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Bill Simmons is leaving ESPN

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Songbird, May 8, 2015.

  1. JC

    JC Well-Known Member

    Looks like he has hired some damn good writers for Grantland. Surprising, since all he was wanting to do is hire young writers who everyone thinks are cool, like Charlie Pierce.

    I don't read Simmons anymore, I do like his podcasts but to say he hasn't evolved into having big boy interests I think is wrong. Co-creating the 30 for 30's and running a website that has some great writer's would seem to show that.
     
    Last edited: May 8, 2015
  2. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    He may know exactly how good he has it and still want to give it a shot on his own. Maybe he just doesn't want to work for someone any more. At least not now. You only live once. Plus, ESPN has a history of hiring these guys back.
     
  3. Steak Snabler

    Steak Snabler Well-Known Member

    Simmons came up with the idea for 30 for 30 and has had a big influence in some of the individual documentaries, but I think even he would admit that Connor Schell is the brains behind the operation.

    You can accurately say there would have been no 30 for 30 without Simmons, but I think it will continue just fine without him.
     
  4. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    Ragu, don't you think it's possible Simmons and his agent have scouted the market and know what's waiting for him?
     
  5. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Maybe he's invested in gold.
     
  6. jackfinarelli

    jackfinarelli Well-Known Member

    Someone said that the only folks he could think of who left ESPN without losing influence were Olbermann and Kilborn. I think you might add Dan Patrick to that list.
     
  7. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    I think it is probable. My bet is that he is trying to raise venture capital and he is going to give a go at starting his own enterprise.
     
  8. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    He mentioned only working really hard at it for another 5 years. Wonder if he wants to put the effort into starting his own thing.
     
  9. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    If his goal was 5 years and out, he should have (and I'd have to think would have, too) taken an ESPN contract. He won't earn anywhere near that kind of scratch over the next 5 years.
     
  10. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    Why does he need to?

    Just penciling it out, his net worth has to be well into eight figures. What's the point of being miserable and making $5 million when he can be happy and make "only" $2 million? I think he has a chance to replace his ESPN income in full. But even if he doesn't, even if he only makes half of it, that's a boatload of money.

    It sounds like he hated working at ESPN. It just doesn't make very much sense to continue hating it when you don't need to.
     
    Dick Whitman likes this.
  11. Steak Snabler

    Steak Snabler Well-Known Member

    Outing alert! MTM is Jay Mariotti:



     
    Ace likes this.
  12. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    It sounds to me, from everything I have been reading, that he wanted ESPN to ramp up spending on his site even more on something that has already cost a lot and has no clear plan for becoming a money maker. And they said no.

    If that is correct (and I am not saying it is, but judging from his interviews over the last 6 months, it sounds like it), he made a mistake. Nobody is going to throw the resources ESPN was willing to at him. He can go VC and try to start his own media company. And yeah, I am sure they have felt things out and they can see that there is stupid money being thrown around and he got lured. Whatever he comes up with is not going to have have the resources he would have had if he stood still and it won't earn him anything near what ESPN was paying him.

    I hope for his sake he has a miracle in him and he can prove me wrong. ... or that he just wanted to earn a fraction of what he used to earn to be happy, the way you are suggesting. Because he's not going to earn the $2 million you just threw out there. The ONLY scenario I see anyone paying him anything near that would have been for Fox Sports to try to steal some ESPN thunder. And maybe that will happen. But with ESPN announcing they are not renewing him, they kind of screwed that kind of scenario up for him. They took the silly money out of any bidding war.
     
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