Bill Simmons Leaving ESPN

[Walt]

Deadspin is awful

It has gotten much worse. And ironically it's because they've fallen into their own version of a Bill Simmons aesthetic. I really, truly want to read smart writing about sports. What I don't want to read is smug, pseudo-hip writing about sports, where the sport itself becomes a vehicle by which the writer delivers his coolness and general badass subversiveness. Deadspin has a harder and harder time delivering any sports take that isn't gussied up to fit some sort of misguided interpretation of what they think is an urban/urbane sensibility. "Houston Broke the Game of Basketball" or "Kyrie Irving Shot the dikk Off the Ball" or some bullshyt that no one really needs to ever write, say, read, or hear. Or some absolutist ethical or anti-ethical stance that is so dismissive you can't take the reasoning seriously. Or the puerile obsession with dikks and tired puns. The hip hop posts they share from leslie hope or whatever her name is just puts the figurative cherry on the shyt sundae. I check the site about 1/5 as much as I once did.

 

[Scottie Drippin]

Can't remember the last time I read something Bill Simmons wrote, the only times I really like Grantland are the Pop The Trunk podcast, and the all-day streaming they did of some of the staff watching the NCAA tournament. Specialists in a casual setting just discussing the game without the jargon that panders directly to people who only watch sports coverage so they can have a hot take around the water cooler.

Hopefully wherever Simmons goes next, that's what he's further developing.

 

[Frump]

[

Can't remember the last time I read something Bill Simmons wrote, the only times I really like Grantland are the Pop The Trunk podcast, and the all-day streaming they did of some of the staff watching the NCAA tournament. Specialists in a casual setting just discussing the game without the jargon that panders directly to people who only watch sports coverage so they can have a hot take around the water cooler.

Hopefully wherever Simmons goes next, that's what he's further developing.

I agree him Jalen and others watching the games on the couch was cool as hell.Hopefully if he does his own website hell then have freedom to do what he wants and do more experimental shyt like that

 

[Reality Check]

Deadspin is awful

The anti-Mayweather crusade was absurd. It's one thing to bring up the DV charges, but to hammer it home day after day after day was overkill.

 

[Scottie Drippin]

The anti-Mayweather crusade was absurd. It's one thing to bring up the DV charges, but to hammer it home day after day after day was overkill.

And then kinja pushed it across all their sites.

 

[#SOG_soldier]

Jalen and Jacby over?

 

[Hoganese]

He's alive. His homerism still strong.

 

[muzikfrk75]

Bill's writing fell off a long time ago

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

Deadspin ain't been shyt since they broke the Manti T'eo story

 

[NOSaintsFan02]

The anti-Mayweather crusade was absurd. It's one thing to bring up the DV charges, but to hammer it home day after day after day was overkill.

And I knew they were gonna send one of their advocates to destroy Winston for counter-suing. This Diana chick foams at the mouth waiting to assassinate him http://deadspin.com/jameis-winston-goes-after-accuser-in-vicious-countersui-1703684774

In general, Deadspin is a prime A example of why society is so annoyingly PC-friendly now.

 

[GunRanger]

most writers arent putting out anything as good as this

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-tim-duncan-question/

 

[連忠正]

Who will take Bill Simmons' place on Grantland?

 

[MAGNETO.]

Decent writer.

Terrible analyst.

Who will take Bill Simmons' place on Grantland?

I'm thinking Lowe, in terms of it's Basketball coverage.

 

[threattonature]

I think comparing Simmons to Jay-Z is way off. He's more like a Billy Joel or Flo-Rida type. I can overlook all kinds of limitations if I can get something - anything - out of a sports column. But there came a point very early where I truly couldn't find a single worthwhile thing in a Simmons piece. Between his insufferably authoritative take on sports, music, and culture; his insipid references to his dim friends, sitcoms, movies, and pop stars; and his flat out terrible writing it was impossible for me to find anything at all worth reading. Which seemed to increase his popularity - it was sports for non-sports fans who really liked acting like they knew about sports. Which was his hook, and a damn appealing one in our culture. But I seriously can get more interesting basketball insight from 5 posts from @Malta and @Gil Scott-Heroin than I can from all of Bill Simmons' columns and mailbags, ever.

I only brought up Jay-Z due to the author of that article criticizing Simmons because he's debating on which expensive sporting event to go to. The same way people have criticized Jay-Z for rapping about buying expensive art, watches, cars and the like. My whole point is that there are different lanes. It's crazy to me to assume someone who wants a light approach to reading about sports is a non-sports fan. There are different lanes to covering and reading about sports and it doesn't make someone more or less of a fan. My favorite sports writer is Zack Lowe just for how he breaks down the game but I fully understand that type of insight and hardcore breaking down of the game is not for everybody. Goes back to what I said about underground rap fans criticizing fans of mainstream hip-hop. Some want rhyme schemes, extended metaphors, and obscure sampling the same way some hardcore hoop fans want break downs of how teams are hedging against pick and rolls or running picket fince plays on offense. The majority just want some shyt they can throw on or read to be entertained by without having to think too much. Being able to appeal to the masses is a skill in and of itself.

 

[Wiirdo]

Simmons is a poor writer, but as someone else said in the thread it's just fast food writing. Honestly the salt and jealousy you can feel pouring out of other writers about him and the situation is more entertaining