back in 2008, which really paved the way for the weekly digital spotlights that followed.
These weren't just "pretty faces" in the eyes of the editors. They were trying to showcase the personality behind the pom-poms. But as the 2020s rolled in, the conversation around the "male gaze" in sports media—highlighted by outlets like Viking Sports Mag—forced a rethink. The industry started asking if a weekly "rating" of a cheerleader was the best way to honor these athletes.
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How 2026 Handles Cheer Content
Nowadays, SI doesn't really do the "Weekly" thing in a rigid way. Instead, they’ve pivoted to what I call "High-Impact Features."
Take Simone Biles, for example. She’s an SI Swimsuit legend, but in 2026, she’s also the ultimate "cheerleader" when she’s on the sidelines for the Chicago Bears. SI covers her custom outfits and her presence at the games with the same intensity they used to reserve for the Sports Illustrated Cheerleader of the Week. It’s more about the intersection of fashion, sports, and celebrity than just a roster spot.
Then you have the "Rookies." For the 2026 Swimsuit Issue, the focus is on women like Tunde Oyeneyin. She isn't a traditional NFL cheerleader, but she represents the evolution of that "sprightly, energetic" archetype that Jule Campbell (the legendary SI editor) originally looked for.
What to Actually Look For Today
If you’re a fan of the old format and you’re looking for that specific vibe, you have to look in different places now. The "Cheerleader of the Week" isn't a dead concept; it’s just evolved.
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- The "Swim Search" Finalists: This is where the most similar content lives. You get the deep-dive interviews, the personality profiles, and the high-end photography.
- NIL Influencers: Look at Livvy Dunne. While she’s a gymnast, her partnership with SI represents the new era. She has more "cheer" influence than ten years of weekly articles combined.
- Instagram & TikTok Integration: SI often "features" cheerleaders now by reposting their content or doing "Models of the Week" on social media rather than dedicated articles on the dot-com.
The Misconception About "Rankings"
A lot of people think there was a leaderboard or a "Cheerleader of the Year" playoff. There wasn't. It was always meant to be a showcase, not a competition. One of the biggest mistakes people make when looking up the Sports Illustrated Cheerleader of the Week is searching for "who won." Nobody won. It was just a spotlight.
The archives are still there, and they serve as a fascinating time capsule of mid-2010s sports culture. You can still find galleries of the Portland Trail Blazers dancers or the Arizona Cardinals cheerleaders, but don't expect them to be updated with 2026 specs.
How to Navigate SI Cheer Coverage Now
If you want the most up-to-date info on the women representing teams in the SI world, do this:
- Check the "Swim News" tab: This is where the former cheerleaders who have "graduated" to the swimsuit world get featured.
- Follow the SI Swimsuit social handles: They do "Model Mondays" or "Rookie Reveals" which are the spiritual successors to the weekly cheerleader posts.
- Look for the "Sportsperson of the Year" red carpet coverage: In January 2026, this was a massive hub for seeing current and former SI stars—including several former cheerleaders who are now fitness moguls.
The Sports Illustrated Cheerleader of the Week might not be the Tuesday morning ritual it used to be, but the brand’s obsession with the "athlete-model" crossover is stronger than ever. It’s just moved from a small sidebar in Extra Mustard to the center of the entire SI Swimsuit ecosystem.
To get the most out of the modern experience, your best bet is to follow the SI Swim Search updates directly on their site. This is where the next generation of "Cheerleader of the Week" style icons are actually being discovered through public voting and editorial selection.