Bill Simmons is leaving ESPN

$2 million is a low number for TV. He's going to make that at least.

 

I would slightly disagree on Dan Patrick. Twenty years ago, he and Olbermann were the among most influential people in TV sports.

Now he's another guy with a bland radio show who needs his producers and guests to talk because he's not that interesting or provocative. His SNF footprint is visible but, by the time he does pre-game and halftime highlights, we've all seen them anyway.

Good paycheck but not as much influence.

If Simmons is supposed to stay until the fall, can he really keep his mouth shut for three months about the real reasons he's leaving ESPN? As for his next step, unless Simmons does coke like Michael Ray Richardson or gets divorced like Larry King, he'll be fine financially.

I wrote the "type B" part because of how I envision his temperament. His results have been well off the charts but he has never struck me as a guy obsessed with the job at a 24/7 level. He simply worked smarter instead.

 

Maybe he'll try to see if he can finally make it in newspapers.

 

I remember thinking the same thing about Kornheiser for awhile and somehow it went from him bashing them almost every day on his radio show and talking about how it was inevitable that he was going to get fired, to getting PTI and MNF.

Simmons will be successful in whatever he does. I think the two givens with him are that he'll do his blog and his podcast. He also has enough ties to the entertainment industry that he could go that route as well.

 

Isn't it pretty widely reported or known or what have you that Simmons works his ass off doing a million different things for ESPN? Or am I just making that up?

 

No, you're completely right. What has separated Simmons from the others has always been his motor and his passion for the sports he covers. The notion that he's Type B or content to sit back is just completely false.

 

They were going to treat it like royalty?

 

Carolla was also able to prop up the podcast by touring the comedy circuit like a mofo and using it as a promotional tool for his books, tour and other projects. The man works his ass off and, near as I can tell, never says no to a job offer. Between the weekend comedy gigs and regular acting jobs, he was probably doing well enough to where anything that came in from the podcast was just gravy. Carolla's podcast is really just a daily 90-minute commercial (albeit an entertaining one) for Adam Carolla, Inc.
I think Simmons works harder than people give him credit for, but I don't know that he has enough of a diversified talent portfolio to make it work like Carolla did.

 

ESPNers: Bill Simmons Found Out He Was Fired On Twitter

—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.”

 

It sounds like Barkley is underpaid.

Adam Schefter reportedly makes $750,000. Simmons (and Barkley) are worth a lot more than Schefter.

Anyway, this will all work itself out by the fall, I figure. But don't cry for Simmons. He'll have something, and probably something good.