I don't normally like to talk about marketing stuff, but I thought this was one hell of a deal and partnership. Sports Illustrated is giving away a copy of Madden 10 for Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PS3 or PSP when you sign up for a half-year subscription for $49. Madden 10 will retail at $60 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 so you could look at it as getting a SI subscription for free or Madden for $10 cheaper. Also, you get the John Madden DVD (not that I really care about that) but it's a nice extra.
I think it's really smart marketing on SI's part to match up the Madden giveaway with their subscription. Print is dying faster than a supporting character in a Final Destination movie so it's a great way to increase subscriptions in a younger market. I would be wary about SI's automatic renewal policy though. It looks like you could get with another subscription fee if you're not paying attention or don't cancel your subscription in time -- which is probably what they're counting on to reimburse the money they're losing by sending out games.