Bill Simmons and ESPN to go separate ways...

padraig_f · 08-05-2015 4:16pm #1

Bill Simmons and ESPN Are Parting Ways

That sucks, I'm sure he turns up someone else, but won't have the ESPN resources.

nerd69 · 08-05-2015 6:22pm

padraig_f wrote: »

Bill Simmons and ESPN Are Parting Ways

That sucks, I'm sure he turns up someone else, but won't have the ESPN resources.

that sucks what happens with grant land now thats still espn right?

what happens to zach lowe, jalen and jacoby etc. are they still espn?

pretty bad news all in all i feel he must have been looking for massive money for them to not give it

padraig_f · 08-05-2015 6:57pm

nerd69 wrote: »

that sucks what happens with grant land now thats still espn right?

what happens to zach lowe, jalen and jacoby etc. are they still espn?

pretty bad news all in all i feel he must have been looking for massive money for them to not give it

yeah grantland is owned by ESPN I think, and seems like most of the writers involved have contracts with ESPN.

I know Simmons has said he personally headhunted Zach Lowe from SI, and I guess a bunch of the others too. Maybe some will follow him once their contracts are up.

I fear that both will suffer with the split, Grantland won't be as good, and probably Simmons new venture won't be as good either.

nerd69 · 08-05-2015 7:11pm

padraig_f wrote: »

yeah grantland is owned by ESPN I think, and seems like most of the writers involved have contracts with ESPN.

I know Simmons has said he personally headhunted Zach Lowe from SI, and I guess a bunch of the others too. Maybe some will follow him once their contracts are up.

I fear that both will suffer with the split, Grantland won't be as good, and probably Simmons new venture won't be as good either.

seems like it could be similar to the ross tucker situation (albeit on a much much larger scale) he had an excellent podcast on espy but left because of money to set up his own and its not bee close to the same since. its a real shame because i think grant land is just awesome lowe in particular i feel is and excellent analyst and i feel like he really enjoyed working for simmons.

if simmons could start up a grantland site himself i feel like it could be excellent because by all accounts he's excellent at finding young talented analysts but i just dont think he could possibly have the money for it.

also its a shame we won't see him fist pumping any more celtics picks

Carcharodon · 09-05-2015 2:57am

nerd69 wrote: »

that sucks what happens with grant land now thats still espn right?

what happens to zach lowe, jalen and jacoby etc. are they still espn?

pretty bad news all in all i feel he must have been looking for massive money for them to not give it

Yea, I think it was a lot, 6 million sticks out for some reason but not sure.
There is a lot more to it than money though, he has been flirting with the boundries with ESPN for a while now, in their opinion... but the final straw came when he said that stuff about goodell, everything he said was true, guess the truth hurts.
ESPN have screwed him in regard s to his bargaining chips now when he entertains offers, they have lowered his value by jumping out of the equation, he wanted out when his contract was going to expire one would guess but having espn in the negotiations increases your value.
Its a pity cos the guy is really good and has done a lot for espn, he might not always be right but he makes it interesting.
Fox sports looks like a potential destination but they don't got NBA and that's his bread and butter, maybe bleacherreport or he will probably just freelance

nerd69 · 09-05-2015 3:41am

Carcharodon wrote: »

Fox sports looks like a potential destination but they don't got NBA and that's his bread and butter, maybe bleacherreport or he will probably just freelance

doubt he does bleacher report thats a bit tabloidy. i think he could potentially help fox sports expand into the nba if thats something they where interested in he did a lot for espns nba analysis i really think his leaving will hurt them there

Lt J.R. Bell · 09-05-2015 2:45pm

nerd69 wrote: »

seems like it could be similar to the ross tucker situation (albeit on a much much larger scale) he had an excellent podcast on espy but left because of money to set up his own and its not bee close to the same since. its a real shame because i think grant land is just awesome lowe in particular i feel is and excellent analyst and i feel like he really enjoyed working for simmons.

if simmons could start up a grantland site himself i feel like it could be excellent because by all accounts he's excellent at finding young talented analysts but i just dont think he could possibly have the money for it.

also its a shame we won't see him fist pumping any more celtics picks

If you ever have a long journey on the bus, knock on Grantland. Lowe and Rose are brilliant stuff. Extremely enjoyable, good insight and lots of laughs

Bill is great but can be a little irratiating. Maybe it's the voice and the tiresome pop culture stuff

buyer95 · 09-05-2015 4:02pm

Lt J.R. Bell wrote: »

If you ever have a long journey on the bus, knock on Grantland. Lowe and Rose are brilliant stuff. Extremely enjoyable, good insight and lots of laughs

Bill is great but can be a little irratiating. Maybe it's the voice and the tiresome pop culture stuff

Disagree. Bill Simmons is a very good writer on the NBA. Lowe is the best, and I enjoy Jalen, but Simmons is excellent also.

nerd69 · 10-05-2015 12:57am

Lt J.R. Bell wrote: »

If you ever have a long journey on the bus, knock on Grantland. Lowe and Rose are brilliant stuff. Extremely enjoyable, good insight and lots of laughs

Bill is great but can be a little irratiating. Maybe it's the voice and the tiresome pop culture stuff

buyer95 wrote: »

Disagree. Bill Simmons is a very good writer on the NBA. Lowe is the best, and I enjoy Jalen, but Simmons is excellent also.

fan of all of them i think the grant land basketball hour, the lowe post and jalen and jacoby are the best basketball podcasts out there

buyer95 · 13-05-2015 12:18am

Stephen A calling for New Orleans to appoint Mike Woodson. I haven't laughed this hard in years! We complain about Dunphy and Hook here but this is just flat out hilarious

NufcNavan · 13-05-2015 12:50am

buyer95 wrote: »

Stephen A calling for New Orleans to appoint Mike Woodson. I haven't laughed this hard in years! We complain about Dunphy and Hook here but this is just flat out hilarious

Himself and Skip are two of the biggest morons in sports journalism in the US.

Nothing degrades journalism like Skip and Stephen A. Smith on First Take. Half baked opinions on often stupid and irrelevant topics. They don't know a whole lot about sports outside basketball either. It's clear that ESPN have aimed their market towards the casual fan rather than the hardcore sports fan that it was originally set up for.

Rubbish debates with a caption at the bottom of the screen like: WHO IS BETTER, MJ WITH ONE LEG OR KOBE BLINDFOLDED?

Simmons and his contributions (Grantland, BS report, and 30 for 30) were some of the last few pieces of work that the hardcore sports fan was still able to connect with. Some may or may not have liked Simmons, but his work was interesting and captivating. He made you read his stories, hear his podcasts and watch his projects because it was interesting and different. He couldn't quite transition into providing live analysis, but his contributions were there nonetheless.

padraig_f · 15-05-2015 6:22pm

Jeez...

Bill Simmons will not appear again on ESPN platforms, including Grantland

NufcNavan · 15-05-2015 6:42pm

Grantland and 30 for 30 are probably the two most important things done recently by ESPN by a long shot and Simmons was behind both of them. It's a pretty big dice roll by ESPN, but they are big enough to get away with it.

That being said, acting like Simmons isn't a huge asset creatively is a joke. The guy will get paid handsomely and he should. Ignoring his writing or his TV presence, both of his major sports/media endeavors have been solid gold.

padraig_f · 15-05-2015 7:15pm

NufcNavan wrote: »

Grantland and 30 for 30 are probably the two most important things done recently by ESPN by a long shot and Simmons was behind both of them. It's a pretty big dice roll by ESPN, but they are big enough to get away with it.

That being said, acting like Simmons isn't a huge asset creatively is a joke. The guy will get paid handsomely and he should. Ignoring his writing or his TV presence, both of his major sports/media endeavors have been solid gold.

I'm a huge Simmons fan, I think he revolutionised the way sports is covered...in terms of openly being a fan, and being less stuffy than traditional sports reporters, while still putting out intelligent, thoughtful content. Maybe it seems less important now, because he's been so influential, but when I first discovered him, I thought his stuff was truly groundbreaking. It changed the way I follow sport. And now, at least 50% of my enjoyment from following sport is not just watching the games, but reading the opinion pieces, listening to the podcasts, a good part of which were Grantland and the BS Report.

That's why I'm pissed off about this. Possibly no BS Reports now for 5 months if he's on gardening leave.

He did an interesting podcast last month, where it was just him talking about his career, going from a bar-tender in Boston to where he is today. Check it out guys if you haven't listened to it, as I'm not sure how much longer they'll be up there:

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=12612977

NufcNavan · 15-05-2015 8:21pm

This says it all tbh:

https://twitter.com/insidethehall/status/599290908736126976

GoldFour4 · 15-05-2015 8:55pm

Wouldn't be at all surprised to see Simmons start up his own podcast type network along with a blog of sorts. He's very good friends with Adam Carolla who also went down the independent route and has one of the biggest podcasts out there now. Simmons definitely has a bigger name than Carolla had so I think he could certainly make it work.

Advertisers would flock to him. He'll no doubt use the months off to work with his agent James Dixon (also Carollas agent, he'll have lots of experience in this) to construct a solid business plan. When Simmons was suspended for his anti nil remarks he was seen out and about a lot with Dixon apparently. I think the future is bright for him. He'll have guys like Cousin Sal on to talk about everything and anything and he'll still be able to get some writers to appear on podcasts I think.

Also the thoughts of Simmons going uncensored really excites me. I know he was suspended for the NFL rant but I presume even that was censored a lot. I'm pretty sure I'd pay for an uncensored Simmons podcast. Not a huge amount obviously but I'd definitely see a value in it.

GoldFour4 · 15-05-2015 10:01pm

I've moved all Bill Simmons related discussion here so we can stay on the topic of the playoffs in the main thread

leggo · 15-05-2015 11:18pm

malistheman wrote: »

Wouldn't be at all surprised to see Simmons start up his own podcast type network along with a blog of sorts. He's very good friends with Adam Carolla who also went down the independent route and has one of the biggest podcasts out there now. Simmons definitely has a bigger name than Carolla had so I think he could certainly make it work.

Advertisers would flock to him. He'll no doubt use the months off to work with his agent James Dixon (also Carollas agent, he'll have lots of experience in this) to construct a solid business plan. When Simmons was suspended for his anti nil remarks he was seen out and about a lot with Dixon apparently. I think the future is bright for him. He'll have guys like Cousin Sal on to talk about everything and anything and he'll still be able to get some writers to appear on podcasts I think.

Also the thoughts of Simmons going uncensored really excites me. I know he was suspended for the NFL rant but I presume even that was censored a lot. I'm pretty sure I'd pay for an uncensored Simmons podcast. Not a huge amount obviously but I'd definitely see a value in it.

I could see him getting picked up by PodcastOne if he wanted to make money but not have the hassle of starting up a whole network. I'd love to see him do a talent grab with Grantland staff and start an independent equivalent, but it's probably too big of a job, expense-wise, for one man.

It sucks that this happened during the playoffs, too. Simmons' coverage is such a big part of my enjoyment of it all.

The entire move stinks. Grantland is, for me, the best website on the Internet. And it's all a combination of advanced analytics mixed with everything that Simmons brought to the table. It reeks of ESPN being insecure about him outgrowing them, which shouldn't matter if he's bringing in the results that he does. And the entire thing has left a sour taste in my mouth regarding ESPN, how little regard they have for me, the consumer, and my enjoyment of the playoffs. I doubt removing Simmons now was his call...he'd just started a new podcast sure! They seem to be growing out of touch with their audience and I hope it comes back to bite them in the future.

TheGoldenAges · 16-05-2015 1:08pm

Simmons goodbye email to Grantland staff:

http://deadspin.com/bill-simmonss-goodbye-email-i-am-done-being-involved-1704773063?rev=1431719482111&utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Vanity Fair has also done some awesome articles on the departure:

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/05/what-doomed-bill-simmons-at-espn
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/05/inside-shocking-abrupt-divorce-bill-simmons-and-espn

padraig_f · 17-05-2015 10:51am

@billbarnwell:

CFMB5hNWgAAKnDK.png:medium

@jaykaspiankang:

amidst some of the stuff that's been flying around the Internet and as one of Grantland's only ex-employees, wanted to say a few things.

Simmons was a great boss who challenged everyone to get better, work harder.

I had made $50 in my life as a writer when he contacted me. I, and so many other people at Grantland, owe him a huge debt of gratitude.

anyone who has worked closely w/ him knows his work ethic, his creativity. excited to see what he'll do w/out ESPN hanging around his neck.

Paully D · 17-05-2015 2:46pm

Disappointing but it has certainly been a long time coming, 8 reasons that lead to it:

http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/the-8-moments-that-led-to-the-bill-simmons-espn-divorce.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=the-8-moments-that-led-to-the-bill-simmons-espn-divorce

I'm sure whatever he does next will be great.

nerd69 · 17-05-2015 3:16pm

Paully D wrote: »

Disappointing but it has certainly been a long time coming, 8 reasons that lead to it:

http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/the-8-moments-that-led-to-the-bill-simmons-espn-divorce.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=the-8-moments-that-led-to-the-bill-simmons-espn-divorce

I'm sure whatever he does next will be great.

has it been coming though he's done sooooooo much for espns basketball coverage i think there shooting themselves in the foot a bit

Lt J.R. Bell · 17-05-2015 5:16pm

leggo wrote: »

I could see him getting picked up by PodcastOne if he wanted to make money but not have the hassle of starting up a whole network. I'd love to see him do a talent grab with Grantland staff and start an independent equivalent, but it's probably too big of a job, expense-wise, for one man.

It sucks that this happened during the playoffs, too. Simmons' coverage is such a big part of my enjoyment of it all.

The entire move stinks. Grantland is, for me, the best website on the Internet. And it's all a combination of advanced analytics mixed with everything that Simmons brought to the table. It reeks of ESPN being insecure about him outgrowing them, which shouldn't matter if he's bringing in the results that he does. And the entire thing has left a sour taste in my mouth regarding ESPN, how little regard they have for me, the consumer, and my enjoyment of the playoffs. I doubt removing Simmons now was his call...he'd just started a new podcast sure! They seem to be growing out of touch with their audience and I hope it comes back to bite them in the future.

ESPN? Please, these are the guys still hiring Steven A Smith and Skip Bayless ,who to be fair, are a tremendous comedy act.

GoldFour4 · 21-05-2015 7:31pm

Simmons has taken most grantland stuff off his social media except for a link to his complete articles. He no longer lists it on his Facebook page and his most recent working experience on it for Jimmy Kimmel live.

nerd69 · 21-05-2015 9:43pm

malistheman wrote: »

Simmons has taken most grantland stuff off his social media except for a link to his complete articles. He no longer lists it on his Facebook page and his most recent working experience on it for Jimmy Kimmel live.

surprised about the work experience but not at all surprised about taking all the grantland links down why would he advertise for a company he no longer works for

TheGoldenAges · 23-05-2015 2:03pm

Funny moment on Zach Lowe's podcast last night when Brian Windhorst referred to Bill as "He who shall not be named and the former editor of Grantland" and Zach interrupted him to say "he's not Voldemort, he's Bill Simmons".

Bill Simmons and ESPN to go separate ways...

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