For over a decade, one man has transcended the test of time in sports journalism and the always changing avenues the writing genre goes through all with one company, ESPN. Whether it was just writing, on television or even podcasting, Bill Simmons has changed the way that most sports writers do things with their sports coverage.
He’s played big roles in starting the ‘Grantland’ network in partnership with ESPN and he has helped to lift the website to be one of the most popular out there while using all aspects of media to cover all the major sports as well as movies, wrestling and even pop culture news. He’s also been instrumental behind the award-winning ’30 for 30′ ESPN special documentary series which has produced some classics over the years.
Bill Simmons has been with ESPN since the early 2000’s and he’s made some great and also controversial strides during his career with the ‘World Wide Leader in Sports’.
It appears now that the man who has done so much in his time with one company will be going on his own later this year.
Following from Richard Sandomir of the New York Times.
“I’ve decided that I’m not going to renew his contract,” said John Skipper, the president of ESPN. “We’ve been talking to Bill and his agent and it was clear we weren’t going to get to the terms so we were better off focusing on transition.”
Skipper said that the differences between the company and Simmons were “about more than money,” although he would not offer details. He added: “We’ve had an excellent run with Bill, almost 15 years. It’s been good for us and good for him. It was a decision I had to make and he had to make to move forward.”
Grantland, the sports and entertainment site run by Simmons for ESPN, will be unaffected by his departure, Skipper said.
“It long ago went from being a Bill Simmons site to one that can stand on its own,” Skipper said.
There’s no doubt about Simmons importance to ESPN and the sports world as well as the pop culture scene in general. Simmons may have also made some enemies over time as well, which possibly could be one of the main issues for ESPN walking away from Simmons.
He’s been suspended by ESPN for comments made about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and also was suspended for comments made about a local Boston sports talk show. He’s had the ‘B.S. Report’ end and come back due to his acclimation of a porn star to his fantasy basketball league and he’s also criticized ESPN for trying to control everything he did in his columns.
While things seemed to be smoothed over as of late, it now appears ESPN has reached their end.
I guess Simmons wanted more than his reported $5 million salary.
His next step might bring more intrigue than LeBron James free agency in 2010 or 2014. Simmons could join another traditional media company, like Fox, CBS or a digital media outlet like Yahoo or even SBNation. Or he could use his high-profile to start his own multimedia platform because we all know Mr. Simmons not only has money but he knows some guys with money. Why not join the NBA itself, work for NBATV, partner up with his old friends, ‘The Starters’ and maybe even join the TNT ‘Inside the NBA’ team? Why not Sports Illustrated? The possibilities are endless.
All great opportunities but Bill would be welcomed with open arms to Def Pen Sports, without a doubt.
