OT- Bill Simmons Suspension

Submitted by ndscott50 on
I thought the Bill Simmons suspension was interesting and might be of interest to the board for a discussion. I did not find what he said to be particularly over the line. ESPN declared that he had violated their journalistic standards as the reason for the suspension. That reasoning seems suspect as his statement about Goodell lying was in the context of a podcast with cousin Sal and clearly came across as opinion. He also dared his employer to call him on it which may be the primary motivation for the suspension. I don’t see a problem with that as publically calling out your employer is likely going to generate a response. At the same time I wonder if this is a sign that the NFL is starting to push back against criticism by using its strong influence with its network partners to muzzle the press. That would be more concerning though not unprecedented. This also got me thinking about Michigan and its current situation. As the fire around Hoke and Brandon has intensified I wonder if the local media, Mgoblog included, feel pressure to be more measured in their approach to covering the team. How actively does the AD try to use access to shape media coverage? It seems like that strategy eventually backfires.
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phil

September 25th, 2014 at 2:06 PM ^

This has absolutely nothing to do with calling out Goodell / the NFL and everything to do with calling out and threatening your employer.  

Dumb move by Simmons. 

Joined: 09/30/2008

MGoPoints: 856

mich_engineer

September 25th, 2014 at 2:37 PM ^

By suspending him for it, ESPN/Disney created a tempest in a teapot.  How many people actually listened to the original podcast?  Probably less than 500,000.  How many are seeing the story today, and coming to the conclusion "ESPN suspended Simmons for daring to criticize the NFL, whom ESPN has very strong financial ties to"?  Certainly way more than that.  The harm to ESPN/Disney had they let it go?  Zero.  The harm they have now?  Way more.  I'm not arguing that it is a rational or good thing to trash your employer, but, sometimes the retribution will cause you far more problems.

 

Also, ESPN had pulled their ombudsman's piece essentially trumpeting Simmons as evidence of ESPN's critical stance against the NFL, before sheepishly putting it back up hours later and calling it a "technical issue," reinforcing many people's opinions that this was an NFL-placating gesture.

Joined: 11/30/2010

MGoPoints: 561

pdgoblue25

September 25th, 2014 at 2:08 PM ^

I'm not defending Simmons because I can't stand that douche anymore.

However, this is coming from a network that actually has a "RUMOR" section on their website for every sport where they get to make up whatever shit they can think of.

Joined: 03/03/2010

MGoPoints: 18931

Tater

September 25th, 2014 at 2:11 PM ^

I think he might have made it without punishment if he hadn't practically begged for someone to punish him toward the end of the segment.  Simmons does great work, but he has been known to show signs of a high-maintenance ego.  

I am guessing there isn't going to be much contrition unless it is mandated.

Joined: 08/13/2008

MGoPoints: 30584

Rabbit21

September 25th, 2014 at 2:19 PM ^

I agree, saying "I don;t care if I get suspended" always tranlsates in a boss' ears as, "You have to suspend me for this."

 

Almost wondering if Simmons just wanted a forced vacation.

 

Joined: 11/12/2009

MGoPoints: 30304

MGoViso

September 25th, 2014 at 2:35 PM ^

IDK, it would be interesting to try to figure out what contributes more to the value of Grantland: Simmons' editing/(presumable) talent finding/name and face/columns, or ESPN's sponsorship/traffic funneling. Simmons needed his "Page 2" ESPN gig in order to go national from his Boston blog roots, but by now he might be big enough nationally to stand on his own.

IMO, part of the fun of Simmons c. mid 2000s was that he felt like an underdog and wrote in a ridiculous style that would never fly at a bigger scale. I read him back then almost as much as I eventually started reading Brian.

Then came Buzzfeed and all the other nonsense, and journalism is now dead as far as I can tell!

Joined: 09/27/2009

MGoPoints: 1689

Rufus X

September 25th, 2014 at 2:28 PM ^

I am not a fan of Simmons, either, but the most dispicable irony is that he received a longer suspension than Ray Rice's original suspension for basically telling the truth about Goodell...  That is, before the NFL said "wait, you mean you actually hit her in the elevator, Ray?!?  We thought she hit herself in the face repeatedly with an anvil!  You're fired, Ray!" 

ESPN is a complete joke.  There's a reason that "entertainment" is their first name - if you believe they are a journalistic entity of any shade you're naive at best and stupid at worst. Their "insider" guys (Shefter et al.) get their stories by walking into the team HQ and getting spoon fed the information that the team wants them to have.  There is no investigation whatsoever in their investigative "reporting," they are too reliant on the NFL for content on their four networks + radio to cross them.  Listen to their crappy radio shows on any given morning - you will NEVER hear anything negative about the NFL there that hasn't been reported repeatedly elsewhere.  And If if you do ever cross the NFL while employed by ESPN...  well...

 

Joined: 10/29/2010

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RJMAC

September 25th, 2014 at 3:11 PM ^

The investigation will probably show if Goodell was lying or not. So far that hasn't been proven. Goodell seems more like a dupe. I think he tried to be sympathetic to the Rice family(they begged for leniency)and it ended up biting him in the ass. Now everyone wants his head(like Simmons) for not punishing him enough from the beginning, on one hand, and then whine that Goodell punished players too much for winning money in a bounty pool for concussing a quarterback.

Joined: 09/23/2014

MGoPoints: 777

All Day

September 25th, 2014 at 2:47 PM ^

This is something I've been wondering since last night...

I don't like or hate Simmons, but he is popular and clearly wants more creative influence than espn has let him have over the years. Could he go the way of Dan Patrick and do his own thing? I have to believe he has the contacts, writers, and fans that could make him successful somewhere else.

Joined: 12/10/2009

MGoPoints: 573

kehnonymous

September 25th, 2014 at 2:55 PM ^

In pro-wrestling parlance, this is a work, puerile and simple.

I have approximately zero outrage here.  In order to be even slightly agitated at any mythical breach of journalistic integrity, one would necessarily have to evaluate ESPN by the standards of a journalistic body and that is a provably false notion.

Joined: 11/25/2011

MGoPoints: 32915

robpollard

September 25th, 2014 at 3:09 PM ^

Bill Simmons is running one of their key units, Grantland. You can't have a top employee saying "You leave me alone. Please, call me and say I’m in trouble. I dare you." and shoving in his bosses faces that somehow, he gets to do what he wants.

He's been in trouble with ESPN multiple times before (I think  this is his fourth suspension?), so if they let him go with no punishment, what's to stop Olbermann/Scott/Davis/Fowler (you name it) from going off about whatever subject they have a vehement opinion about in a profane (if bleeped) way and then saying, "Go ahead. Try and do something to me."

Don't mess with the bull. You get the horns.

Joined: 06/03/2009

MGoPoints: 13939

markusr2007

September 25th, 2014 at 3:12 PM ^

The first mistake is asserting that the media is the media, and that corporations and other orgs would be at odds with them. This is an illusion. What we used to know as the "media" simply doesn't exist anymore.  It is ALL corporations with partnerships/joint ventures/tied capital/sponsorships, etc.  

They are all measured in their approach. But this is why online media and independent media sites and blogs have been so successful.  There is no journalistic integrity anymore. It's one big nutty brown pile of bullshit being shoveled by these "official news sources".

 

 

 

Joined: 10/21/2008

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4godkingandwol…

September 25th, 2014 at 4:24 PM ^

... the way he threatened ESPN was weird.  I assume it is because he and other employees at ESPN have explicitely been told to treat the issue with kids' gloves.  Given that ESPN is an entertainment network first, this wouldn't surprise me.  And I could see why this would rankle those who consider themselves journalists.  

 

I wish that ESPN could spinoff a real editorial/news team that was protected from the networks' other objectives.  Issues like injuries in sports, the life of college "student" athletes, drugs in sports, sports and social issues, etc... would benefit from a more independent organization.  

Joined: 08/06/2008

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WolverineMac

September 25th, 2014 at 6:26 PM ^

Got exactly what he was looking for and ESPN took the bait. He works for the man and stood up to the man and is now more popular...he and they profit from this and we are the bozos.

Joined: 02/14/2010

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