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Bill Simmons Leaving ESPN

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Unsure why ESPN makes Jalen Rose so prominent. He's not awful, just bland and uninteresting.
 
gourimoko said:
Well.. we'll see about that. I think Simmons would probably rather not work for another corporation in the same way that he did ESPN. And in that I hope to see him turn this situation around to his benefit.



I doubt that.

It was his original idea, his concept, and his writing and skill that propelled the vehicle forward. To say it was never an option, I think, would speak volumes about his relationship with ESPN; and if this were truly the case, again, he got bad advice.

He would have been better off creating Grantland on his own and letting it grow out organically until he could encourage investments and advertising relationships in order to cover the costs of content and driving traffic.

To give you an idea of the model I'm referring to, there is a guy I used to blog with all the time on DailyKos, Nate Silver, who went from blogging there to blogging on his own site FiveThirtyEight. Back then, we were among a group almost entirely focused on poll analysis, and went back and forth projecting precincts in various elections.

Eventually his site was bought by the New York Times (IIRC), and he became an "employee," but he still retains a 40% stake in 538, and even if he were removed, he'd still get revenues from the operation. Now his site is very similar in design to Grantland, and covers politics, sports, and a host of other things with various NYT and 538 columnists on deck.

This model predates Grantland, and this is why I stated Simmons got bad advice.
He could've started the blog without ESPN, and worked out a cooperative arrangement with ESPN rather than them simply owning the IP rights, which again, was idiotic.



He benefited in some ways yes, with respect to exposure, but I don't think the degree of benefit was mutual.

ESPN apparently retained full ownership rights over Grantland, which is astounding. Simmons created multiple projects for ESPN that were very well received and ESPN profited millions due to his work. In exchange, Simmons was suspended numerous times, and subsequently and unceremoniously fired several months prior to his contract expiring.

This was not a mutually beneficial arrangement. It was an employee/employer relationship, which, again, is unusual for someone who creates as much content and drives as much traffic as Simmons; who is by and large, ESPN's top attraction, AFAIK.



No doubt, but at what point does Simmons want to control his own situation, rather than working for these corporations as nothing more than a glorified employee?
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Wait - you used to blog for DailyKos?
 
One thing I liked about Simmons, he didn't bow down to the company line. I don't give a shit about his Boston-homerism. He's a fan, and it can be very annoying and he's bias. But hey he likes his sports, his team. I don't care.

Either get in line or get out, that's how ESPN rolls. They don't really like controversial personalities like him, that might cause an upheaval against their own personal interests. Simmons didn't give a fuck, he was willing to do it.

Please, don't give me Skip as another example. He's a joke, ESPN knows that, they let him spew his shit knowing no one takes him serious, but it's pure entertainment that draws ratings.

Simmons not so much. He can point out the obvious, and undercut the bullshit enough to make ESPN, a very agenda driven network batshit nuts.

He doesn't really fit with that network, not the least bit surprise they cut ties with him.

I am not even a fan of his. I think he's a bit of an asshole personally, but he was at least one of the few people from that network I kinda respected though.

Look at Windy. People point out the difference of him then and now. Well, duh! He works for ESPN. ESPN tames you like a wild animal.

They are a very agenda driven network.
 
Whitlock is a crazy person. Total megalomaniac. This Deadspin piece is right on the money (it is also very, very long). The Undefeated is doomed.

http://deadspin.com/how-jason-whitlock-is-poisoning-espns-black-grantland-1698683962

It says a lot about the tight-knit culture at Grantland that nothing has leaked out over the last day - good or bad. They've circled the wagons. I sincerely hope they keep it running without Simmons. They have an amazing stable of writers over there: Wesley Morris (Pulitzer winner), Mark Harris, Charles Pierce, Katie Baker, Holly Anderson, Zach Lowe, Molly Lambert, Alex Pappademas... it'd be a shame to see them scatter off to other outlets. Grantland is, along with The New York Times, the only website I read like an actual newspaper. Everything else, I tend to get via Twitter links. But I'm afraid John Skipper hates Simmons so much that he'll kill his baby.

And while Simmons drives me nuts at times, too, don't forget that he created 30 For 30, which has produced some of the best sports documentaries I've ever seen. What little quality programming ESPN has, Simmons has had a hand in most of it. If Skipper his way, you'll get more garbage like First Take and Mike and Mike.
 
Simmons draws ratings though, I believe. In fact, I think most of Grantland's ratings were due to Simmons generating traffic. The other folks, not so much. It's why I think he might have some difficulty bringing some of the Grantland folks over with him. Yes, they may be loyal, but just like Windhorst post LeBron's decision, if you're an average employee, you are more likely to stick with the stability. If ESPN promises guys like Lowe, etc that they won't mess with their platforms, then they would be stupid to follow Bill. Being under the ESPN umbrella in most cases is a guarantee of job stability and income, as well as traffic. Heck I would venture that if Zach Lowe was featured on ESPN.com like Stein was, he'd have lots more traffic than he does while a guy at Grantland.
 
godfather said:
One thing I liked about Simmons, he didn't bow down to the company line. I don't give a shit about his Boston-homerism. He's a fan, and it can be very annoying and he's bias. But hey he likes his sports, his team. I don't care.

Either get in line or get out, that's how ESPN rolls. They don't really like controversial personalities like him, that might cause an upheaval against their own personal interests. Simmons didn't give a fuck, he was willing to do it.

Please, don't give me Skip as another example. He's a joke, ESPN knows that, they let him spew his shit knowing no one takes him serious, but it's pure entertainment that draws ratings.

Simmons not so much. He can point out the obvious, and undercut the bullshit enough to make ESPN, a very agenda driven network batshit nuts.

He doesn't really fit with that network, not the least bit surprise they cut ties with him.

I am not even a fan of his. I think he's a bit of an asshole personally, but he was at least one of the few people from that network I kinda respected though.

Look at Windy. People point out the difference of him then and now. Well, duh! He works for ESPN. ESPN tames you like a wild animal.

They are a very agenda driven network.
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Being on the inside of ESPN still made it very hard for Simmons to CRITICIZE the company line of ESPN and the sports it covers. There is a lot of WWF-ism happening in ALL the major American sports. and ESPN is the LAST network that will let someone shine a light on it.
 
gourimoko said:
"Playing the race card" is akin to crying wolf, or yelling the sky is falling..
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This is how I always took the phrase "playing the race card," with a definite negative connotation, saying basically you're just claiming racism when it's bullshit to get attention or flip the discussion around when you can't debate it. I thought that was a generally accepted interpretation of the phrase.
 
supermario21 said:
Simmons draws ratings though, I believe. In fact, I think most of Grantland's ratings were due to Simmons generating traffic. The other folks, not so much. It's why I think he might have some difficulty bringing some of the Grantland folks over with him. Yes, they may be loyal, but just like Windhorst post LeBron's decision, if you're an average employee, you are more likely to stick with the stability. If ESPN promises guys like Lowe, etc that they won't mess with their platforms, then they would be stupid to follow Bill. Being under the ESPN umbrella in most cases is a guarantee of job stability and income, as well as traffic. Heck I would venture that if Zach Lowe was featured on ESPN.com like Stein was, he'd have lots more traffic than he does while a guy at Grantland.
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The two main reasons I go to Grantland, Lowe and Barnwell, could effectively pick their next job, though. You think Yahoo or CBS wouldn't jump at the chance to sign a contract with either guy? Sure, some of Grantland's writers would certainly value stability, but the best ones know they can walk into another job if they really want to. It just depends on whether they like working for Simmons or not, and if the site can maintain steady readership without him.
 
Jack Brickman said:
The two main reasons I go to Grantland, Lowe and Barnwell, could effectively pick their next job, though. You think Yahoo or CBS wouldn't jump at the chance to sign a contract with either guy? Sure, some of Grantland's writers would certainly value stability, but the best ones know they can walk into another job if they really want to. It just depends on whether they like working for Simmons or not, and if the site can maintain steady readership without him.
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Lowe could for sure, but unless Simmons went to Turner then why would Lowe leave ESPN? Having the NBA rights and that toolbox of resources that ESPN has is likely a big plus for him. It's why I think Simmons ends up at Turner. That place is made for him.
 
supermario21 said:
Lowe could for sure, but unless Simmons went to Turner then why would Lowe leave ESPN? Having the NBA rights and that toolbox of resources that ESPN has is likely a big plus for him. It's why I think Simmons ends up at Turner. That place is made for him.
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Bleacher Report's newest writer.
 
Man Called X said:
Bleacher Report's newest writer.
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Anything to upend Skolnick works for me lol. The only thing about that is Simmons (and Lowe I believe) have trashed BR. Maybe not the NBA guys but the general format of it, especially their teamstream.
 
supermario21 said:
Anything to upend Skolnick works for me lol. The only thing about that is Simmons (and Lowe I believe) have trashed BR. Maybe not the NBA guys but the general format of it, especially their teamstream.
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That's what will make everything that much funnier.
 
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