Will Leitch is basking in this right now. God, Sport On Earth went to shit when Pos left. Let's hope that doesn't happen with Grantland.
The Bill Simmons Thread
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
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maufman said:
There's so much turnover in journalism (both from layoffs or just employees always wanting to move on to the next good opportunity) that I don't think non-competes are all that common. For bigger names, sure, but smaller cogs keeping a site running are probably not subject to such restraints. I say that as someone who works for Vox Media / The Verge and knows plenty of people at other sites who I don't believe are subject to such things.
That said, unless it's obvious that Grantland is going to get deprioritized and mothballed, I wouldn't expect a mass exodus or anything.
Wherever he ends up, those first few months ought to be spectacular if he goes off on ESPN. It'd be interesting to get an unvarnished look at the company from someone who's been deep within it for years with nothing to fear.
maufman said:
In base salary this is probably true but if Simmons chose to go out and raise money to start a new venture that he would have significant equity in it would at least create the potential for him to make much more money than he could at a traditional media company. Not to say that potential would actually be realized - personally I think it would be a mistake for him to try to go it alone - but the chance to bet on himself in a new venture that he would partly own may be a hard thing to pass up.
I'd guess that most writers at Grantland don't have non-compete clauses. I know that The verge poached Emily Yoshida a few months back as an example of someone who left for a similar job. Also Koppleman moved his podcast from Grantland to Slate last month.
Jim Miller is saying that Simmons' appearance on the Dan Patrick Show yesterday in which he said Goodell "has a lack of testicular fortitude" was the "tipping point" for his future with ESPN. https://twitter.com/JimMiller/status/596719922530492416
http://www.mediaite.com/online/shane-smith-wants-bill-simmons-to-join-vice/CaptainLaddie said:
Either those tweets were fake or he pulled them down.
https://twitter.com/shanesmith30
Wow apparently his deal goes through September. Interesting to see what happens over the next 5 months with Grantland. Might get a sense where he's thinking of going if writers start jumping ship to one place in particular.
This book was more about the creation of ESPN and the evolution into being the worldwide leader.DrewDawg said:
Simmons could write an epic, Live from New York style book about the company.
The perfect gig for Simmons is to be move back east and be paired-up with Francesa on WFAN --- with a national simulcast on television.
As MF ages and moves on.....Bill would be the biggest voice in the biggest city in America.
As MF ages and moves on.....Bill would be the biggest voice in the biggest city in America.
As opposed to now when he is probably the biggest voice in almost every city? Simmons is way past Francesca in terms of relevance. Doing radio would be like Joss Whedon following up his Avengers run by going to work in Branson.Buck Showalter said:
Francesca offered him that role when Mad Dog left.
ESPN will try to tie up the Grantland staff between now and September. I'm guessing Simmons has accumulated enough vacation days over the past 12 years to take a sixeable piece of that five months off if he wanted
As delicious as it would be for Bill to destroy ESPN after he left, I doubt it will happen. For a myriad of reasons.
I wouldn't bet against him going to work for a big studio in Hollywood.
ESPN will try to tie up the Grantland staff between now and September. I'm guessing Simmons has accumulated enough vacation days over the past 12 years to take a sixeable piece of that five months off if he wanted
As delicious as it would be for Bill to destroy ESPN after he left, I doubt it will happen. For a myriad of reasons.
I wouldn't bet against him going to work for a big studio in Hollywood.
mandro ramtinez said:
If ESPN were smart, they'd build a NBA show around Lowe like the NFL Matchup show that Jaworski and Hoge host. Zack Lowe and another really sharp analyst breaking down the game for a half-hour would be better than an hour of lame jokes and crude animations that comprise the Grantland Basketball Hour.
Lowe already does some of that in his columns. If ESPN could pair him with a guy like Matt Moore (HPbasketball), I would totally watch the kind of show you suggest.Remagellan said:
If Simmons goes to Turner/NBA TV, he might be able to replicate the Grantland Basketball Hour but it would probably end up on NBA TV and not have much reach.
If Simmons thinks the NFL called for his scalp, he should sure as hell say so, but I'm extremely skeptical that's the case.
jose melendez said:
Turns out you should be -- Deadspin makes it sound like Skipper was enraged by his appearance on Dan Patrick's show (as suggested in a link posted above earlier).
Yeah, lots of descriptions by people that this was a firing.
As thin-skinned as Bill is, it could get interesting.
—Four sources tell us there’s a rumor going around ESPN and Grantland that Simmons found out about the move via Twitter. (A fifth source denies this.) “Cold-hearted/hilarious,” one person says. “Guy is a massive dickhead. But he’ll just land at Fox Sports with Horowitz now for the same money. Yay.”
—“Ding Dong the witch is dead.” (That’s how one ESPN staffer describes the vibe in Bristol.)
—“It was pretty clear they haven’t gotten along in a long time.”
—“Can’t say anything right now.”
—“Everything is high school.”
—“Not unexpected.”
—“From everything I heard, [Grantland] was only viable due to Simmons traffic and sponsorship $.”
As thin-skinned as Bill is, it could get interesting.
—Four sources tell us there’s a rumor going around ESPN and Grantland that Simmons found out about the move via Twitter. (A fifth source denies this.) “Cold-hearted/hilarious,” one person says. “Guy is a massive dickhead. But he’ll just land at Fox Sports with Horowitz now for the same money. Yay.”
—“Ding Dong the witch is dead.” (That’s how one ESPN staffer describes the vibe in Bristol.)
—“It was pretty clear they haven’t gotten along in a long time.”
—“Can’t say anything right now.”
—“Everything is high school.”
—“Not unexpected.”
—“From everything I heard, [Grantland] was only viable due to Simmons traffic and sponsorship $.”
I'd be pretty surprised if he goes to Fox, considering how much he's trashed them in the past on his podcast. I understand dancing dollars and all, but if Bill really wants to leave a mark with any of his work, not just his writing which he seems to do less and less of, it doesn't seem like Fox would be the place.
Turner seems like a really interesting possibility.
Turner seems like a really interesting possibility.
I had that exact painter's cap.
Rembert's Twitter location is now "Senior Spring, Grantland." Guess we know where his loyalties lie.
Real classy to call someone a massive dickhead anonymously, even if true. My guess is his resume is in Simmons's inbox whenever he lands.
Rembert's Twitter location is now "Senior Spring, Grantland." Guess we know where his loyalties lie.
Real classy to call someone a massive dickhead anonymously, even if true. My guess is his resume is in Simmons's inbox whenever he lands.
He can't. But if he takes too many eyeballs with him, maybe ESPN stops spending on great writers. That would be a bummer.Jnai said:
Yeah, his shtick won't scare off the NBA or its network, whereas he's anathema to the NFL.Three10toLeft said:
I doubt it. When the network launched there was an article predicting (probably correctly) that it was never going to make a profit in the form it had. Basically it pays writers very well and has very little in the way of advertising. That put an onus on high traffic, high engagement, and high value sponsors. It has much higher engagement that competitors, but the consensus is that a big percentage of the traffic is driven by Simmons, and that the sponsors won't put up the money they have without the big name of Simmons there.epraz said:
If Grantland continues, it will either be because Skipper is willing to take losses to avoid having it collapse post-Simmons making him look stupid, OR they'll have to make changes to how they operate, cut budgets, add advertising the way ESPN.com works.
Though maybe they'll just replace it with Skipper's baby... Whitlock's "Black Grantland" project, that is between 6 months and a year behind schedule and widely considered a colossal clusterfuck.
Does anyone have the link to Bill's 'other' blog? The one he was posting on during his suspension?
I came to this site in 2001 because of Bill. He then wrote a long piece on "Win it For" three years later. Yes, he is not the same Digital City Bill, but I still have enjoyed him recently, most often as a television analyst, Boston sports twitterist, and occasionally sage interviewer on his various podcasts.Mike Greenwall said:Bill is responsible for me finding this site during the '04 season. Will be interesting to see where he ends up. I think a full-time basketball gig, with free-lance stuff on the side.
Remagellan said:
Yeah, I don't think Simmons' chemistry with Lowe was all that great. I ve been listening to a lot of his podcasts the past few months and I thought the one he really clicked more with and he could talk with for ages was Michelle Beadle. Next up was Haralabos Voulgaris. Most awkward and forced? Larry David, although that was probably David's fault.
DourDoerr said:
I don't think it's a good policy to badmouth your old employees regardless of whether you re going to see them again or not. Sure, we ll get a few nuggets here and there, but nothing I big I think.
DontTauntOrtizMe said:
If that's the case, then this speaks volumes, not for Simmons, but for the inter tangled relationships between leagues and broadcasters.
My understanding is that Lowe and Simmons have a really great personal relationship and listening to the both of them talk I don't get the "don't play well together" vibe at all.
I hope Lowe doesn't stay at ESPN. Doesn't have to go where Simmons goes, but he's way too smart and way too willing to speak his mind to put up with that shitshow. And dear god do I hope Matt Moore doesn't go to ESPN. TruHoop already neuters good writers, I don't even want to imagine what it'll do when it puts them on TV.
(I like really Matt and he's a good dude, so I hope a dump truck of money appears at his door, just not from them.)
I hope Lowe doesn't stay at ESPN. Doesn't have to go where Simmons goes, but he's way too smart and way too willing to speak his mind to put up with that shitshow. And dear god do I hope Matt Moore doesn't go to ESPN. TruHoop already neuters good writers, I don't even want to imagine what it'll do when it puts them on TV.
(I like really Matt and he's a good dude, so I hope a dump truck of money appears at his door, just not from them.)
I dont' think they don't like each other. Lowe seems an easy going guy for one. It's just that I think they operate on different levels and they don't mesh as well.