Bill Simmons Leaving ESPN

[Donoghus]

Per Awful Announcing:

One of the biggest sports media stories of the year just got a bit more interesting – according to a report from Richard Sandomir of the New York Times, Bill Simmons will be leaving ESPN after the two parties couldn’t agree to terms on a new contract.


John Skipper also released a longer statement about Simmons’ departure.

“I decided today that we are not going to renew Bill Simmons’ contract. We have been in negotiations and it was clear it was time to move on. ESPN’s relationship with Bill has been mutually beneficial – he has produced great content for us for many years and ESPN has provided him many new opportunities to spread his wings. We wish Bill continued success as he plans his next chapter. ESPN remains committed to Grantland and we have a strong team in place.”

Skipper also said the parting of ways was about “more than money“, but didn’t elaborate. However, Simmons’ constant criticism of Roger Goodell was apparently not a factor in the end of his relationship with ESPN.

His departure won’t be immediate, as his contract still runs through the end of September. Simmons isn’t going to suddenly disappear from TV and Grantland next week.

Needless to say, this is huge news, and plenty of questions are now on the table.

Where will Simmons end up?
Will he be going out on his own, or joining a rival outlet like Fox or Turner?
Is this just a negotiation tactic by one or both parties?
What will the future of Grantland and 30 for 30 look like?

This summer in sports media just got *a lot* more interesting. Let the pursuit of Bill Simmons begin!

It'll be really interesting to see what his next step is.  What happens to Grantland?

[D.o.s.]

They're keeping Grantland around, although you have to assume that their traffic is going to suffer.

Very interested to see where Simmons lands, although this feels very Glenn Beck/Fox to me, and I wouldn't be surprised if he more or less vanished from the consciousness of the average sports fan.

[mef730]

Per Awful Announcing:

One of the biggest sports media stories of the year just got a bit more interesting – according to a report from Richard Sandomir of the New York Times, Bill Simmons will be leaving ESPN after the two parties couldn’t agree to terms on a new contract.


John Skipper also released a longer statement about Simmons’ departure.

“I decided today that we are not going to renew Bill Simmons’ contract. We have been in negotiations and it was clear it was time to move on. ESPN’s relationship with Bill has been mutually beneficial – he has produced great content for us for many years and ESPN has provided him many new opportunities to spread his wings. We wish Bill continued success as he plans his next chapter. ESPN remains committed to Grantland and we have a strong team in place.”

Skipper also said the parting of ways was about “more than money“, but didn’t elaborate. However, Simmons’ constant criticism of Roger Goodell was apparently not a factor in the end of his relationship with ESPN.

His departure won’t be immediate, as his contract still runs through the end of September. Simmons isn’t going to suddenly disappear from TV and Grantland next week.

Needless to say, this is huge news, and plenty of questions are now on the table.

Where will Simmons end up?
Will he be going out on his own, or joining a rival outlet like Fox or Turner?
Is this just a negotiation tactic by one or both parties?
What will the future of Grantland and 30 for 30 look like?

This summer in sports media just got *a lot* more interesting. Let the pursuit of Bill Simmons begin!

It'll be really interesting to see what his next step is.  What happens to Grantland?

It goes independent, hires a few top writers and becomes more successful than ever.

Mike

[indeedproceed]

I heard he failed his physical. They were worried he just couldn't integrate irrelevant 90's pop culture references is the same deft touch in a needlessly long article about his buddy House anymore. Yeah, he's gonna be able to do really good mailbags once and while, but his retro diary of the Floyd/Manny fight wasn't even 10,000 words long. Father time is undefeated.

[D.o.s.]

Per Awful Announcing:

One of the biggest sports media stories of the year just got a bit more interesting – according to a report from Richard Sandomir of the New York Times, Bill Simmons will be leaving ESPN after the two parties couldn’t agree to terms on a new contract.


John Skipper also released a longer statement about Simmons’ departure.

“I decided today that we are not going to renew Bill Simmons’ contract. We have been in negotiations and it was clear it was time to move on. ESPN’s relationship with Bill has been mutually beneficial – he has produced great content for us for many years and ESPN has provided him many new opportunities to spread his wings. We wish Bill continued success as he plans his next chapter. ESPN remains committed to Grantland and we have a strong team in place.”

Skipper also said the parting of ways was about “more than money“, but didn’t elaborate. However, Simmons’ constant criticism of Roger Goodell was apparently not a factor in the end of his relationship with ESPN.

His departure won’t be immediate, as his contract still runs through the end of September. Simmons isn’t going to suddenly disappear from TV and Grantland next week.

Needless to say, this is huge news, and plenty of questions are now on the table.

Where will Simmons end up?
Will he be going out on his own, or joining a rival outlet like Fox or Turner?
Is this just a negotiation tactic by one or both parties?
What will the future of Grantland and 30 for 30 look like?

This summer in sports media just got *a lot* more interesting. Let the pursuit of Bill Simmons begin!

It'll be really interesting to see what his next step is.  What happens to Grantland?

It goes independent, hires a few top writers and becomes more successful than ever.

Mike

ESPN is keeping grantland. And their traffic was, I imagine, heavily influnced by the fact that it was "Bill Simmons's Grantland." All respect to Bill Barnwell, his name is not one to carry much cache among the casual fans.

Also, there's almost no way that Simmons comes out of this 'more successful.' Happier? Possibly. More editorially free? Definitely. But he's going to be talking to a markedly smaller audience than he has in the last 15 years or so.

[Donoghus]

They're keeping Grantland around, although you have to assume that their traffic is going to suffer.

Very interested to see where Simmons lands, although this feels very Glenn Beck/Fox to me, and I wouldn't be surprised if he more or less vanished from the consciousness of the average sports fan.

Guessing Fox Sports will go after him hard.  They're still trying to build that thing up.

Wouldn't be shocked if he takes some writers with him if possible. 

See, I think he can go off on his own and do alright.  He has enough of a following where I don't think he'd drop off the map.  People were with him prior to ESPN and that following has obviously grown a ton.  I don't think the ESPN "muscles" apply as much to him as it has with a bunch of other guys that formerly worked for ESPN. 

[Evantime34]

I'm a huge grantland fan, but it really isn't for Simmons. All their other writers are really good.

I expect Simmons to start his own website, similar to Grantland and then attempt to poach people from Grantland.

[D.o.s.]

Also, IMO, Grantland has 1-2 "really good" writers, and Simmons was never one of them. But "really good writing" doesn't attract the kind of audience that ESPN demands.

[littleteapot]

I heard he failed his physical. They were worried he just couldn't integrate irrelevant 90's pop culture references is the same deft touch in a needlessly long article about his buddy House anymore. Yeah, he's gonna be able to do really good mailbags once and while, but his retro diary of the Floyd/Manny fight wasn't even 10,000 words long. Father time is undefeated.

Almost had to go fist-in-mouth when reading that one. Hilarious.

[fairweatherfan]

ESPN is keeping grantland. And their traffic was, I imagine, heavily influnced by the fact that it was "Bill Simmons's Grantland." All respect to Bill Barnwell, his name is not one to carry much cache among the casual fans.

Also, there's almost no way that Simmons comes out of this 'more successful.' Happier? Possibly. More editorially free? Definitely. But he's going to be talking to a markedly smaller audience than he has in the last 15 years or so.

Could be making more money even with a smaller audience though.  Potentially a lot more.  But I don't know how well that will go.

I predict a few years trying to set up an independent sports media enterprise, followed by the inevitable Fox Sports Net overpay in 2020 or so, then just closing out his career by increasingly mailing it in and becoming a hokey old relic a la Rick Reilly.

[mkogav]

I am not surprised. Simmons career reminds me a lot of Howard Stern's. Both Stern and Simmons changed the industries that they worked in. They are both ground breakers, although Simmon is still mid-career vs Stern, who has been around much longer.

For many many different reasons, Stern constantly clashed with the companies who he worked for, the FCC, celebrities etc... Although Simmons is not nearly as controversial as Stern, he has clashed with ESPN, other ESPN writers, Zeke, Goodell etc...

This is a HUGE short-sited loss for ESPN. People like Stern & Simmons don't come along that often. Like him or not, he is a huge creative force behind many of ESPN's recent popular and award winning successes. Sure, ESPN gets to keep Grantland, 30 for 30, and most of the writers & contributors that Simmons began/brought-in, but they lose out on all of what may have been in the pipeline.

Simmons will land on his feet somewhere with the creative freedom that he is looking for. I expect that whatever he ends up doing will be unique and interesting.

Can't wait.

Mk

[bdm860]

I am not surprised. Simmons career reminds me a lot of Howard Stern's. Both Stern and Simmons changed the industries that they worked in. They are both ground breakers, although Simmon is still mid-career vs Stern, who has been around much longer.

Hey I like Simmons (as a writer at least), but you really think he changed the industry or is a groundbreaker?  I'm not really seeing it, but admittedly not really paying attention too much either.

[D.o.s.]

You're seeing it right now. Simmons (and Page 2) ushered in what we think of as modern sports blogging.

[mkogav]

I am not surprised. Simmons career reminds me a lot of Howard Stern's. Both Stern and Simmons changed the industries that they worked in. They are both ground breakers, although Simmon is still mid-career vs Stern, who has been around much longer.

Hey I like Simmons (as a writer at least), but you really think he changed the industry or is a groundbreaker?  I'm not really seeing it, but admittedly not really paying attention too much either.

Simmons inspired this whole wave/style of super personal sports blogging from a fans prospective & mixing genres, e.g. sports & pop culture. I am not saying he was the first at any of this, but he put it all together and his popularity spawned may copycats.

Same can be said for his podcasting. I remember years ago when Ryen Russillo was on a long dead local Boston sports radio station, he was talking about how difficult it was to break into the business, but try not to do the same sort of stuff as Simmons, which everybody expected from him.

Mk

[FrDrake]

He's gotta make a run at his dream job - co-hosting the drive-time show on 660 the FAN with Mike Francesa