Bill Simmons' new site

He had Sally Jenkins on to bitch even more about Goodell. Keep picking at that scab.

 

When it was Mays and Barnwell on the NFL pod, it was pretty good. Now, I don't listen. I dunno, Simmons seems to be losing his toe hold. ''Twas a great run but I don't hear a damn thing about him anymore and just came across that Forbes story bc I was wondering what he was up to and googled his name. I used to think he played the Peter Pan card as a schtick but now I genuinely believe he is in arrested development. No one pushing 50 should care that much about fan boy shit.

 

The Ringer, Bill Simmons’s Site, Will Switch Its Host to Vox Media

 

Mr. Simmons became one of the nation’s premier sports analysts in his 15 years at ESPN.

Let's just agree to disagree on this, New York Times.

 

3 things:

>>Bye, Medium. See ya.

>>Bill Simmons still clearly thinks the problem isn't his Web site's often frivolous content, but the delivery of it.

>>SB Nation might be on the clock.

 

Are you suggesting a sports site giving The Bachelor as much coverage as actual sports is a poor choice!?!

 

Well certainly measuring by paycheck. In other words, skip bayless and SAS are..[I can't write it]

As with Grantland, there is too much pop culture coverage with The Ringer. It doesn't drive the conversation in so much as it tries to follow what's hip and assigns someone to that beat. Ya see this attitude reflected across the sports writing landscape nowadays, where everyone from Dave Portnoy and Clinton Yates to Charlotte Wilder and Mina Kimes are live tweeting the fucking Bachelor. It makes for a lot of writing and coverage that it a mile wide and an inch deep.

 

The thing is, there are so many flattering things he could've written about Simmons. For all his flaws, Simmons maneuvered his way through and up the ladder of this new media landscape (one he helped create) almost effortlessly. He connects with readers in a way that must drive much better writers crazy. His style has been aped by thousands of writers. He figured out a way to make seven-figure checks without actually covering anything (perhaps his greatest accomplishment and con).

This writer decided to pick "premier sports analyst."

Grantland produced stuff I wanted to read quite often. This new site took the engine and the drivetrain out of what was Grantland. The Ringer is the rest of the car sitting along the side of the road going nowhere.

 

Yup, those are his critics.

 

I never said I wasn't a small, petty man.

 

Does he still connect with readers that well though?