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Thoughts?Bill Simmons and ESPN Are Parting Ways
By RICHARD SANDOMIR
MAY 8, 2015
Bill Simmons, who built a personal empire at ESPN and is one of America’s most influential sports personalities, will leave the media giant when his contract expires in the fall. He and the company were unable to reach an extension after months of talks.
“I’ve decided that I’m not going to renew his contract,” said John Skipper, the president of ESPN. “We’ve been talking to Bill and his agent and it was clear we weren’t going to get to the terms, so we were better off focusing on transition.”
Skipper said that the differences between the company and Simmons were “about more than money,” although he would not offer details. He added: “We’ve had an excellent run with Bill, almost 15 years. It’s been good for us and good for him. It was a decision I had to make and he had to make to move forward.”
Grantland, the sports and entertainment site run by Simmons for ESPN, will be unaffected by his departure, Skipper said.
“It long ago went from being a Bill Simmons site to one that can stand on its own,” Skipper said.
Simmons’s contract expires at the end of September.
The outspoken Simmons built himself into a major brand at ESPN, branching out from his base as a freewheeling columnist to host a popular weekly podcast, the B.S. Report; to create Grantland; and to play a role in the launch and success of the “30 for 30” do entary film series.
But his future at ESPN became a cause célèbre last year when the company suspended him for three weeks for calling N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell a “liar” during a podcast and effectively dared his bosses to fire him.
Simmons became a free-speech martyr during his absence, with the likes of Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow supporting him. Those who spoke out on his behalf on Twitter used the hashtag #FreeSimmons.”
Skipper said that the incident had no bearing on his decision to end ESPN’s relationship with Simmons.
Now the intrigue will begin about his next step. Simmons could join another traditional media company, like Fox, or a digital media outlet like Yahoo. Or he could use his high profile to start his own multimedia platform with investment from private equity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/09/sp...ting-ways.html
Last edited by Uriel; 05-08-2015 at 10:32 AM.
Who gives a
Cool. Annoying prick anyway.
His Grantland site is better anyhow.
I wish Grantland was able to break off from ESPN but I'm sure whatever he does next will be just as good. Eventually he'll probably be able to pull some of Grantland's best writers away from ESPN.
I'd be surprised if half the writers at Grantland don't come with him. I'll follow. Wonder if he will write more now.
Best content on ESPN was Grantland by a mile. Now even more reason to push for ESPN to extend my Insider membership for $1 next year again (if for nothing else than occasional airplane reading).
Will be interesting to see where he lands next. If I were him, I'd try to start my own site and poach the best and brightest from Grantland and elsewhere. Eyeballs will follow, and I'd endeavor that his probably have deeper pockets than the average ESPN viewer.
Simmons is an actual journalist, ESPN isn't about that life.
i doubt thatGrantland, the sports and entertainment site run by Simmons for ESPN, will be unaffected by his departure, Skipper said.
Simons
Way better writer than TV personality anyway. He should and probably will focus on his writing more. Don't really need him on TV, especially his NBA analyst stuff. I wouldn't go so far as saying it's horrible. But it certainly isn't very good. His basketball hour is slightly more tolerable. But his written work is what makes him any good. He should stick to that.
Hopefully this starts the departure of all the worthwhile journalists from ESPN. Too much catering to the casual fan/large markets has ruined it.
Simmons is a got.
Espn will pay $'to keep the remains and who actually like Simmons on a personal level. Why would Lowe opt out when he has an elite position. Grant land will be the same. After Simmons there is enough talent to keep interest. Hire another celebrity newsy writer and let every else continue as has been. They have too many different podcasts anyway.
This is actually the best possible thing for Grant land, because now they can promote other personalities.
Some of you guys are confusing ulative talent with synergistic talent. Grant land minus Simmons is just that, x number of articles missing. If you only do there to read Simmons them Simmons will be somewhere else with the exact same amount of writing.
Unless Fox sports puts him on tv.
Grantland already losing publisher
https://twitter.com/pkafka/status/596704096406654976
ESPN is notorious for not paying its talent. Save for elite of elite, most of its superstars go to other networks. I'd doubt they pony up big bucks to everyone. Maybe one or two popular writers, but Grantland is about the collective while. Lose one, no big deal, lose several, it unravels. ESPN is fool enough to think it made Grantland through association.
Whitlock chillin' in the cut like
LOL, good one. He's a fan that got his own platform on ESPN.com Page 2 many years back. Any of us on this site could be reach sports journalism fame if given that opportunity.
That said, it may be a scenario like Screamin A. Smith where his contract ran out and he just has to do something else for a minute before coming back strong for ESPN.
He actually was on Sports Illustrated before his time with ESPN. He wasn't a good T.V personality but on ESPN there aren't many worthwhile. His written stuff is chill and his blog and vlog is epic. His Boston homerism aside, he'll be fine. How Jamele Hill or Stephen A Smith continue to be considered journalist is beyond me. As the move behind 30 for 30 he got many of you slackjawed hicks some quality sportumentaries.
I hope this is true because as a TV personality he was the ing worst.
Never read his tho, from what I understand he's just a repressed sexual Boston homer with racist tendencies
Sprewell move. Bill is nothing without some big name media giant to back him.
Simmons is racist? Never got that sense
Definitely came off as one of the few voices on ESPN that spoke the reality.
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