Simmons and ESPN to Part Ways ...

Tequilla

Seems to me that business got personal from both sides of things ...

I expect that Simmons will run something that has less "big brother" looking down on him (see Dan Patrick) and still be wildly successful.

I expect that ESPN will come to regret this decision. Particularly when Simmons competes directly with what he created at Grantland by hiring away a large amount of said talent.

MisterEm

So you're saying he sold the couch?

Will Bill be casting new staff?

allpurpleallgold

I don't think espn gives a shit about Grantland. They should but they don't. Too busy pumping out hot takes.

I'm hoping Simmons takes this as personally as it looks. I don't know if he can take down espn but someone needs to try. It's the worst.

dnc

IMO, it's a blackeye for ESPoregoN

Fire_Marshall_Bill

Was it me or did he seem out of place on the basketball pregayme show?

Kaepsknee

Fire_Marshall_Bill said:

Was it me or did he seem out of place on the basketball pregayme show?

He seems out of place in front of a camera. The only time He wasn't was in a bar chatting with a washed up comic about the Red Sox. He's a writer, not a talker.

RoadDawg55

Maybe I can like Simmons again. His wannabe rebel act was annoying when he was the golden boy at ESPN. I read Grantland, but I often question why I do. I do it mostly because of habit rather than enjoying it. I don't enjoy reading 3,000 words about John Henson's breakout season of 7 points and 5 rebounds for the Milwaukee Bucks or waxing poetic about Kendrick Lamar's shitty album that everyone forgot about the next week. Wesley Morris' movie reviews make me want to beat the shit out of him. It's kind of a faggy, hipster website.

I would love to see him stick it to ESPN, but I think he will wash up. His writing isn't what it used to be and he sucks in front of the camera.

BallSacked

Tequilla said:

Seems to me that business got personal from both sides of things ...

I expect that Simmons will run something that has less "big brother" looking down on him (see Dan Patrick) and still be wildly successful.

I expect that ESPN will come to regret this decision. Particularly when Simmons competes directly with what he created at Grantland by hiring away a large amount of said talent.

I saw an article that analyzed Grantland and 538s web traffic on Business Insider (ybiims). Both generated very little traffic, especially 538. My guess is Grantland will not survive as a stand-alone business and will have to partner with some other network.

Simmons thinks he rebel, my guess is he will soon find out not many give a shit about him. ESPN won't notice this loss at all, the behemoth is on 2 da next 1.

I like Simmons podcasts, but his writing is old and his site is full of self-aggrandizing Ivy Leaguers masquerading as hipsters.

Link: http://www.businessinsider.com/grantland-and-fivethirtyeight-traffic-2014-10

RaceBannon

RoadDawg55 said:

Maybe I can like Simmons again. His wannabe rebel act was annoying when he was the golden boy at ESPN. I read Grantland, but I often question why I do. I do it mostly because of habit rather than enjoying it. I don't enjoy reading 3,000 words about John Henson's breakout season of 7 points and 5 rebounds for the Milwaukee Bucks or waxing poetic about Kendrick Lamar's shitty album that everyone forgot about the next week. Wesley Morris' movie reviews make me want to beat the shit out of him. It's kind of a faggy, hipster website.

I would love to see him stick it to ESPN, but I think he will wash up. His writing isn't what it used to be and he sucks in front of the camera.

allpurpleallgold

RoadDawg55 said:

Maybe I can like Simmons again. His wannabe rebel act was annoying when he was the golden boy at ESPN. I read Grantland, but I often question why I do. I do it mostly because of habit rather than enjoying it. I don't enjoy reading 3,000 words about John Henson's breakout season of 7 points and 5 rebounds for the Milwaukee Bucks or waxing poetic about Kendrick Lamar's shitty album that everyone forgot about the next week. Wesley Morris' movie reviews make me want to beat the shit out of him. It's kind of a faggy, hipster website.

I would love to see him stick it to ESPN, but I think he will wash up. His writing isn't what it used to be and he sucks in front of the camera.

Just to be clear, you're saying that you liked Simmons before he was mainstream but now you don't? And then you're calling someone else a hipster? And you're calling him a wannabe rebel when he just got fired for being rebellious?

RoadDawg55

allpurpleallgold said:

RoadDawg55 said:

Maybe I can like Simmons again. His wannabe rebel act was annoying when he was the golden boy at ESPN. I read Grantland, but I often question why I do. I do it mostly because of habit rather than enjoying it. I don't enjoy reading 3,000 words about John Henson's breakout season of 7 points and 5 rebounds for the Milwaukee Bucks or waxing poetic about Kendrick Lamar's shitty album that everyone forgot about the next week. Wesley Morris' movie reviews make me want to beat the shit out of him. It's kind of a faggy, hipster website.

I would love to see him stick it to ESPN, but I think he will wash up. His writing isn't what it used to be and he sucks in front of the camera.

Just to be clear, you're saying that you liked Simmons before he was mainstream but now you don't? And then you're calling someone else a hipster? And you're calling him a wannabe rebel when he just got fired for being rebellious?

Simmons wasn't "fired" for being rebellious. Simmons is leaving ESPN over money. ESPN is printing money and doesn't think Simmons is worth the huge bucks they would have to pay to keep him. Nobody watches or reads ESPN strictly for Simmons.

TierbsHsotBoobs

RoadDawg55 said:

allpurpleallgold said:

RoadDawg55 said:

Maybe I can like Simmons again. His wannabe rebel act was annoying when he was the golden boy at ESPN. I read Grantland, but I often question why I do. I do it mostly because of habit rather than enjoying it. I don't enjoy reading 3,000 words about John Henson's breakout season of 7 points and 5 rebounds for the Milwaukee Bucks or waxing poetic about Kendrick Lamar's shitty album that everyone forgot about the next week. Wesley Morris' movie reviews make me want to beat the shit out of him. It's kind of a faggy, hipster website.

I would love to see him stick it to ESPN, but I think he will wash up. His writing isn't what it used to be and he sucks in front of the camera.

Just to be clear, you're saying that you liked Simmons before he was mainstream but now you don't? And then you're calling someone else a hipster? And you're calling him a wannabe rebel when he just got fired for being rebellious?

Simmons wasn't "fired" for being rebellious. Simmons is leaving ESPN over money. ESPN is printing money and doesn't think Simmons is worth the huge bucks they would have to pay to keep him. Nobody watches or reads ESPN strictly for Simmons.

Simmons isn't even being fired. His contract is not being renewed.

Road is right. Idiots love ESPN.

Fire_Marshall_Bill

RoadDawg55 said:

Maybe I can like Simmons again. His wannabe rebel act was annoying when he was the golden boy at ESPN. I read Grantland, but I often question why I do. I do it mostly because of habit rather than enjoying it. I don't enjoy reading 3,000 words about John Henson's breakout season of 7 points and 5 rebounds for the Milwaukee Bucks or waxing poetic about Kendrick Lamar's shitty album that everyone forgot about the next week. Wesley Morris' movie reviews make me want to beat the shit out of him. It's kind of a faggy, hipster website.

I would love to see him stick it to ESPN, but I think he will wash up. His writing isn't what it used to be and he sucks in front of the camera.

Pretty much agree

I can count the number of times I've been to Grantland on two hands. Mixing pop culture, especially nerdy pop culture with sports is stupid. It's fine in passing or once in a while, but that's it. Deadspin and KSK are better.

I didn't know he was behind the 30 For 30s. He deserves credit for that. Besides live games, that's about the only thing that network has done right since 2004.

It's not going to be some huge loss. In a month, everyone will have forgotten. To fill the loss of a Bawstonian, BSPN will broadcast all 12 remaining Skankees/Red Sux games on all 67 of its domestic and international channels. They were only going to do nine beforehand.

TierbsHsotBoobs

Fire_Marshall_Bill said:

RoadDawg55 said:

Maybe I can like Simmons again. His wannabe rebel act was annoying when he was the golden boy at ESPN. I read Grantland, but I often question why I do. I do it mostly because of habit rather than enjoying it. I don't enjoy reading 3,000 words about John Henson's breakout season of 7 points and 5 rebounds for the Milwaukee Bucks or waxing poetic about Kendrick Lamar's shitty album that everyone forgot about the next week. Wesley Morris' movie reviews make me want to beat the shit out of him. It's kind of a faggy, hipster website.

I would love to see him stick it to ESPN, but I think he will wash up. His writing isn't what it used to be and he sucks in front of the camera.

Pretty much agree

I can count the number of times I've been to Grantland on two hands. Mixing pop culture, especially nerdy pop culture with sports is stupid. It's fine in passing or once in a while, but that's it. Deadspin and KSK are better.

I didn't know he was behind the 30 For 30s. He deserves credit for that. Besides live games, that's about the only thing that network has done right since 2004.

It's not going to be some huge loss. In a month, everyone will have forgotten. To fill the loss of a Bawstonian, BSPN will broadcast all 12 remaining Skankees/Red Sux games on all 67 of its domestic and international channels. They were only going to do nine beforehand.

Deadspin was great until they got so fucking political.

greenblood

ESPN was becoming a dreck when Simmons showed up, it's now a dreck, and it will continue to be a dreck after Simmons.

greenblood

I will add that firing Stephen A Smith and Skip Bayless might actually help the company.

TierbsHsotBoobs

greenblood said:

ESPN was becoming a dreck when Simmons showed up, it's now a dreck, and it will continue to be a dreck after Simmons.

It was dreck before he arrived. Agree otherwise.

topdawgnc

Who in the fuck is Bill Simmons, does he poast here?

The only legitimate threat to ESPN is Fox Sports ... and that is more like Oregon vs. Washington every year.

Tequilla

Simmons and ESPN are breaking ties because Simmons is a loose cannon in ESPN's eyes and they are tired of him being critical of their partners (ie Goodell)

BallSacked

Tequilla said:

Simmons and ESPN are breaking ties because Simmons is a loose cannon in ESPN's eyes and they are tired of him being critical of their partners (ie Goodell)

ESPN gave him a brand new weekly TV show AFTER that Goodell stuff happened. If he was such a loose cannon ESPN wouldn't have put him back on television at that point.

RoadDawg55

Tequilla said:

Simmons and ESPN are breaking ties because Simmons is a loose cannon in ESPN's eyes and they are tired of him being critical of their partners (ie Goodell)

Is that what your sources are telling you?