Two new "story lines are currently being circulated by ESPN insiders" about why the net decided not to renew Bill Simmons' contract, according to James Andrew Miller in a special to VANITY FAIR. The first "maintains that Simmons wasn’t bringing in all that much ad revenue for the network, anyway, so dropping him wasn’t that tough a decision," while the other "holds that Simmons’s disparaging comments last week about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had nothing to do with the separation." The sources asserted that the move "was already in the works before Simmons launched his latest Goodell attack." They added that Grantland, "30 for 30," and the B.S. Report podcast "were all Simmons-centric ventures said to have been created not so much for their profit potential ... but because they were prestigious items for the ESPN brand." But Miller wrote one should "look again at the marketability of Simmons’s fiefdom." comScore data shows that Grantland "has shown growth, crossing the 6 million 'uniques' line in March." If the "30 for 30" series "isn't profitable why would ESPN announce yet another new volume of the series Tuesday at its upfront?" Still, the revenue argument "is at least conceivable in comparison to the claim that Simmons’s statements about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell last week had nothing to do with his departure from ESPN." Skipper knows that football "is absolutely the fat cash cow of Bristol," where the NFL's influence "stands alone." Pulling the trigger "so quickly in the wake of Simmons’s latest jab at Goodell leaves ESPN in a precarious position." Does it "squander Disney shareholder money by paying Simmons off for the next four-plus months?" Or does it "stand back and let Simmons continue to work -- and talk into a microphone -- until his contract is over, risking the obvious possibility that he will use ESPN platforms to vent as he never vented before" (VANITYFAIR.com, 5/13).
A BIG LOSS: SPORTING NEWS’ Michael McCarthy wrote Simmons leaving ESPN “will be a huge loss” for the net “any way you slice it.” Simmons “founded and serves as editor-in-chief of Grantland,” is an exec producer of ESPN Films' “30 for 30” documentary series and “hosts the excellent B.S. Report podcast.” Although he “is not good on TV,” he has “had his moments as an analyst on ESPN's NBA coverage.” Simmons has “served as a magnet for new writing and film-making talent” with Grantland and “30 for 30.” The “easiest, quickest move for him would be to join ESPN's L.A.-based rival Fox Sports, where former ESPN producer Jamie Horowitz has been charged with jump starting” FS1 and FS2. Fox has “made some bad talent decisions as it tries to take on ESPN,” but a Simmons hire “would make those mistakes go away in an instant.” Simmons “could also join” TNT basketball analyst Charles Barkley at Turner Sports or NFL columnist Mike Freeman on Turner's Bleacher Report. Additionally, venture capitalists “will be eager to throw money at Simmons,” who could “finally be his own boss.” McCarthy: “I think it's just as likely he heads out on his own, with the financial backing of some deep-pocketed VC's who trust him to make the key decisions” (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 5/13).
