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{{Short description|American podcaster and sportswriter (born 1969)}}
{{pp-semi-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Other people|William Simmons|William Simmons (disambiguation)}}
[[Image:Bill Simmons by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|Bill Simmons]]
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{otherpeople|William Simmons|William Simmons}}
{{Infobox person
'''William J. "Bill" Simmons''' (born September 25, 1969) is a columnist and [[podcaster]] for ''[[Page2]]'' on [[ESPN.com]] and a former writer for ''[[ESPN The Magazine]]''. He is also an Executive Producer of ESPN's new documentary project, ''[[30 for 30]]''. He is known by the nickname "The Sports Guy" (formerly "The Boston Sports Guy").
| name = Bill Simmons
His ESPN.com column is written from the viewpoint of a passionate sports fan, and he often uses extended analogies and references to [[pop culture]] in his columns.
| image = Connor Schell. Bill Simmons, John Dahl and Raúl Garza, May 2011 (3) (cropped).jpg
| caption = Simmons in 2011
| birthname = William John Simmons III
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|09|25|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Marlborough, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater = {{ubl|[[College of the Holy Cross]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])|[[Boston University]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]])}}
| occupation = Journalist, author, podcaster
| alias =
| title =
| family =
| spouse = {{marriage|Kari Crichton|1999}}
| domestic_partner =
| children = 2
| relatives =
| nationality =
| years_active = <!-- 1997 - present -->
| credits =
| agent =
| URL = {{URL|theringer.com}}
| awards = [[Shorty Award]] (Best in Sports, [[The 2nd Annual Shorty Awards|2010]])
}}


'''William John Simmons III'''<ref name=bio/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bu.edu/com/alumni/distinguished-alumni/|title=Distinguished Alumni|publisher=Boston University College of Communication|access-date=August 5, 2016}}</ref> (born September 25, 1969)<ref name=birthday>{{Cite podcast| url =http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd=1#/podcenter/?id=4504125&autoplay=1&callsign=ESPNRADIO| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100208232749/http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd=1#/live/?callsign=ESPNRADIO| url-status =dead| archive-date =February 8, 2010| title =The B.S. Report: 9/25| website =ESPNRadio.com| publisher =[[ESPN Radio]]| host =Bill Simmons| date =September 25, 2009| access-date =August 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=You're never too old for Vegas| publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures| url=https://www.espn.com/boston/columns/story?page=simmons/090903| work=[[ESPN.com]]| access-date=August 22, 2010| quote=And now we're turning 40...| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005140256/http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/columns/story?page=simmons%2F090903| archive-date=October 5, 2009| df=mdy-all| date=September 3, 2009}}</ref> is an American podcaster, [[Sports journalism|sportswriter]], and cultural critic who is the founder and CEO of the sports and pop culture website ''[[The Ringer (website)|The Ringer]]''. Simmons first gained attention with his website as "The Boston Sports Guy" and was recruited by [[ESPN]] in 2001, where he eventually operated the website ''[[Grantland]]'' and worked until 2015. At ESPN, he wrote for ESPN.com, hosted his own podcast on ESPN.com titled ''[[The B.S. Report]]'' and was an analyst for two years on ''[[NBA Countdown]]''.
He moved to [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] on November 16, 2002 to work as a writer for the ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Show]]''. He has since left the show to work full-time for ESPN. He has signed a contract to remain with ESPN until 2010.


Simmons founded ''The Ringer'', a sports and pop culture website and podcast network, in 2016 and serves as its CEO.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/06/01/bill-simmons-new-site-the-ringer-goes-live-and-please-dont-call-it-just-another-grantland/ |title=Bill Simmons's new site, The Ringer, goes live. And please, don't call it just another Grantland |author=Geoff Edgers |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 1, 2016 |access-date=February 14, 2017}}</ref>
Simmons currently hosts his own [[podcast]] on ESPN.com, [[ESPN Xtra]], and iTunes titled "The B.S. Report." From when he began his podcast on May 8, 2007, until June 14 of that year, it was called "Eye of the Sports Guy." He has also filmed segments for the television series ''[[E:60]]''.
He hosted ''[[Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons]]'' on [[HBO]] for one season in 2016. At ''The Ringer'', he hosts ''The Bill Simmons Podcast''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Quah|first=Nicholas|date=2020-05-19|title=Bill Simmons Just Wants to Win|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/bill-simmons-spotify-podcasts-ringer-interview.html|access-date=2021-09-10|website=Vulture|language=en-us}}</ref> Simmons is known for a style of writing characterized by mixing sports knowledge and analysis, [[Popular culture|pop culture]] references, his non-sports-related personal life and for being written from the viewpoint of a passionate [[sports fan]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}


==Early life and education==
He set the record for the longest chat on ESPN's Sportsnation on November 28, 2007, breaking [[Rob Neyer]]'s previous record. He did the chat to support ESPN's fund raising efforts for the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer. Neyer has since re-broken the record on March 31, 2008 on the opening day of the baseball season. [[Matthew Berry]] currently holds the record of 13 hours and 12 minutes.
Simmons was born on September 25, 1969, to William Simmons and Jan Corbo.<ref name=dad2/><ref name=dad/><ref name="write">{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Russell Scott|date=September 2009|title=Write of Passage: The Sports Guy|url=http://www.mofflymedia.com/core/pagetools.php?pageid=7626&url=%2FMoffly-Publications%2FGreenwich-Magazine%2FSeptember-2009%2FWrite-of-Passage-The-Sports-Guy%2Findex.php%3Fcparticle%3D2%26siarticle%3D1&mode=print|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724191626/http://www.mofflymedia.com/core/pagetools.php?pageid=7626&url=%2FMoffly-Publications%2FGreenwich-Magazine%2FSeptember-2009%2FWrite-of-Passage-The-Sports-Guy%2Findex.php%3Fcparticle=2&siarticle=1&mode=print|archive-date=July 24, 2011|access-date=February 11, 2008|work=Greenwich Magazine|publisher=Moffly Publications}}</ref> His father was a school administrator,<ref name=dad2/><ref name=dad/> and his stepmother,<ref name=mother>{{cite web | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=Hoops hits and vengeance misses|date=July 29, 2004 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/cowbell/040729 | work =[[ESPN.com]] | access-date = February 11, 2008}}</ref> Molly Clark, is a doctor.<ref name=dad/> Simmons was an only child and grew up in [[Marlborough, Massachusetts|Marlborough]] and [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]], [[Massachusetts]], before moving to [[Stamford, Connecticut|Stamford]], [[Connecticut]], to live with his mother after his parents divorced when he was 9.<ref name=bio/><ref name=write/> He attended the [[Greenwich Country Day School]]<ref name=write/> and then [[Brunswick School]] in [[Greenwich, Connecticut]], for high school.<ref>{{cite web| first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=Basketball Blog: Oden, Wisconsin and a whole lot more| date=February 27, 2007| publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures| url=https://proxy.espn.com/espn/page2/blog/index?name=simmons| work=[[ESPN.com]]| access-date=August 20, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125193326/http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/blog/archive?name=simmons&month=2&year=2007| archive-date=January 25, 2012| url-status=live| df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 1988, he completed a [[postgraduate year]] at [[Choate Rosemary Hall]], a [[University-preparatory school|prep school]] located in [[Wallingford, Connecticut]].<ref name=choate>{{cite web|url=https://www.choate.edu/aboutchoate/pdf/Summer10.pdf |title=The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy |last=Timlin |first=Charles |work=Choate.edu |page=62 |publisher=Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Magazine |date=Summer 2010 |access-date=August 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727042242/https://www.choate.edu/aboutchoate/pdf/Summer10.pdf |archive-date=July 27, 2011 }}</ref> As a child Simmons read [[David Halberstam]]'s book ''[[The Breaks of the Game]]'', which he credited as the single most formative development in his sportswriting career.<ref name=halberstam>{{cite web | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=A tribute to the ultimate teacher|date=April 28, 2007 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070427| work =[[ESPN.com]] | access-date = November 11, 2010}}</ref>


While attending the [[College of the Holy Cross]], Simmons wrote a column for the school paper, ''The Crusader'', called "Ramblings" and later served as the paper's sports editor.<ref name=tvguide/> He also restarted the school's parody newspaper and started a 12-14-page, underground, handwritten magazine about the people in his freshman hall called "The Velvet Edge."<ref name=bio/> He graduated in 1992 with a [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] in political science (his primary focus was the [[Middle East]], which he often cites in his columns by way of saying his sportswriting career has nothing to do with his degree) and a GPA of 3.04.<ref name=holycross/> Subsequently, while living in [[Brookline, Massachusetts]], he studied at [[Boston University]], where he received his master's degree in print journalism two years later.<ref name=holycross>{{cite web|url=http://www.holycross.edu/publicaffairs/features/2000-2001/bsg|title=Bill Simmons '92 is "Boston's Sports Guy"|work=holycross.edu|publisher=[[College of the Holy Cross]]|date=June 1, 2001|access-date=February 11, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109060836/http://www.holycross.edu/publicaffairs/features/2000-2001/bsg|archive-date=January 9, 2008}}</ref><ref name=globe1/>
He also "officially" announced his candidacy for the position of [[Milwaukee Bucks]] [[general manager]], for which he was not hired. In a similar move he announced his candidacy for the [[Minnesota Timberwolves]] general manager position. Again he was not hired.


==Career==
In the July 27, 2009 issue of [[ESPN The Magazine]], Simmons officially announced his retirement from his magazine column. He continues to write for the ESPN.com website.<ref>http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=4343991</ref>
===Origins===
For eight years following grad school, Simmons lived in [[Charlestown, Boston|Charlestown]] working various jobs before eventually landing a job at [[ESPN]].<ref name=globe1/> The September after grad school, Simmons started working at the ''[[Boston Herald]]'' as a high school sports reporter and editorial assistant,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theringer.com/2019/9/19/20874927/bill-simmons-on-the-nfl-hall-of-fame-and-player-empowerment |title=Bill Simmons on the NFL Hall of Fame and Player Empowerment |author=Ryen Russillo and Bill Simmons |work=The Ringer |date=September 20, 2019 |access-date=September 20, 2019}}</ref> mainly "answering phones... organizing food runs, [and] working on the Sunday football scores section."<ref name=bio/><ref name=holycross/> Three years later he got a job as a freelancer for ''[[Boston Phoenix]]''<ref name=holycross/> but was broke within three months and started bartending.<ref name=bio/> In 1997,<ref name=washtimes>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/26/simmons-not-just-a-regular-sports-guy/?page=1 |title= Simmons not just a regular 'Sports Guy' |last=Masisak|first=Corey |work=The Washington Times|date=October 26, 2009 |access-date=September 21, 2010}}</ref> unable to get a newspaper job, Simmons "badgered"<ref name=bio/> ''Digital City Boston'' of [[AOL]]<ref name=si2>{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/chris_ballard/03/22/qa.simmons/1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060408201258/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/chris_ballard/03/22/qa.simmons/1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 8, 2006 |title=Q&A: Bill Simmons (cont.) - Page 2 |last=Ballard|first=Chris|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated|SI.com]]| publisher=[[Time Inc.]] |date=March 22, 2006 |access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> into giving him a column, and he started the web site ''BostonSportsGuy.com'' while working as a bartender and waiter at night.<ref>{{cite web | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=John Hannah, I forgive you|date=August 13, 2010 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100813 | work =[[ESPN.com]] | access-date = August 22, 2010}}</ref><ref name=nytimes/> He decided to call his column "Sports Guy" since the site had a "Movie Guy."<ref name=si2/>


Originally the column was only available on AOL, and Simmons forwarded the column to his friends.<ref name=si2/> He began receiving e-mails from people asking if they could be put on his mailing list.<ref name=si2/> For the first 18 months, Simmons would send it to about 100 people, until it became available on the web in November 1998.<ref name=si2/> The website quickly built up a reputation as many of Simmons' friends from high school and college were e-mailing it to each other.<ref name=write/> In 2001, his website averaged 10,000 readers and 45,000 hits per day.<ref name=holycross/>
==Personal life==
Simmons grew up in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He attended The Greenwich Country Day School for the eighth and ninth grades. He attended [[Brunswick School]] in [[Greenwich, Connecticut]] and, in 1988, completed a postgraduate year at [[Choate Rosemary Hall]], a [[University-preparatory school|prep school]] located in [[Wallingford, Connecticut]]. According to Simmons, he scored a 690 on the [[SAT#Mathematics|math]] portion of the SAT.<ref>[http://twitter.com/sportsguy33/status/3065155948]</ref> He then attended the [[College of the Holy Cross]], graduating in 1992 with a 3.04 GPA in Political Science. Subsequently, he studied print journalism at [[Boston University]], where he received his master's degree.<ref>[http://www.holycross.edu/publicaffairs/features/2000-2001/bsg Bill Simmons '92 is "Boston's Sports Guy"], ''HolyCross.com'', College of the Holy Cross, [[2001-06-01]]. Retrieved on [[2008-02-11]].</ref> Before his affiliation with ESPN, he was known as the "Boston Sports Guy" on the web site Digital City [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]]. Simmons also worked for the ''[[Boston Herald]]'' briefly in the 1990s. Simmons was also a bartender for a short time while he established himself on the web. He was originally referred to as "The Sports Guy" by childhood friend Steve Jung.


===ESPN===
On November 16, 2002, he moved to [[California]] to work as a comedy writer for the show, ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Live]]''. Although he left the show in 2004, he remained in California. Simmons also frequently writes about his non-sports-related personal life in his columns. He often mentions his wife, Kari Crichton Simmons, but only as "The Sports Gal," and his baby daughter Zoe Josephine, born in the spring of 2005. He and his wife also had a son, Ben, in November 2007.<ref>http://www.wickedlocal.com/easton/news/education/x2045584135/Simmons-retiring-next-year</ref>
[[File:Connor Schell, Bill Simmons and John Dahl at the 70th Annual Peabody Awards.jpg|thumb|Connor Schell, Bill Simmons and John Dahl at the 70th Annual Peabody Awards]]
Simmons gained fame as "The Boston Sports Guy"<ref name=xm/> which earned him a job offer from ESPN<ref name=tvguide/> in 2001 to write three guest columns.<ref name=nytimes>{{cite news | first=Waren| last=St. John| title=That Sports Guy Thrives Online|date=November 20, 2005 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/20/fashion/sundaystyles/20simmons.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all |work=[[The New York Times]] | access-date = August 22, 2010}}</ref> His second column was "Is [[Roger Clemens|Clemens]] the Antichrist?" which became one of the most e-mailed articles on the site that year.<ref name=nytimes/> Becoming one of the most popular columnists on the site,<ref name=futon/> Simmons was given his own section of ESPN.com's [[Page 2]], which helped both himself and Page 2 gain widespread popularity.<ref name=xm>{{cite web|url=http://www.xmradio.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=XM/Channel/XMChannelBio&chid=1250818890769#1251909587225 |title=In the Studio at ESPN Xtra - Bill Simmons |last=Simmons |first=Bill |work=XMRadio.com |publisher=[[XM Satellite Radio]] |access-date=August 23, 2010 }}{{dead link|date=September 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In the first sixteen months which Simmons wrote for Page 2 the viewership doubled.<ref name=hollywood/> In late 2004 ESPN launched an online cartoon based on his columns<ref name=tvguide/> which Simmons later called a "debacle" and decided to stop.<ref name=bio>{{cite web|url=http://shots.bostonsportsmedia.com/2005/09/the-boston-sports-guy-revisited-reinvented-and-revealed/ |title=The Boston Sports Guy: Revisited, Reinvented and Revealed |last=Scott |first=David |work=bostonsportsmedia.com |publisher=Boston Sports Media Watch |date=September 30, 2005 |access-date=August 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730013403/http://shots.bostonsportsmedia.com/2005/09/the-boston-sports-guy-revisited-reinvented-and-revealed/ |archive-date=July 30, 2010 }}</ref> Simmons wrote a column per month for his page titled "Sports Guy's World."<ref name=espnboston>{{cite web|title=Bill Simmons Archive - ESPN Boston| publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =http://www.espn.com/boston/columns/archive?name=bill-simmons| work =[[ESPN.com]] | access-date = August 20, 2010}}</ref>


As a lead columnist,<ref name=futon/> Simmons was one of the country's most widely read sports writers<ref name=espnbooks/> and is considered a pioneer of [[Sports journalism|sportswriting]] on the [[Internet]].<ref name=futon/> His readership grew steadily over the following years.<ref name=futon/> In 2005, according to ESPN, Simmons' column averaged 500,000 unique visitors a month.<ref name=write/><ref name=slate/> According to [[comScore]], Simmons' column had averaged 1.4 million pageviews and 460,000 unique visitors a month between June and November 2009.<ref name=viewers>{{cite web |url=http://deadspin.com/5539777/espn-wins-the-courtship-of-bill-simmons |title=ESPN Wins The Courtship of Bill Simmons |first=Jason |last=Fry |work=[[Deadspin|Deadspin.com]] |date=May 15, 2010 |access-date=August 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100823033153/http://deadspin.com/5539777/espn-wins-the-courtship-of-bill-simmons |archive-date=August 23, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=nytimes4/>
Simmons has his own section of [[ESPN.com]]'s Page 2, titled "Sports Guy's World," and in late 2004 ESPN launched an online cartoon based on his columns (the cartoon has since been discontinued). His wife occasionally writes mini-articles within Simmons' own Page 2 articles, on subjects such as hatred of actor [[Michael Rapaport]] and searching for good donuts in L.A. He has appeared on ''[[I Love the 90s: Part Deux]]'', ''[[Colbert Report]]'' and ''[[Jim Rome Is Burning]]'', and is an occasional guest on several sports talk radio shows.


In 2007, Simmons and [[Connor Schell]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espnfrontrow.com/2014/11/creators-producers-30-30-series-share-thoughts-fifth-anniversary/|title=Creators and producers of 30 for 30 series share thoughts on fifth anniversary - ESPN Front Row|date=November 4, 2014}}</ref> conceived the idea for ''[[30 for 30]]'', a series of 30 [[Documentary film|documentaries]] commemorating the 30th year of the "ESPN era."<ref name=30for30/> Simmons and Schell took special interest to "stories that resonated at the time but were eventually forgotten for whatever reason."<ref name=30for30>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/watch/series/0514c1ad-efd1-4d3a-ad82-41ca579a94a2/30-for-30-spotlight |title=Bill Simmons on 30 for 30 |last=Simmons |first=Bill |work=[[ESPN.com]] |publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures |access-date=August 23, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090908075845/http://30for30.espn.com/bill-simmons-essay.html |archive-date=September 8, 2009 }}</ref> The series premiered on October 6, 2009, with "King's Ransom" directed by [[Peter Berg]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/08/27/fall-2009-slate-and-schedule-announced-for-espn-films%E2%80%99-%E2%80%9C30-for-30%E2%80%9D/25503 |title=Fall 2009 Slate and Schedule Announced for ESPN Films' "30 for 30" |last=Seidman |first=Robert |work=TVbytheNumbers.com |publisher=TVbytheNumbers |date=August 29, 2009 |access-date=August 23, 2010 |archive-date=August 31, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831071442/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/08/27/fall-2009-slate-and-schedule-announced-for-espn-films%E2%80%99-%E2%80%9C30-for-30%E2%80%9D/25503 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Simmons served as [[executive producer]] on the project<ref name=tvguide/><ref name=huffington>{{cite news | first=Jason| last=Pinter| title=Interview with Bill Simmons, Author of The Book of Basketball|date=October 21, 2009 | url =https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-pinter/interview-with-bill-simmo_b_326515.html | work = The Huffington Post | access-date = August 22, 2010}}</ref> until he left ESPN in 2015.
On October 1, 2005, Simmons released his first book, ''[[Now I Can Die in Peace]]''. The book is a collection of his columns, with minor changes and lengthy footnotes, leading up to the [[2004 World Series]] victory by the Boston Red Sox.


On May 8, 2007, Simmons began a [[podcast]] for ESPN.com called ''Eye of the Sportsguy''.<ref name=firstpodcast>{{Cite podcast| url =http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd=1#/podcenter/?id=2864039&autoplay=1&callsign=ESPNRADIO| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100208232749/http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd=1#/live/?callsign=ESPNRADIO| url-status =dead| archive-date =February 8, 2010| title =Sports Guy: 5/8| website =ESPNRadio.com| publisher =[[ESPN Radio]]| host =Bill Simmons| date =May 8, 2007| access-date =August 23, 2010}}</ref> On June 14, 2007, the podcast was changed to ''The B.S. Report'' with a new theme song written by [[Ronald Jenkees]].<ref name=bsreport>{{Cite podcast| url =http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd=1#/podcenter/?id=2904376&autoplay=1&callsign=ESPNRADIO| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100208232749/http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd=1#/live/?callsign=ESPNRADIO| url-status =dead| archive-date =February 8, 2010| title =The B.S. Report: 6/14| website =ESPNRadio.com| publisher =[[ESPN Radio]]| host =Bill Simmons| date =June 14, 2007| access-date =August 24, 2010}}</ref> Simmons created one or two hourlong podcasts a week, generally carrying one theme throughout, talking to everyone from sports and media notables to his friends.<ref name=sportsbusiness/> ''The B.S. Report'' was regularly the most downloaded podcast on [[ESPN.com]]<ref name=write/><ref name=sportsbusiness>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/62856|title=ESPN sends strong signal on role of podcasts|last=Ourand|first=John|work=SportsBusiness Journal|publisher=[[Street & Smith|Street & Smith's Sports Group]]|date=June 22, 2009|access-date=August 30, 2010|archive-date=November 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104201153/http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/62856|url-status=dead}}</ref> averaging 2 million downloads a month.<ref name=viewers/><ref name=nytimes4/> In 2009, ''The B.S. Report'' was downloaded more than 25.4 million times.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2010/01/another-record-year-for-espn-digital-media/|title=Another Record Year for ESPN Digital Media|work=ESPNMediaZone3.com|publisher=ESPN MediaZone|date=January 12, 2010|access-date=August 20, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100822190032/http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2010/01/another-record-year-for-espn-digital-media/|archive-date=August 22, 2010}}</ref>
In the March 13, 2006, edition of ESPN The Magazine, Simmons revealed that he would be competing in the [[2006 World Series of Poker]] Main Event. Simmons busted out of the tournament during his first day of play.


Simmons began writing a bi-weekly<ref name=espnboston/> 800-word column<ref name=si4/> for ''[[ESPN The Magazine]]'' in 2002<ref name=expands>{{cite web|url=http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=31263 |title="The Sports Guy" Bill Simmons Renews Agreement; Expands Role at ESPN|last=Simmons|first=Bill|work=WebWire.com| publisher=WebWire |date=April 3, 2007|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> but convinced ESPN after three years to give him 1,200 words.<ref name=si4/> On July 27, 2009, Simmons announced his retirement from the magazine<ref name=dad2/> but continued to write for the Page 2 website.<ref name=dad2>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?id=4343991 |title= When it's time to walk away |last=Simmons|first=Bill|work=[[ESPN.com]]| publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures |date=July 21, 2009 |access-date=August 20, 2010}}</ref>
On April 19, 2006, Simmons won the NBA Cares Celebrity Fantasy League, beating out [[Bernie Mac]] in the final by a score of 1028-852. Other celebrities who participated were [[Pamela Anderson]], [[Cedric the Entertainer]], [[Samuel L. Jackson]], [[Matthew Modine]], [[Michael Rapaport]], [[Star Jones Reynolds]], [[Kenny Smith]] and [[Diana Taurasi]]. Simmons attributed his success to his extensive knowledge of the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] and to star player [[Kobe Bryant]], as well as the Isiah-esque ineptitude of [[The NBA on TNT|TNT]] analyst [[Kenny Smith]].


In October 2007, it was announced that Simmons joined the television series ''[[E:60]]'' as a special contributor.<ref name=futon>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2007/10/11/espncoms-the-sports-guy-bill-simmons-joins-e60-as-special-contributor/20071011espn01/ |title=ESPN.com's "The Sports Guy" Bill Simmons Joins E:60 as Special Contributor|work=ESPN| publisher=The Futon Critic |date=October 11, 2007|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> In May 2010, it was reported that Simmons and ESPN came to an agreement on a new contract, although no official announcement was made on the terms.<ref name=newcontract>{{cite web|url=http://deadspin.com/5612514/bill-simmons-writes-about-holdouts-works-through-some-of-his-own-issues|title=Bill Simmons Writes About Holdouts, Works Through Some of His Own Issues |first=Barry|last= Petchesky|work=[[Deadspin|Deadspin.com]] |date=August 13, 2010 |access-date=August 30, 2010}}</ref>
In July 2008 Simmons announced that he would be taking 10 weeks off from writing columns for [[ESPN.com]]'s Page 2 to concentrate on finishing his second book, [[''The Book of Basketball, The NBA According to the Sports Guy'']], which was released on October 27, 2009.


Since 2009, Simmons has also been a moderator and panelist at the annual [[MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espnmag/story?id=4011524|title=Simmons: Don't deny NBA stat geeks the truth|work=ESPN.com|date=March 24, 2009}}</ref> Starting in the [[2012-13 NBA season|2012-2013 NBA season]], Simmons joined the ''[[NBA Countdown]]'' pregame show as a panelist/contributor during ESPN/ABC's coverage of the [[NBA]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article-ESPN_Adds-Jalen_Rose_Bill_Simmons_to_NBA_Countdown.-php |title=ESPN Adds Jalen Rose, Bill Simmons to NBA Countdown |access-date=October 18, 2012 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> He left the show prior to the 2014–2015 season.
Simmons shares the same birthday as [[Will Smith]], [[Heather Locklear]], [[Catherine Zeta Jones]], [[Michael Douglas]] and [[Hal Sparks]].<ref>BS Report 9-25 http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/archive?id=2864045</ref>
ESPN announced on May 8, 2015, that Simmons' contract, which was due to expire in September 2015, would not be renewed.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sandomir|first1=Richard|title=ESPN Is Splitting With Bill Simmons, Who Offers an Uncharacteristic Word Count: Zero|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/09/sports/bill-simmons-and-espn-are-parting-ways.html?_r=0|access-date=May 12, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=May 8, 2015}}</ref>


===''Jimmy Kimmel Live!''===
==Rooting interests==
In the summer of 2002, [[Jimmy Kimmel]] had been trying to get Simmons to write for his new [[late-night talk show]], ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Live!]]'' which was to premiere after the [[Super Bowl XXXVII|Super Bowl]].<ref name=write/><ref name=hollywood>{{cite web|url=https://proxy.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/021101|title=The Sports Guy goes Hollywood |last=Simmons|first=Bill|work=[[ESPN.com]]| publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures |date=November 1, 2002|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref><ref name=nytimes4>{{cite news | first=Bill| last=Carter| title=In the Land of the Insomniac, The Narcoleptic Wants to Be King|date=November 2, 2002 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/03/magazine/in-the-land-of-the-insomniac-the-narcoleptic-wants-to-be-king.html?scp=19&sq=&pagewanted=all |work=[[The New York Times]] | access-date = September 26, 2010}}</ref> Simmons refused for most of the summer because he did not want to cut back on his columns and move to the West Coast away from his family and Boston teams.<ref name=hollywood/> Kimmel kept on "badgering" him and by mid-September Kimmel had him "on the ropes."<ref name=hollywood/> It was crucial for Simmons that he could write for the show and on ESPN.com and in ''ESPN The Magazine'', which was possible because of the [[Disney]] connection with ESPN and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].<ref name=hollywood/> He has also stated that he joined the show because he was burned out from his column, felt he needed a change, and always wanted to write for a talk show.<ref name=bio/><ref name=si4>{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/chris_ballard/03/22/qa.simmons/5.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618043606/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/chris_ballard/03/22/qa.simmons/5.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 18, 2006 |title=Q&A: Bill Simmons (cont.) - Page 6 |last=Ballard|first=Chris|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated|SI.com]]| publisher=[[Time Inc.]] |date=March 22, 2006 |access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref>
A native [[New England]]er, Simmons is a passionate fan of the [[Boston Red Sox]], [[New England Patriots]], [[College of the Holy Cross|Holy Cross Crusaders]] (his alma mater), and [[Boston Celtics]]. He is also a [[Los Angeles Clippers]] season ticket holder, and has been very critical of their head coach and general manager [[Mike Dunleavy, Sr.]]<ref>[http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090624&sportCat=nba Open letter to Blake Griffin]</ref><ref>[http://twitter.com/sportsguy33 Bill Simmons' Twitter]</ref> He was a longtime fan of the [[Boston Bruins]] and the [[NHL]], but claims that their poor management led to his completely losing interest in them until the 2008 playoffs.<ref name='ESPN.com 2001-10-26'>{{cite news | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=So long, hockey; Allison deal is last straw|date=2001-10-26 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=1269245 | work =ESPN.com | accessdate = 2008-02-11}}</ref> Simmons's interest in soccer was piqued by the 2006 [[FIFA World Cup]]. He subsequently wrote a column detailing his efforts to choose an [[English Premier League]] team to follow, eventually selecting [[Tottenham Hotspur]].<ref name='ESPN.com 2006-07-19'>{{cite news | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=And my team is ...|date=2006-07-19 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060719_2 | work =ESPN.com | accessdate = 2008-02-11}}</ref> Following the United States' success in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, Simmons traveled to the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City to cover the USA's World Cup qualifier against Mexico. His ensuing article detailed the events that transpired.<ref>http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090817</ref> He also passionately roots against certain teams, specifically the [[New York Yankees]], [[New York Jets]], [[Boston College]], [[Indianapolis Colts]], [[Montreal Canadiens]], [[Duke University]] Men's Basketball, and the [[Los Angeles Lakers]].


Simmons left Boston and moved to [[California]] on November 16, 2002<ref>{{cite web | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=One final toss for The Dooze |date=January 22, 2009 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090122 | work =ESPN.com| access-date = August 22, 2010}}</ref> and began working in April 2003<ref>{{cite web | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=Manny Being Manipulated|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=manny&redirected=true | work =ESPN.com| access-date = August 22, 2010}}</ref> as a comedy writer for the show.<ref name=tvguide>{{cite web|title=Bill Simmons Biography|date=August 13, 2010 |url =https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/simmons/bio/223338 | work =TVGuide.com | access-date = August 22, 2010}}</ref> Simmons called it "the best move I ever made"<ref name=bio/> and said it was one of the best experiences of his life.<ref name=imback/> He left the show in the spring of 2004<ref name=imback>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/040514|title=I'm back |last=Simmons|first=Bill|work=ESPN.com| publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures |date=May 14, 2004|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> after a year and a half of writing for the show.<ref name=write/> He wanted to focus full-time on his column,<ref name=nytimes/> since his writing was starting to slip and he did not have enough time to work on columns or even think about them.<ref name=imback/> Simmons remained in California.<ref name=write/>
==Style==
Simmons' writing is characterized by references to [[movies]], [[television shows]] such as ''[[Lost (TV series)|Lost]]'', ''[[The Wire (TV series)|The Wire]]'', ''[[The Sopranos]]'', ''[[Beverly Hills 90210]]'', ''[[Mad Men]]'', ''[[The O.C.]]'' and ''[[Entourage (TV series)|Entourage]]'', his "everyday Joe" sense of humor, and his bias toward Boston-area sports teams. While his articles and podcasts have no set schedule, Simmons writes at most one column per week and also submits two to three podcasts per week.


===''Grantland''===
Simmons frequently mentions friends and family in his column, and trips to Las Vegas or other gambling venues with his friends. He frequently writes about his gambling, whether it's at the blackjack table or his many parlays during football season. On Fridays during the [[National Football League|NFL]] season, he makes picks for every game.
Simmons served as the editor-in-chief of [[Grantland]], a website owned by ESPN covering sports and pop culture that launched on June 8, 2011.<ref name=ESPNGrantland>ESPN MediaZone (2011). [http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2011/04/28/writers_editors_join_espn/ All-Star Roster of Writers and Editors to Join New ESPN Web Site] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430080618/http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2011/04/28/writers_editors_join_espn/ |date=April 30, 2011 }}. Retrieved May 3, 2011.</ref> The website's name was a reference to deceased sportswriter [[Grantland Rice]],<ref name=ESPNGrantland/> though it was reportedly not Simmons' choice for the name.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/magazine/can-bill-simmons-win-the-big-one.html?scp=1&sq=bill%20simmons&st=cse |title=Can Bill Simmons Win the Big One? |author=Mahler |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 31, 2011 |access-date=June 7, 2011}}</ref> Sports blog [[Deadspin]] had previously reported in 2010 that Simmons was working on a "top secret editorial project."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://deadspin.com/#!5636920/the-bill-simmons-top-secret-editorial-project-is-under-way |title=The Bill Simmons Top Secret Editorial Project Is Underway |author=Daulerio|work=[[Deadspin|Deadspin.com]] |date=September 13, 2010 |access-date=April 5, 2011}}</ref> Some key contributors to the website included [[Jalen Rose]], Zach Lowe, [[Kirk Goldsberry]] and [[Wesley Morris]]. In August 2014, ESPN announced that Simmons would be leaving NBA Countdown in order to produce an 18 episode primetime show for ESPN through his site called The Grantland Basketball Show-later changed to The Grantland Basketball Hour-which would debut on October 21, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2014/08/the-grantland-basketball-show-with-bill-simmons-to-debut-october-21-on-espn/|title=The Grantland Basketball Show with Bill Simmons to Debut October 21 on ESPN - ESPN MediaZone|author=Ben Cafardo|work=ESPN MediaZone|date=August 12, 2014}}</ref> In these episodes, Simmons discussed NBA-related current events as well as some of his more popular sports columns with his co-host Jalen Rose. Special guests included fellow journalists, pop culture celebrities, as well as current and former coaches and athletes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grantland.com/the-triangle/scenes-from-the-grantland-basketball-hour-debut/|title=Scenes From 'The Grantland Basketball Hour' Debut|author=Grantland Channel|work=Grantland|date=October 24, 2014}}</ref> Months after it decided not to renew its contract with Simmons, ESPN shut down the Grantland website on October 30, 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|title = ESPN Statement Regarding Grantland - ESPN MediaZone|url = http://espnmediazone.com/us/espn-statement-regarding-grantland/|website = ESPN MediaZone|access-date = November 18, 2015|language = en-US|archive-date = October 30, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151030233234/http://espnmediazone.com/us/espn-statement-regarding-grantland/|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=The Sports Xchange |date=October 31, 2015 |title=ESPN shuts down Grantland website |url=http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2015/10/31/ESPN-shuts-down-Grantland-website/3661446266410/ |website=UPI |access-date=October 31, 2015 }}</ref>


===HBO===
Simmons will also discuss movies (most notably, ''[[Hoosiers]]'',
On July 22, 2015, Simmons announced he had signed a new multi-platform deal with [[HBO]] starting in October 2015. As part of this deal, he would host a weekly talk show, ''[[Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons|Any Given Wednesday]]''. The show premiered on June 22, 2016.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/23/sports/bill-simmons-to-join-hbo.html?_r=0 | work=The New York Times | first=Richard | last=Sandomir | title=Bill Simmons to Join HBO, Going From Free Agency to Freedom | date=July 22, 2015}}</ref> It was cancelled in November 2016.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/bill-simmons-any-given-wednesday-hbo-canceled-1201909990/|title=HBO Cancels Bill Simmons Talk Show 'Any Given Wednesday'|last=Littleton|first=Cynthia|date=November 4, 2016|newspaper=Variety|language=en-US|access-date=November 4, 2016}}</ref> Simmons's multimedia deal with the network continued, and he announced there were plans for future projects at HBO.<ref name=":1" /> A documentary on [[André the Giant]] was co-produced by [[HBO Sports]], the [[WWE]] and the Bill Simmons Media Group, with [[Jason Hehir]] directing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.si.com/tech-media/2017/02/13/andre-giant-bill-simmons-hbo-documentary|title=Bill Simmons's first HBO documentary will focus on André the Giant|last=Deitsch|first=Richard|date=February 13, 2017|newspaper=SI.com|language=en-US|access-date=February 13, 2017}}</ref> The documentary aired on [[HBO]] on April 10, 2018.
''[[The Godfather]]'', ''[[Teen Wolf]]'', ''[[The Shawshank Redemption]]'',
''[[Boogie Nights]]'', ''[[Dazed and Confused (film)|Dazed and Confused]]'', ''the [[Rocky]] series'', ''[[The Karate Kid]]'' and ''[[Almost Famous]]'', his favorite film from 2000-2009), favorite TV shows of the past and present (for example, ''[[Friday Night Lights (TV series)|Friday Night Lights]]''), his many fantasy sports teams, memories regarding [[professional wrestling]], especially Roddy Piper (mainly with the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWF/E]]), video games and even throwing in a few references to adult video. One of his ongoing projects is "The Best 72 Sports Movies of the last 33 Years," which he updates in no particular order. He has named eight of 72 movies and has not written a column for this project since November 27, 2005.<ref name='ESPN.com 2005-11-27'>{{cite news | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=The Sports Guy's Top Sports Movies: No. 11|date=2005-11-27 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/movies/karatekid | work =ESPN.com | accessdate = 2008-02-11}}</ref>


In late July 2018 it was revealed that HBO decided to renew Simmons's contract to remain with the network moving forward.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/bill-simmons-inks-new-deal-at-hbo-1129447|title=Bill Simmons Inks New Deal at HBO (Exclusive)|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=July 24, 2018}}</ref>
He also occasionally writes columns answering readers' e-mails. He almost always ends these columns with a strange e-mail, followed by the statement "Yup, these are my readers." He also engages in lengthy chat sessions with readers on ESPN.com.


===''The Ringer''===
One of his recurring columns is his annual Draft Diary, where he discusses watching the [[NBA Draft]], usually with his father (who was born in 1947), and mocks various aspects of it. He has admitted that the 2007 Draft Diary was his worst and would like a [[mulligan]].
Simmons announced the launch of his new website, [[The Ringer (website)|''The Ringer'']], on February 17, 2016.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Bill Simmons unveils new site's name: The Ringer|url = https://money.cnn.com/2016/02/17/media/bill-simmons-the-ringer/index.html|website = CNNMoney|access-date = February 17, 2016|first = Brian|last = Stelter|date = February 17, 2016}}</ref> The site was to be run as part of his venture, the Bill Simmons Media Group, that was launched in the fall of 2015.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title = Bill Simmons readies 'The Ringer'|url = http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2016/02/8590732/bill-simmons-readies-ringer|website = www.capitalnewyork.com|access-date = February 17, 2016}}</ref> The media group includes several podcasts focusing on different aspects of sports, pop culture, and technology today, and features writers on ''The Ringer'' website as hosts of these podcasts. The website also hired a number of staffers who formerly worked with Simmons at Grantland.<ref name=":0" /> ''The Ringer'' went live on June 1, 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/06/01/bill-simmons-new-site-the-ringer-goes-live-and-please-dont-call-it-just-another-grantland/|title=Bill Simmons's new site, The Ringer, goes live. And please, don't call it just another Grantland|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=June 1, 2016|access-date=June 1, 2016|first= Geoff|last= Edgers}}</ref>


On May 30, 2017, [[Vox Media]] announced that it had entered into a deal to provide advertising sales and access to its publishing platform as part of a revenue sharing agreement. Simmons retained editorial control of the website.<ref name="variety-ringervox">{{cite web|title=Bill Simmons' The Ringer Inks Advertising, Tech Pact With Vox Media|url=https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/bill-simmons-vox-media-advertising-technology-1202447469/|website=Variety|date=May 30, 2017|access-date=May 30, 2017}}</ref> On February 5, 2020, Simmons announced that [[Spotify]] was buying ''The Ringer'' for approximately $200 million,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Leskin|first=Paige|title=Bill Simmons scores massive sale as Spotify buys his publication, The Ringer, for nearly $200 million|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/spotify-ringer-deal-price-250-million-podcasting-bill-simmons-report-2020-2|access-date=2020-12-02|website=Business Insider}}</ref> with [[Daniel Ek]] describing ''The Ringer'' as "the new ESPN."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2020/2/5/21123904/spotify-bill-simmons-ringer-deal|title=Spotify is buying Bill Simmons's The Ringer to boost its podcast business|first=Peter|last=Kafka|date=February 5, 2020|website=Vox}}</ref> Simmons stated that ''The Ringer'' will maintain content and editorial independence.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1225073279125221377|user=BillSimmons|title=This morning we announced that...|date=February 5, 2020}}</ref>
Simmons has attended several [[Super Bowl]]s since being hired by ESPN and has admitted to disliking [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]] and [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], citing them as inadequate locales for the event. He gave [[Phoenix, Arizona|Arizona]] slightly better grades overall but said it couldn't compare to the ideal locations of Miami, New Orleans, and San Diego. He has suggested that the Super Bowl be permanently rotated between these three cities.


At ''The Ringer'', Simmons serves as CEO, writing less than during his previous endeavors. He hosts ''The Bill Simmons Podcast'' which regularly rotates through conversations and interviews with Hollywood personalities, professional athletes, other media [[pundits]], old friends, and family. Regulars include his college roommate Joe House, [[Cousin Sal|Sal Iacono]], [[Ryen Russillo]], [[Chuck Klosterman]], [[David Chang]], and Simmons' father.
==Controversy==
Simmons is an avid [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] fan and is quick to express his opinions over who is doing a good job and who is not. He has heavily criticized [[Memphis Grizzlies]] general manager [[Chris Wallace]], Celtics General Manager [[Danny Ainge]] and head coach [[Doc Rivers]], [[Los Angeles Clippers]] general manager [[Elgin Baylor]] (who once called Simmons an "asshole") and head coach [[Mike Dunleavy, Sr.]], and especially former [[New York Knicks]] coach and general manager [[Isiah Thomas]]. This led to Thomas threatening Simmons on [[Stephen A. Smith]]'s radio show in early 2006, saying, ''"If I see this guy Bill Simmons, oh, it's gonna be a problem with me and him."'' In a column posted on ESPN.com on July 19, 2007 Simmons stated that he and Thomas had a half-hour long chat, facilitated by sports announcer [[Gus Johnson (sportscaster)|Gus Johnson]], about Simmons' criticisms of Thomas, and that Thomas remained civil and cordial throughout.<ref name='ESPN.com 2007-07-18'>{{cite news | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=Nothing tops Vegas and hoops|date=2007-07-18 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070718 | work =ESPN.com | accessdate = 2008-02-11}}</ref> With regard to Rivers, Simmons wrote an article poking fun at the coach's use of the [[Ubuntu (philosophy)|Ubuntu]] concept in his locker room.[http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080514&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1] Ubuntu is an African tradition which emphasizes unity and togetherness.


In June 2020, Simmons received criticism for the lack of racial diversity in ''The Ringer'' following email comments he made to ''[[The New York Times]]'', particularly that: "It's a business. This isn't Open Mic Night."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Scheiber, Noam|author-link=Noam Scheiber|date=June 22, 2020|title=Sports Media Giant Bill Simmons Finds Himself Playing Defense|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/22/business/media/bill-simmons-the-ringer-black-employees.html|access-date=June 24, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Critics noted that Simmons employed his nephew as a producer and had created a podcast for his teenage daughter.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Magary, Drew|author-link=Drew Magary|date=June 23, 2020|title=Bill Simmons has had this coming for a long time now|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle|SFGate]]|url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/slideshow/Drew-Magary-Bill-Simmons-The-Ringer-Open-Mic-Night-204312.php|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200624223630/https://www.sfgate.com/sports/slideshow/Drew-Magary-Bill-Simmons-The-Ringer-Open-Mic-Night-204312.php|archive-date=June 24, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Rigdon|first=Jay|date=June 23, 2020|title=Bill Simmons on lack of Ringer podcast diversity: "It's a business. This isn't Open Mic Night."|work=Awful Announcing|url=https://awfulannouncing.com/ringer/bill-simmons-on-lack-of-ringer-podcast-diversity-its-a-business-this-isnt-open-mic-night.html|access-date=June 24, 2020}}</ref>
Simmons and Red Sox announcer [[Jerry Remy]] feuded over the presidency of Red Sox Nation. The Red Sox asked Simmons to run for the ceremonial position and he accepted. In a candidate's memo, Simmons remarked that he was a better choice than Remy because he is not a smoker. Remy criticized Simmons for about five minutes during the July 16, 2007 [[NESN]] broadcast of the Red Sox - Royals game. Simmons later removed himself from consideration and Remy was named president. Remy was diagnosed with lung cancer in November 2008. He underwent successful surgery to remove the cancerous area, but suffered an infection and also pneumonia during his recovery. Remy took an indefinite leave of absence from NESN broadcasts as of April 30, 2009 due to the complications.


==Writing==
Simmons was embroiled in a feud with management at ESPN.com. When asked by the editors of [[Deadspin]].com why he had not written a new column in over 2 weeks, he replied ''"I still love writing my column and only re-signed last year because I really did believe that we had hashed out all the behind the scenes bullshit and come to some sort of agreement on creative lines, media criticism rules, the promotion of the column and everything else on ESPN.com. Within a few months, all of those things changed and certain promises were not kept. It's as simple as that."''<ref>[http://deadspin.com/390425/simmons-certain-promises-were-not-kept Simmons: "Certain Promises Were Not Kept"<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref> {{cite news| first=Bill| last=Simmons| title = Unhappiness at the Worldwide Leader| publisher=The Washington Times| url=http://video1.washingtontimes.com/sportsbiz/2008/05/unhappiness_at_the_worldwide_l.html | accessdate = 2008-05-30}}</ref>
On October 1, 2005, Simmons released his first [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''New York Times'' best-selling]]<ref name=expands/><ref name=celebfantasy>{{cite web|title=April 18 - Champion, Thy Name is Sports Guy|date=April 18, 2006 | publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC | url =http://www.nba.com/fantasy/features/nbacares_celebleague.html | work =NBA.com | access-date = February 11, 2008}}</ref> book, ''[[Now I Can Die in Peace]]''.<ref name=nowican/> The book is a collection of his columns, with minor changes and lengthy footnotes, leading up to the [[2004 World Series]] victory by the Boston Red Sox.<ref name=nowican>{{cite book|title=Now I Can Die in Peace: How ESPN's Sports Guy Found Salvation, with a Little Help From Nomar, Pedro, Shawshank, and the 2004 Red Sox |author= Bill Simmons |publisher=ESPN Books|isbn=1933060050|date= October 2005 }}</ref> The book spent five weeks on ''The New York Times'' extended best-seller list.<ref name=nytimes/>


In July 2008, Simmons announced that he would be taking 10 weeks off from writing columns for [[ESPN.com]]'s Page 2 to concentrate on finishing his second book,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://deadspin.com/5023120/the-sports-fella-takes-a-breather |title=The Sports Fella Takes A Breather |author=Daulerio|work=[[Deadspin|Deadspin.com]] |date=July 8, 2008 |access-date=August 22, 2010}}</ref> ''[[The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy]]'', which was released on October 27, 2009.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy |author=Bill Simmons |publisher=ESPN |isbn=978-0345511768 |year=2009 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/bookofbasketball00simm }}</ref> The book tries to find out who really are the best players and teams of all time and the answers to some of the greatest "What ifs?" in NBA history.<ref name=washtimes3>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/26/simmons-not-just-a-regular-sports-guy/?page=3 |title= Simmons not just a regular 'Sports Guy' - continued from page 2 |last=Masisak|first=Corey |work=The Washington Times|date=October 26, 2009 |access-date=September 21, 2010}}</ref> It debuted at the top of ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list for [[non-fiction]] books.<ref name=espnbooks>{{cite web|title=The Book of Basketball| publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =http://espnbooks.com/book.cgi?id=7 | work =[[ESPN Books|ESPNBooks.com]] | access-date = August 22, 2010}}</ref><ref name=slate2/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/books/bestseller/besthardnonfiction.html?ref=bestseller |title=Hardcover Nonfiction |last=Schuessler|first=Jennifer|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 6, 2009|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref>
Immediately before the feud erupted, Simmons was scheduled to interview [[Barack Obama|Sen. Barack Obama]] for a podcast. Obama was still running against [[Hillary Clinton|Sen. Hillary Clinton]] for the Democratic Nomination at the time. ESPN nixed the interview, saying that they would only allow its reporters and columnists to interview a presidential candidate once the nomination had been finalized. Deadspin.com believed this was an example of ESPN pulling rank, and speculated that ESPN was thinking, "Some online guy is gonna have Sen. Obama as a guest on his PODCAST? What the hell's a podcast? Better to wait until [[Stu Scott]] can talk to him about Carolina hoops after the convention. Why waste the access on a podcast?"[http://deadspin.com/380323/espn-nixes-bill-simmons+barack-obama-podcast] As it turned out, Deadspin.com was quite prescient - Stu Scott interviewed Obama right before the convention began.


==Style==
On October 31, 2008, ESPN refused to post Simmons' NFL Week Nine Picks, instead just put up his predicted lines. In response to many reader emails, Simmons posted to his long dormant blog explaining what happened (which has since been removed from his personal blog).<ref>http://sportsguy.blogspot.com/</ref> Simmons also stopped recording his podcast, which prior to the incident he had been doing at least one per week. At the time, Cousin Sal, a frequent contributor to Simmons' podcasts, noted on Dave Dameshek's podcast that Simmons was retired from podcasts.
When Simmons first started his website, he wrote what he thought friends would enjoy reading because he never understood how people could be [[Sports journalism|sportswriters]] while claiming they did not care which team won, in the name of journalistic objectivity.<ref name=nytimes/> Since Simmons was writing on the web he figured that "in order to get people to read it, it had to be different from what people got in newspapers and magazines."<ref name=si3>{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/chris_ballard/03/22/qa.simmons/2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060408201305/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/chris_ballard/03/22/qa.simmons/2.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 8, 2006 |title=Q&A: Bill Simmons (cont.) - Page 3 |last=Ballard|first=Chris|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated|SI.com]]| publisher=[[Time Inc.]] |date=March 22, 2006 |access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> He claims that he believed his job was not to get into the heads of the players, but into the heads of his readers,<ref name=nytimes2>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/business/media/16simmons.html |title=Writing a Sports Column Far From Print, and the Game |last=Cohen|first=Noam |work=The New York Times|date=November 15, 2010|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> and to do so by updating frequently and being provocative, and get a discussion going with his readers.<ref name=nytimes2/> Simmons has stated that he "...will never write a traditional sports column."<ref name=nytimes2/>


With his column, Simmons aims to speak for,<ref name=newcontract/> reconnect [[Sports journalism|sportswriting]] with, and reproduce the experience for the average [[Sports fan|fan]].<ref name=slate>{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2127567 |title=Bill Simmons, Bard of the Red Sox |last=Curtis|first=Bryan |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate.com]]| publisher=[[Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive|Washington Post. Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC]] |date=October 5, 2005|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> Simmons' writing in his columns is characterized by mixing sports knowledge,<ref name=globe1>{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/287111811.html?dids=287111811:287111811&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+09%2C+2003&author=Justin+Gest%2C+Globe+Correspondent&pub=Boston+Globe&desc=CUT+FROM+HIS+ROOTS%2C+BUT+STILL+ROOTING+BOSTON%27S+EX-%60SPORTS+GUY%27+LEARNS+HOLLYWOOD+ABCS&pqatl=google |title=CUT FROM HIS ROOTS, BUT STILL ROOTING BOSTON'S EX-'SPORTS GUY' LEARNS HOLLYWOOD ABCS |page=12 |last=Gest |first=Justin |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |location=[[Boston|Boston, MA]] |date=February 9, 2003 |access-date=August 30, 2010 }}{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> references to [[Popular culture|pop culture]]<ref name=globe1/><ref name=washtimes/><ref name=slate/><ref name=cosmos/> including movies and television shows,<ref name=nj>{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/10/sports_guy_bill_simmons_talks.html |title=Sports Guy Bill Simmons talks '30 for 30,' his book, TV and more|last=Sepinwall|first=Alan|work=nj.com| publisher=New Jersey On-Line LLC. |date=October 1, 2009 |access-date=August 30, 2010}}</ref> his non-sports-related personal life, his many fantasy sports teams,<ref name=slate/> video games,<ref name=slate/> and references to adult video.<ref name=slate2>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2235355/pagenum/all/#p2 |title=Bill Simmons: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut |last=Levin|first=Josh |magazine=Slate.com|publisher=[[Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive|Washington Post. Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC]] |date=November 11, 2009|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news | first=Richard | last=Sandomir| title=In So Many Words, the N.B.A. Redefined by Bill Simmons |date=November 9, 2009 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/sports/basketball/10sandomir.html | work =The New York Times| access-date = August 22, 2010}}</ref> His columns often mention trips to [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]]<ref name=sportsgalspin>{{cite web|url=http://deadspin.com/5046003/is-the-sports-gal-the-new-sports-fella |title=Is The Sports Gal The New Sports Fella?|author=Daulerio |work=Deadspin.com|date=September 8, 2008 |access-date=August 22, 2010}}</ref> or other [[gambling]] venues with his friends, including blackjack and sports gambling.<ref name=slate/><ref name=archives>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/subject/archive |title=Sports Guy subject archive |last=Simmons|first=Bill|work=ESPN.com| publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures |date=December 3, 2008 |access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref>
Additionally, according to [[Deadspin]], Simmons had quit the BS Report due to the content being edited out of them.<ref>http://deadspin.com/5093550/ohand-about-simmons-podcast-he-told-me-he-quit-it</ref> The controversy revolved around the entry of [[pornography]] [[actor]] [[Christian XXX|Christian]] into a [[ESPN]] [[fantasy basketball]] league. Simmons was upset that his explanation of [[ESPN]]'s refusal to allow him into the league was edited out of a B.S. Report [[podcast]].<ref>http://www.hankbrockett.com/2008/10/espn-and-porn-evidently-dont-mix.html</ref>


In 2007, he was named the 12th-most influential person in online sports by the ''[[Sports Business Journal]]'', the highest position on the list for a non-executive.<ref name=futon/>
On November 25 2008, Simmons returned to recording his BS Report [[podcast]]. The podcast now begins with a [[disclaimer]], which says "The BS report is a free flowing conversation that occasionally touches on mature subjects."<ref>http://podloc.andomedia.com/dloadTrack.mp3?prm=2864xhttp://query-origin.andohs.net/8000A6/content-root3.andomedia.com/origin/mp3/espnradio/sportsguy/simmons081125.mp3</ref>


==Memes==
==Controversy==
{{controversy section|date=December 2023}}
A frequent column target for Simmons in the past has been former [[New York Knicks]] coach and general manager [[Isiah Thomas]].<ref name=cosmos>{{cite web|url=http://deadspin.com/5403430/you-are-not-the-cosmos-a-review-of-bill-simmons-book-of-basketball |title=You Are Not The Cosmos: A Review Of Bill Simmons' Book Of Basketball|last=Pierce|first=Charles P.|work=Deadspin.com|date=November 12, 2009|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref><ref name=nymag/><ref name=nytimes5>{{cite news | first=Howard| last=Beck| title=PRO BASKETBALL; So, How Many Knicks Does It Take to Screw in a Light Bulb?|date=March 6, 2006 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/06/sports/basketball/so-how-many-knicks-does-it-take-to-screw-in-a-light-bulb.html?sq=%22bill+simmons%22&scp=18&st=cse |work=The New York Times|access-date = September 26, 2010}}</ref> This led to Thomas threatening Simmons on [[Stephen A. Smith]]'s radio show in early 2006, saying that there would be "trouble" if they ever met in the street.<ref name=nymag>{{cite web | first=Tommy| last=Craigs| title=The Secret: A hopelessly banal point about chemistry and sacrifice|date=December 9, 2009 | publisher=New York Media Holdings | url =https://nymag.com/arts/books/bookclub/book-of-basketball/index5.html | work =[[New York (magazine)|NYMag.com]] | access-date=February 11, 2008}}</ref><ref name=nytimes5/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://deadspin.com/149091/isiah-thomas-bill-simmons-quien-es-mas-macho |title=Isiah Thomas. Bill Simmons. Quien Es Mas Macho? |author= Leitch|work=Deadspin.com|date=January 17, 2006|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> Upon a meeting in Las Vegas, they both decided they were entertainers at heart.<ref name=nymag/> Simmons and Red Sox announcer [[Jerry Remy]] feuded over the presidency of [[Red Sox Nation]]. The Red Sox asked Simmons to run for the ceremonial position and he accepted. In a candidate's memo, Simmons remarked that he was a better choice than Remy because he is not a smoker.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/fan_forum/redsox_nation_celebrity_nominations.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070806130544/http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/fan_forum/redsox_nation_celebrity_nominations.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 6, 2007 |title=Celebrity Nominations|work=[[MLB.com]]| publisher=[[Major League Baseball Advanced Media|MLB Advanced Media, L.P.]]|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> Remy criticized Simmons for about five minutes during the July 16, 2007 [[NESN]] broadcast of a Red Sox–Royals game.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://bostondirtdogs.boston.com/Headline_Archives/2007/07/remdawg_simmons.html |title=RemDawg: Simmons Out of Running for RSN Prez |last=Simmons|first=Bill|work=bostondirtdogs.Boston.com|date=July 17, 2007|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> Simmons later removed himself from consideration and Remy was named president.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071003&content_id=2247502&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos|title=Remy to lead Red Sox Nation|last=McPhillips|first=Alex|work=[[MLB.com]]|publisher=[[Major League Baseball Advanced Media|MLB Advanced Media, L.P.]]|date=October 3, 2007|access-date=August 23, 2010|archive-date=October 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010184635/http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071003&content_id=2247502&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos|url-status=dead}}</ref>


Simmons faced widespread critique in 2013 when he linked local fans' ambivalence about [[Memphis Grizzlies]]'s chances to lingering trauma surrounding the [[assassination of Martin Luther King Jr]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Chase|first1=Chris|title=Bill Simmons' odd comment on MLK's assassination and Memphis sports|url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/05/bill-simmons-martin-luther-king-memphis|website=For the Win!|publisher=USA Today|access-date=19 December 2023|date=30 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Magary|first1=Drew|title=Bill Simmons Thinks Memphis Fans Get Tense Because MLK Was Shot There|url=https://deadspin.com/bill-simmons-thinks-memphis-fans-get-tense-because-mlk-510443204|website=Deadspin|access-date=19 December 2023|date=30 May 2013}}</ref> In September 2017, Simmons voiced his support for [[Jemele Hill]], who became involved in controversy after tweeting her personal views on [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Boren|first1=Cindy|title=Jemele Hill 'checkmated' ESPN: Bill Simmons says she accomplished what he could not|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/09/18/espns-jemele-hill-checkmated-her-bosses-bill-simmons-says-the-anchor-accomplished-what-he-could-not/|website=Washingtonpost.com|access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref>
Simmons responds to issues in the sports world in a unique way, usually putting a different spin on events, ideas, and theories. He uses such terms so frequently that ESPN.com has a glossary of Simmons conventions, with links to articles in which they were used.<ref name='ESPN.com 2007-08-14'>{{cite news | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=Welcome to the glossary|date=2007-08-14 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/glossary | work =ESPN.com | accessdate = 2008-02-11}}</ref> He sometimes has stated that something he highly dislikes in sports or elsewhere "never happened" - such as the San Antonio Spurs NBA title during the lockout-shorted 1999 season, the Florida Marlins 1997 World Series win, and (repeatedly) ''[[Rocky V]]''. He refuses to call the Oklahoma City Thunder by name, instead only calling them "the Bennett City Hijackers," "The Team that shall not be named," as well as "Seattle's Sloppy Seconds," "the Zombie Sonics" or "Kevin Durant's Future-Former Team."


On September 1, 2021, ''The New York Times'' published an investigation into ''The Ringer''′s workplace culture. It included accusations that Simmons had tried to marginalize ''The Ringer''′s newly formed union, through tactics such as bringing in contract workers and unfollowing writers on Twitter who had expressed support for the union.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Scheiber |first1=Noam |title=At The Ringer, Staff Writers Say They Are Second-String |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/business/media/the-ringer-union-bill-simmons.html |work=The New York Times |date=19 November 2020}}</ref>
===Ewing Theory===
One of Simmons's most used [[Internet phenomenon|Internet memes]] has been the ''Ewing Theory'',<ref name='ESPN.com 2001-05-09'>{{cite news | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=Ewing Theory 101|date=2001-05-09 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=1193711 | work =ESPN.com | accessdate = 2008-02-11}}</ref> which was conceived by reader Dave Cirilli and named after [[Patrick Ewing]] of the [[New York Knicks]]. In [[1998-99 NBA season|1998-99]], the Knicks made the [[1999 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]] after Ewing sustained an [[Achilles' tendon]] injury. Thus, the Ewing Theory claims that when a longtime superstar who has never won a championship leaves the team via injury, trade or free agency, and the media writes the team off, the team will play better. Other examples noted by Simmons include:
* The 2004 [[Boston Red Sox]], who traded [[Nomar Garciaparra]] mid-season and went on to win their first [[World Series]] in 86 years.
* The 1998 [[University of Tennessee]] football team, which won the national championship the year after Peyton Manning left for the NFL. Note that another sportswriter made the "[[Tee Martin]] Principle" long after Simmons popularized the Ewing Theory, causing Simmons to write "they're the exact same thing!"<ref>[http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/links/080314 Another large side order of links]</ref>
*The 2001 [[Seattle Mariners]], who had over the previous few seasons lost [[Ken Griffey, Jr.]] to trade and [[Alex Rodriguez]] to free agency, won 116 games, tying the major league record.
* The 2001 [[New England Patriots]], who won [[Super Bowl XXXVI]] after an injury to [[Drew Bledsoe]] forced [[Tom Brady]] into the starting quarterback's role.
* The [[2007 New York Giants season|2007 New York Giants]], who lost star running back [[Tiki Barber]] to retirement before the season, defied all predictions and won the [[Super Bowl XLII|Super Bowl in 2008]], defeating the [[2007 New England Patriots season|previously unbeaten]] [[New England Patriots]] 17–14. To compound matters, Barber had voiced his disdain of the Giants and head coach [[Tom Coughlin]] at various points during the 2007 season.


On April 26, 2022, Simmons drew criticism from current and former NBA players over his comment stating "...fuck [[Jalen Green]]" when discussing his choices for All-Rookie first team.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Young |first=Matt |date=2022-04-26 |title=Gilbert Arenas, Ryan Hollins defend Jalen Green after Bill Simmons' comments |url=https://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/Bill-Simmons-Jalen-Green-Gilbert-Arenas-Hollins-17127491.php |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Chron |language=en-US}}.</ref> Simmons later clarified that the expletive was a joke and not a personal attack, and that he was simply indicating his preference for [[Herbert Jones (basketball)|Herb Jones]] as a candidate for the All-Rookie team. On May 24, 2022, Simmons hosted Jalen Green as a guest on his podcast, where the two discussed the controversy and cleared the air.<ref>{{cite web | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=A Celtics-Heat Rock Fight with Bill's Dad. Plus, Jalen Green Stops By and We Fix All-Star Weekend.|date=May 24, 2022 | publisher=The Ringer | url =https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast/2022/5/24/23139186/a-celtics-heat-rock-fight-with-bills-dad-plus-jalen-green-stops-by-and-we-fix-all-star-weekend | work =[[theringer.com]] | access-date = June 3, 2022}}</ref>
One reader asked if Iraq was a contender for the Ewing Theory, based on the notion that the country would become a huge success story after a future withdrawal of U.S. troops. Simmons' response was "No."<ref>[http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070511 May 14, 2007 Mailbag]</ref>


In June 2023, when referring to the mutual decision of [[Spotify]] and [[Prince Harry]] and [[Meghan, Duchess of Sussex|Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex's]] [[Archewell|Archewell productions]] to end a $20 million agreement and part ways after only 12 episodes of a single podcast (Meghan's [[Archetypes (podcast)|Archetypes podcast]]) and one holiday special, Simmons labelled the Prince and Duchess "fucking grifters".<ref name="Variety">{{cite web |last1=Flam |first1=Charna |title=Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Labeled 'F—ing Grifters' by Spotify Exec Bill Simmons After Deal Ends |url=https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/prince-harry-meghan-markle-grifters-bill-simmons-1235647643/ |website=Variety |date=17 June 2023}}</ref><ref name="LA Times">{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Wendy |title=What Ryan Murphy's and Harry and Meghan's deals say about the state of Hollywood |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-06-27/what-ryan-murphy-and-harry-and-meghans-deals-netflix-spotify |website=Los Angeles Times |date=27 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ronald |first1=Issy |title=Spotify executive Bill Simmons calls Harry and Meghan 'grifters' after podcast deal ends {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/19/media/prince-harry-meghan-spotify-bill-simmons-intl-scli/index.html |website=CNN |language=en |date=19 June 2023}}</ref> Simmons (who is an executive at Spotify overseeing podcast innovation and monetization) further stated: {{"'}}The Fucking Grifters'. That's the podcast we should have launched with them. I have got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It's one of my best stories [...] Fuck them. The grifters."<ref name="The Guardian">{{cite web |last1=Cain |first1=Sian |title=Spotify executive calls Harry and Meghan 'grifters' after podcast deal ends |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/jun/19/spotify-executive-calls-harry-and-meghan-grifters-after-podcast-deal-ends |website=The Guardian |date=19 June 2023}}</ref>
Given the time since the name Ewing Theory was coined and the Giants' [[Super Bowl XLII]] victory, a number of readers suggested the name be updated to the "Tiki Theory" and Simmons agreed.<ref>[http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080208 The Super Bowl XLII mailbag]</ref>


===Levels of Losing===
===Conflicts with ESPN===
Simmons at times had tense and public battles with ESPN about creative freedom and censorship.<ref name=washtimes2>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/26/simmons-not-just-a-regular-sports-guy/?page=2 |title= Simmons not just a regular 'Sports Guy' - continued from page 1 |last=Masisak|first=Corey |work=The Washington Times| date=October 26, 2009 |access-date=September 21, 2010}}</ref> In May 2008, Simmons was embroiled in a dispute with management at ESPN.com. When asked by the editors of ''[[Deadspin]]'' why he had not written a new column in over two weeks, he said that he was writing less because he loved writing his column and believed that he and ESPN had come to an agreement "on creative lines, media criticism rules, the promotion of the column and everything else on ESPN.com" but within a few months all of those things changed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://deadspin.com/390425/simmons-certain-promises-were-not-kept|title=Simmons: "Certain Promises Were Not Kept" |author=Leitch|work=Deadspin.com|date=May 14, 2008 |access-date=August 22, 2010}}</ref>
Another recurring Simmons topic is the ''13 Levels of Losing'', where he defines, describes and ranks the most painful ways for a sports team to lose, such as the "Stomach Punch" (a game that ends with an opponent making an improbable and game-winning play, e.g. the [[Music City Miracle]]), or the "Guillotine" (when your team is hanging tough, but somehow you just know they will fail in the [[clutch (sports)|clutch]]).<ref name='ESPN.com 2002-05-28'>{{cite news | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=The 13 levels of losing|date=2002-05-28 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=1387731 | work =ESPN.com | accessdate = 2008-02-11}}</ref> Not surprisingly, given Simmons' background, he ranks Game 6 of the [[1986 World Series]] as the most painful defeat in sports history.


A month before the feud erupted, Simmons was scheduled to interview then-senator [[Barack Obama]] for a podcast.<ref name=deadspinobama>{{cite web|url=http://deadspin.com/380323/espn-nixes-bill-simmons+barack-obama-podcast|author=Leitch|title=ESPN Nixes Bill Simmons-Barack Obama Podcast|work=Deadspin.com|date=April 16, 2008|access-date=August 20, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724152041/http://deadspin.com/380323/espn-nixes-bill-simmons+barack-obama-podcast|archive-date=July 24, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Obama was still running against then-senator [[Hillary Clinton]] for the Democratic nomination at the time.<ref name=deadspinobama/> ESPN nixed the interview, saying that they would allow their reporters and columnists to interview a presidential candidate only after the nomination had been finalized.<ref name=deadspinobama/>
Simmons revised and updated the list to have 16 levels because of the New York Mets' collapse during the 2007 season and [[University of Michigan|Michigan]] football's loss to Division I-AA Appalachian State.


In November 2008, according to ''Deadspin'', Simmons quit the ''B.S. Report'' due to corporate interference with his writing.<ref name=podcast1>{{cite web|url=http://deadspin.com/5093550/ohand-about-simmons-podcast-he-told-me-he-quit-it |title=Oh...And About Simmons' Podcast: "He Told Me He Quit It" |author=Daulerio|work=[[Deadspin|Deadspin.com]] |date=November 19, 2008 |access-date=August 20, 2010}}</ref> The controversy revolved around the admission of pornstar Christian into an ESPN [[fantasy basketball]] league.<ref name=podcast1/><ref name=podcast2/> Simmons was upset that his explanation of ESPN's refusal to allow him into the league was edited out of a podcast.<ref name=podcast2>{{cite web|url=http://hankbrockett.com/blog/?p=179 |title=ESPN and porn evidently don't mix |first=Hank |last=Brockett |publisher=hankbrockett.com |date=October 25, 2008 |access-date=August 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817161809/http://hankbrockett.com/blog/?p=179 |archive-date=August 17, 2011 }}</ref> On November 25, 2008, Simmons returned to recording his ''B.S. Report'' podcast with a disclaimer, which said "The ''BS Report'' is a free flowing conversation that occasionally touches on mature subjects."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://deadspin.com/5098919/the-creative-impasse-between-bill-simmons-and-espn-appears-to-be-over |title=The Creative Impasse Between Bill Simmons and ESPN Appears To Be Over |author=Daulerio |work=[[Deadspin|Deadspin.com]] |date=November 25, 2008 |access-date=September 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205175345/http://deadspin.com/5098919/the-creative-impasse-between-bill-simmons-and-espn-appears-to-be-over |archive-date=February 5, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Reggie Cleveland All-Stars===
Simmons also created the "Reggie Cleveland All-Stars," a list of sports figures whose names would seem to indicate that they are of a different race or ethnicity than they actually are. Simmons first mentioned the phenomenon with [[Marcus Giles]] and [[Sidney Ponson]]. One of his readers suggested [[Reggie Cleveland]] (a white former pitcher with a black-sounding name) as the best possible example of this phenomenon which led Simmons to name the list after Cleveland.<ref name="reggiecleveland">{{cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/020509|title=Mail Call for Sports Guy|last=Bill Simmons|work=Page 2|publisher=ESPN|date=2002-05-09|accessdate=2009-08-17}}</ref>


In late 2009, Simmons was punished by ESPN for writing tweets critical of Boston sports radio station [[WEEI (AM)|WEEI]]'s ''[[The Big Show (sports radio show)|The Big Show]]''. He was suspended for two weeks from [[Twitter]], though he was still allowed to post tweets about his ongoing book tour.<ref name=huffington2>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/20/bill-simmons-twitter-susp_n_366053.html |title=Bill Simmons Twitter Suspension: Writer Reportedly Suspended For Two Weeks |last=Snyder|first=Whitney|work= The Huffington Post|date=November 20, 2009|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> ESPN again suspended him from Twitter in March 2013 after he posted tweets critical of ESPN's ''[[First Take (TV series)|First Take]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/03/14/bill-simmons-suspended-twitter-espn/1988271/|title=ESPN suspends Bill Simmons from Twitter|last=Chase|first=Chris|author2=Michael Hiestand|date=March 14, 2013|work=[[USA Today]]|access-date=April 27, 2013}}</ref>
He also noted in his 2006 NBA Draft diary that [[Patrick O'Bryant]], a first round pick of the Golden State Warriors, was a "mortal lock" to be named to the All-Star team. In a 2007 column, Simmons named former [[Denver Broncos]] linebacker [[Rulon Jones]] as a "first-ballot Reggie Cleveland All-Stars Hall of Famer."


On September 24, 2014, ESPN suspended Simmons for three weeks for criticizing [[NFL]] commissioner [[Roger Goodell]]'s handling of the [[Janay Palmer|Ray Rice domestic violence case]].<ref name=goodell1/><ref name=goodell2/> During his podcast, Simmons stated that Goodell was lying when he claimed that he did not know what was on the tape that showed [[Ray Rice|Rice]] punching his fiancé in the face and knocking her out in a hotel elevator.<ref name=goodell1>{{cite news | first=Richard | last=Sandomir| title=ESPN Suspends Bill Simmons for Tirade on Roger Goodell |date=September 24, 2014 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/sports/football/espn-suspends-bill-simmons-for-tirade-on-roger-goodell-.html | work=The New York Times| access-date = September 24, 2014}}</ref><ref name=goodell2>{{cite web | first=Kevin| last=Draper| title=ESPN Suspends Bill Simmons Three Weeks Over Goodell Criticism |date=September 24, 2014 |url =http://deadspin.com/espn-suspends-bill-simmons-three-weeks-over-goodell-cri-1638842937 | work =[[Deadspin|Deadspin.com]] | access-date = September 24, 2014}}</ref><ref>Amy Davidson, [https://www.newyorker.com/news/amy-davidson/bill-simmons-showed-espn "What Bill Simmons Showed About ESPN,"] ''[[The New Yorker]]'', September 25, 2014.</ref><ref>http://c.espnradio.com/audio/2332358/bsreport_2014-09-22-153658.48b.mp3 {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref>
In a recent column Bill mentioned that he wanted to name his second child "Nate" so he could create his own Reggie Cleveland All-Star from scratch named Nate Simmons.


On May 8, 2015, ESPN president [[John Skipper]] announced<ref name="nyti_Bill">{{cite news | title = Bill Simmons and ESPN Are Parting Ways | last = Sandomir | first = Richard | work = The New York Times | date = May 8, 2015 | access-date = May 8, 2015 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/09/sports/bill-simmons-and-espn-are-parting-ways.html }}</ref> that the sports media conglomerate would not be renewing Simmons's contract, which was set to expire in September 2015. On May 15, it was announced that Simmons' would no longer be working at ESPN, effective immediately.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.si.com/more-sports/2015/05/15/bill-simmons-done-espn-grantland-john-skipper|title=Bill Simmons will not appear again on ESPN platforms, including Grantland|author=Richard Deitsch|work=SI.com|date=May 15, 2015 }}</ref>
===The Tyson Zone===
Simmons also created the "Tyson Zone," named in honor of boxer [[Mike Tyson]]. The Tyson Zone is the status an athlete or celebrity reaches when his or her behavior becomes so outrageous that one would believe any story or anecdote about the person, no matter how shocking or bizarre.<ref name='ESPN.com 2004-12-17'>{{cite news | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=Hunkering down in the mailroom|date=2004-12-17 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/041217 | work =ESPN.com | accessdate = 2008-02-11}}</ref> For instance, if one would not be surprised to hear reports that a particular athlete agreed to fight a caged lion for a sum of money or started a career of breeding [[unicorns]], that athlete has entered The Tyson Zone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/041217|title=Hunkering down in the mailroom|last=Simmons|first=Bill|work=ESPN.com|accessdate=2009-05-29}}</ref>


==Personal life==
Simmons has stated that [[Ben Roethlisberger]] secretly entered the Tyson Zone during the summer of 2006 after news of his [[motorcycle]] accident and a later incident involving a burst [[vermiform appendix|appendix]], for which he was rushed to the hospital.<ref>http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060929</ref> The term may also be used in adjective form as the word "Tysonic."
Simmons is married to Kari Simmons ([[née]] Crichton),<ref name=tvguide/> mentioned only as "The Sports Gal" in his columns.<ref name=sportsgalspin/> They have two children together.<ref name=dad/><ref>{{cite web | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=Winning, loyalty or immortality?|date=May 14, 2010 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100514&sportCat=nba | work =[[ESPN.com]] | access-date = February 11, 2011}}</ref> His father, William Simmons Jr. (born 1947), also referred to as "The Sports Dad", was the superintendent of schools in Easton, Massachusetts, for more than 15 years.<ref name=dad>{{cite web|last=Vogler |first=Paula |url=http://www.wickedlocal.com/easton/news/education/x2045584135/Simmons-retiring-next-year |title=Simmons retiring next year |publisher=[[GateHouse Media, Inc.]] |work=Wickedlocal.com |date=August 27, 2008 |access-date=August 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612110733/http://www.wickedlocal.com/easton/news/education/x2045584135/Simmons-retiring-next-year |archive-date=June 12, 2011 }}</ref>


Simmons is a devoted fan of Boston's teams<ref name=globe1/><ref name=nytimes/><ref name=sportsgalspin/><ref>{{cite news | first=Jonathan| last=Abrams| title=Postseason Brings Out Best in Celtics' Wallace |date=May 17, 2010 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/sports/basketball/18celtics.html?scp=60&sq=%22bill%20simmons%22&st=cse|work=The New York Times| access-date = September 26, 2010}}</ref> including the [[Boston Red Sox]],<ref>{{cite news | first=Greg| last=Hanlon| title=Meet Gar Ryness, the Batting Stance Guy |date=March 14, 2009 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/sports/baseball/15stance.html?scp=40&sq=%22bill%20simmons%22&st=cse |work=The New York Times| access-date = September 26, 2010}}</ref><ref name=pr>{{cite web|url=http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5420600/Penthouse-Scores-With-Its-Spring.html |title=Penthouse Scores With Its Spring Sports Issue|publisher=[[PR Newswire]] |date=June 13, 2006 |access-date=August 30, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613180102/http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5420600/Penthouse-Scores-With-Its-Spring.html |archive-date=June 13, 2008 }}</ref> [[New England Patriots]],<ref name=pr/><ref>{{cite news | first=Tony| last=Monkovic| title=Rodney Harrison on David Tyree's Supernatural |date=June 8, 2008 | url =http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/rodney-harrison-on-david-tyrees-supernatural/?scp=48&sq=%22bill%20simmons%22&st=cse|work=The New York Times| access-date = September 26, 2010}}</ref> and [[Boston Celtics]].<ref name=hollywood/><ref name=pr/> He was a longtime fan of the [[Boston Bruins]] and the [[NHL]], but claims that their poor management led to his completely losing interest in them until the [[2008 Stanley Cup playoffs|2008 playoffs]].<ref name=fanhouse1>{{cite web|url=http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2008/04/22/bill-simmons-a-casual-bandwagon-hockey-fan/|title=Bill Simmons: A Casual Bandwagon Hockey Fan|first=Eric|last=McErlain|work=[[FanHouse]]|publisher=[[AOL Inc.]]|date=April 22, 2008|access-date=August 30, 2010|archive-date=July 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702233239/http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2008/04/22/bill-simmons-a-casual-bandwagon-hockey-fan/|url-status=dead}}</ref> He also says he is a fan of English [[Premier League]] football team [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]], and he has had playful debates on football with previous ESPN colleague [[David Hirshey]], a football columnist and a die-hard fan of Tottenham's [[North London derby|fierce rival]] [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]].<ref name=Hirshey >{{cite web | first=David | last=Hirshey | title=Winning, loyalty or immortality?|date=May 14, 2010 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =https://www.espn.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/5779692/fernando-torres-strikes-again-again |work=ESPN.com|access-date = August 27, 2011}}</ref>
===Manning face===
The '''Manning face''' is a known [[facial expression]] displaying a mix of frustration and disgust. It is most often displayed by [[NFL]] [[quarterback]]s [[Peyton Manning]] and his younger brother, [[Eli Manning|Eli]].<ref name='ESPN.com 2006-01-16'>{{cite news | first=DJ| last=Gallo| title=Hey Peyton, need some help?|date=2006-01-16 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=gallo/060116 | work =ESPN.com | accessdate = 2008-02-11}}</ref>


Simmons and his family established the Simmons Family Foundation. They made a scholarship gift to [[Northwestern University|Northwestern University's]] [[Medill School of Journalism]] to support [[Historically black colleges and universities|HBCU]] graduates.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Medill launches new scholarship to serve HBCU alumni enrolling in the sports journalism program - Medill - Northwestern University|url=https://www.medill.northwestern.edu/news/2021/medill-launches-new-scholarship-to-serve-hbcu-alumni-enrolling-in-the-sports-journalism-program.html|access-date=2021-10-22|website=www.medill.northwestern.edu|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Simmons|first=Bill|date=2021-10-22|title=NBA 75 Snubs, 2004 Lakers Flashbacks, Million-Dollar Picks, and Year of the Kebabs|url=https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast/2021/10/22/22739964/nba-75-snubs-2004-lakers-flashbacks-million-dollar-picks-and-year-of-the-kebabs|access-date=2021-10-22|website=The Ringer|language=en}}</ref>
Although the expression was named for the Manning brothers, the term has become synonymous with other professional sports players and coaches, including [[New York Giants]] coach [[Tom Coughlin]],<ref name='ESPN.com 2008-01-22'>{{cite news | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=Finally, some hardware for LT and Tiki|date=2008-01-22 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080122 | work =ESPN.com | accessdate = 2008-02-11}}</ref> It was coined in 2004<ref name='ESPN.com 2007-01-30'>{{cite news | first=Mike| last=Philbrick| title=A.M. Jump|date=2007-01-30 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/amjump?page=amjump/070130 | work =ESPN.com | accessdate = 2008-02-11}}</ref> and was later defined by [[Malcolm Gladwell]] as "the look of someone who has just faced up to a sobering fact: I am in complete control of this offense. I prepare for games like no other quarterback in the NFL. I am in the best shape of my life. I have done everything I can to succeed - and I'm losing. Ohmigod. I'm not that good."<ref name='ESPN.com 2006-03-02'>{{cite news | first=Bill| last=Simmons| title=Curious Guy: Malcolm Gladwell|date=2006-03-02 | publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060302 | work =ESPN.com | accessdate = 2008-02-11}}</ref> Simmons still refers to this despite his own home team's loss in the 2007 playoffs, later writing "Eli Manning gave me the Eli Manning face!"<ref name='ConcurringOpinions.com 2006-03-11'>{{cite news | first=Dave| last=Hoffman| title=Simmons-Gladwell Chat|date=2006-03-11 | url =http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/03/simmonsgladwell.html | work =ConcurringOpinions.com | accessdate = 2008-02-11}}</ref>

{{-}}
In May 2023, Simmons reaction of sadness became a meme following the Celtics' Game 7 loss to the Heat.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Very Sad Bill Simmons at End of Celtics Game 7 Loss Became a Hilarious Meme|url=https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2023/05/30/celtics-heat-sad-bill-simmons-becomes-a-hilarious-meme |publisher=Sports Illustrated |access-date=30 May 2023}}</ref>

==Influence==
Simmons also has created numerous [[internet memes]], most notably the ''[[Patrick Ewing|Ewing]] Theory''<ref name=ewing>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/lists/bill-simmons-10-go-to-writing-moves-20140429/mocking-the-james-harden-trade-19691231 |title=Bill Simmons' 10 go-to writing moves|magazine=[[Rolling Stone|rollingstone.com]] |date=July 21, 2009 |access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref><ref name=ewing2>{{cite web | url=https://proxy.espn.com/espn/page2/story?id=1193711 | title=Ewing Theory 101 | author=Bill Simmons | work=[[ESPN|ESPN.com]] | date=April 29, 2014 | access-date=July 31, 2014}}</ref> (though the idea was originally proposed by a reader<ref name=ewing/>), The Tyson Zone<ref>{{Cite web |last=BOEHM |first=LINCOLN |date=2010-02-04 |title=Lincoln Boehm: The Tyson Zone |url=http://www.michigandaily.com/uncategorized/lincoln-boehm-tyson-zone/ |access-date=2022-09-24 |website=The Michigan Daily |language=en-US}}</ref> and the ''[[Peyton Manning|Manning]] Face''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gq.com/story/peyton-manning-retires-manning-face | title=A Tribute to Peyton Manning's Manning Face | work=GQ | first=Jack | last=Moore | date=March 7, 2016 | access-date=April 6, 2020}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Wikicommons}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==Further reading==
* [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index Sports Guy's World]
* [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/chris_ballard/03/22/qa.simmons/index.html Q&A: Bill Simmons]
* [http://shots.bostonsportsmedia.com/2005/09/the-boston-sports-guy-revisited-reinvented-and-revealed/ Bill Simmons Interview]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/20/fashion/sundaystyles/20simmons.html?_r=1&oref=slogin New York Times Story]


* Lacey Rose, [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/bill-simmons-espn-hbo-900291 "Bill Simmons Breaks Free: His "F-ing Shitty" ESPN Exit, Who Courted Him and Details of His HBO Show,"] ''The Hollywood Reporter'', June 8, 2016.

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [http://www.bostonsportsguy.com/ Sports Guy Unplugged]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040625200443/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index Sports Guy's World]
* {{Twitter}}
* [http://www.grantland.com/ Grantland]
* [https://www.theringer.com The Ringer]
{{NBA Countdown}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Bill}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Bill}}
[[Category:American sports radio personalities]]
[[Category:American sports radio personalities]]
[[Category:American sportswriters]]
[[Category:Writers from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area]]
[[Category:Brunswick School alumni]]
[[Category:Writers from Brookline, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:College of the Holy Cross alumni]]
[[Category:College of the Holy Cross alumni]]
[[Category:Boston University College of Communication alumni]]
[[Category:ESPN.com]]
[[Category:ESPN.com]]
[[Category:Radio programs on XM Radio]]
[[Category:ESPN people]]
[[Category:Radio programs on XM Satellite Radio]]
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:NBA broadcasters]]
[[Category:Writers from Boston]]
[[Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Sportswriters from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Shorty Award winners]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Brookline, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:American writers of Italian descent]]
[[Category:American sports podcasters]]

Latest revision as of 14:48, 21 November 2024

Bill Simmons
Simmons in 2011
Born
William John Simmons III

(1969-09-25) September 25, 1969 (age 55)
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Journalist, author, podcaster
Spouse
Kari Crichton
(m. 1999)
Children2
AwardsShorty Award (Best in Sports, 2010)
Websitetheringer.com

William John Simmons III[1][2] (born September 25, 1969)[3][4] is an American podcaster, sportswriter, and cultural critic who is the founder and CEO of the sports and pop culture website The Ringer. Simmons first gained attention with his website as "The Boston Sports Guy" and was recruited by ESPN in 2001, where he eventually operated the website Grantland and worked until 2015. At ESPN, he wrote for ESPN.com, hosted his own podcast on ESPN.com titled The B.S. Report and was an analyst for two years on NBA Countdown.

Simmons founded The Ringer, a sports and pop culture website and podcast network, in 2016 and serves as its CEO.[5] He hosted Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons on HBO for one season in 2016. At The Ringer, he hosts The Bill Simmons Podcast.[6] Simmons is known for a style of writing characterized by mixing sports knowledge and analysis, pop culture references, his non-sports-related personal life and for being written from the viewpoint of a passionate sports fan.[citation needed]

Early life and education

[edit]

Simmons was born on September 25, 1969, to William Simmons and Jan Corbo.[7][8][9] His father was a school administrator,[7][8] and his stepmother,[10] Molly Clark, is a doctor.[8] Simmons was an only child and grew up in Marlborough and Brookline, Massachusetts, before moving to Stamford, Connecticut, to live with his mother after his parents divorced when he was 9.[1][9] He attended the Greenwich Country Day School[9] and then Brunswick School in Greenwich, Connecticut, for high school.[11] In 1988, he completed a postgraduate year at Choate Rosemary Hall, a prep school located in Wallingford, Connecticut.[12] As a child Simmons read David Halberstam's book The Breaks of the Game, which he credited as the single most formative development in his sportswriting career.[13]

While attending the College of the Holy Cross, Simmons wrote a column for the school paper, The Crusader, called "Ramblings" and later served as the paper's sports editor.[14] He also restarted the school's parody newspaper and started a 12-14-page, underground, handwritten magazine about the people in his freshman hall called "The Velvet Edge."[1] He graduated in 1992 with a B.A. in political science (his primary focus was the Middle East, which he often cites in his columns by way of saying his sportswriting career has nothing to do with his degree) and a GPA of 3.04.[15] Subsequently, while living in Brookline, Massachusetts, he studied at Boston University, where he received his master's degree in print journalism two years later.[15][16]

Career

[edit]

Origins

[edit]

For eight years following grad school, Simmons lived in Charlestown working various jobs before eventually landing a job at ESPN.[16] The September after grad school, Simmons started working at the Boston Herald as a high school sports reporter and editorial assistant,[17] mainly "answering phones... organizing food runs, [and] working on the Sunday football scores section."[1][15] Three years later he got a job as a freelancer for Boston Phoenix[15] but was broke within three months and started bartending.[1] In 1997,[18] unable to get a newspaper job, Simmons "badgered"[1] Digital City Boston of AOL[19] into giving him a column, and he started the web site BostonSportsGuy.com while working as a bartender and waiter at night.[20][21] He decided to call his column "Sports Guy" since the site had a "Movie Guy."[19]

Originally the column was only available on AOL, and Simmons forwarded the column to his friends.[19] He began receiving e-mails from people asking if they could be put on his mailing list.[19] For the first 18 months, Simmons would send it to about 100 people, until it became available on the web in November 1998.[19] The website quickly built up a reputation as many of Simmons' friends from high school and college were e-mailing it to each other.[9] In 2001, his website averaged 10,000 readers and 45,000 hits per day.[15]

ESPN

[edit]
Connor Schell, Bill Simmons and John Dahl at the 70th Annual Peabody Awards

Simmons gained fame as "The Boston Sports Guy"[22] which earned him a job offer from ESPN[14] in 2001 to write three guest columns.[21] His second column was "Is Clemens the Antichrist?" which became one of the most e-mailed articles on the site that year.[21] Becoming one of the most popular columnists on the site,[23] Simmons was given his own section of ESPN.com's Page 2, which helped both himself and Page 2 gain widespread popularity.[22] In the first sixteen months which Simmons wrote for Page 2 the viewership doubled.[24] In late 2004 ESPN launched an online cartoon based on his columns[14] which Simmons later called a "debacle" and decided to stop.[1] Simmons wrote a column per month for his page titled "Sports Guy's World."[25]

As a lead columnist,[23] Simmons was one of the country's most widely read sports writers[26] and is considered a pioneer of sportswriting on the Internet.[23] His readership grew steadily over the following years.[23] In 2005, according to ESPN, Simmons' column averaged 500,000 unique visitors a month.[9][27] According to comScore, Simmons' column had averaged 1.4 million pageviews and 460,000 unique visitors a month between June and November 2009.[28][29]

In 2007, Simmons and Connor Schell[30] conceived the idea for 30 for 30, a series of 30 documentaries commemorating the 30th year of the "ESPN era."[31] Simmons and Schell took special interest to "stories that resonated at the time but were eventually forgotten for whatever reason."[31] The series premiered on October 6, 2009, with "King's Ransom" directed by Peter Berg.[32] Simmons served as executive producer on the project[14][33] until he left ESPN in 2015.

On May 8, 2007, Simmons began a podcast for ESPN.com called Eye of the Sportsguy.[34] On June 14, 2007, the podcast was changed to The B.S. Report with a new theme song written by Ronald Jenkees.[35] Simmons created one or two hourlong podcasts a week, generally carrying one theme throughout, talking to everyone from sports and media notables to his friends.[36] The B.S. Report was regularly the most downloaded podcast on ESPN.com[9][36] averaging 2 million downloads a month.[28][29] In 2009, The B.S. Report was downloaded more than 25.4 million times.[37]

Simmons began writing a bi-weekly[25] 800-word column[38] for ESPN The Magazine in 2002[39] but convinced ESPN after three years to give him 1,200 words.[38] On July 27, 2009, Simmons announced his retirement from the magazine[7] but continued to write for the Page 2 website.[7]

In October 2007, it was announced that Simmons joined the television series E:60 as a special contributor.[23] In May 2010, it was reported that Simmons and ESPN came to an agreement on a new contract, although no official announcement was made on the terms.[40]

Since 2009, Simmons has also been a moderator and panelist at the annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference[41] Starting in the 2012-2013 NBA season, Simmons joined the NBA Countdown pregame show as a panelist/contributor during ESPN/ABC's coverage of the NBA.[42] He left the show prior to the 2014–2015 season.

ESPN announced on May 8, 2015, that Simmons' contract, which was due to expire in September 2015, would not be renewed.[43]

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

[edit]

In the summer of 2002, Jimmy Kimmel had been trying to get Simmons to write for his new late-night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! which was to premiere after the Super Bowl.[9][24][29] Simmons refused for most of the summer because he did not want to cut back on his columns and move to the West Coast away from his family and Boston teams.[24] Kimmel kept on "badgering" him and by mid-September Kimmel had him "on the ropes."[24] It was crucial for Simmons that he could write for the show and on ESPN.com and in ESPN The Magazine, which was possible because of the Disney connection with ESPN and ABC.[24] He has also stated that he joined the show because he was burned out from his column, felt he needed a change, and always wanted to write for a talk show.[1][38]

Simmons left Boston and moved to California on November 16, 2002[44] and began working in April 2003[45] as a comedy writer for the show.[14] Simmons called it "the best move I ever made"[1] and said it was one of the best experiences of his life.[46] He left the show in the spring of 2004[46] after a year and a half of writing for the show.[9] He wanted to focus full-time on his column,[21] since his writing was starting to slip and he did not have enough time to work on columns or even think about them.[46] Simmons remained in California.[9]

Grantland

[edit]

Simmons served as the editor-in-chief of Grantland, a website owned by ESPN covering sports and pop culture that launched on June 8, 2011.[47] The website's name was a reference to deceased sportswriter Grantland Rice,[47] though it was reportedly not Simmons' choice for the name.[48] Sports blog Deadspin had previously reported in 2010 that Simmons was working on a "top secret editorial project."[49] Some key contributors to the website included Jalen Rose, Zach Lowe, Kirk Goldsberry and Wesley Morris. In August 2014, ESPN announced that Simmons would be leaving NBA Countdown in order to produce an 18 episode primetime show for ESPN through his site called The Grantland Basketball Show-later changed to The Grantland Basketball Hour-which would debut on October 21, 2014.[50] In these episodes, Simmons discussed NBA-related current events as well as some of his more popular sports columns with his co-host Jalen Rose. Special guests included fellow journalists, pop culture celebrities, as well as current and former coaches and athletes.[51] Months after it decided not to renew its contract with Simmons, ESPN shut down the Grantland website on October 30, 2015.[52][53]

HBO

[edit]

On July 22, 2015, Simmons announced he had signed a new multi-platform deal with HBO starting in October 2015. As part of this deal, he would host a weekly talk show, Any Given Wednesday. The show premiered on June 22, 2016.[54] It was cancelled in November 2016.[55] Simmons's multimedia deal with the network continued, and he announced there were plans for future projects at HBO.[55] A documentary on André the Giant was co-produced by HBO Sports, the WWE and the Bill Simmons Media Group, with Jason Hehir directing.[56] The documentary aired on HBO on April 10, 2018.

In late July 2018 it was revealed that HBO decided to renew Simmons's contract to remain with the network moving forward.[57]

The Ringer

[edit]

Simmons announced the launch of his new website, The Ringer, on February 17, 2016.[58] The site was to be run as part of his venture, the Bill Simmons Media Group, that was launched in the fall of 2015.[58][59] The media group includes several podcasts focusing on different aspects of sports, pop culture, and technology today, and features writers on The Ringer website as hosts of these podcasts. The website also hired a number of staffers who formerly worked with Simmons at Grantland.[58] The Ringer went live on June 1, 2016.[60]

On May 30, 2017, Vox Media announced that it had entered into a deal to provide advertising sales and access to its publishing platform as part of a revenue sharing agreement. Simmons retained editorial control of the website.[61] On February 5, 2020, Simmons announced that Spotify was buying The Ringer for approximately $200 million,[62] with Daniel Ek describing The Ringer as "the new ESPN."[63] Simmons stated that The Ringer will maintain content and editorial independence.[64]

At The Ringer, Simmons serves as CEO, writing less than during his previous endeavors. He hosts The Bill Simmons Podcast which regularly rotates through conversations and interviews with Hollywood personalities, professional athletes, other media pundits, old friends, and family. Regulars include his college roommate Joe House, Sal Iacono, Ryen Russillo, Chuck Klosterman, David Chang, and Simmons' father.

In June 2020, Simmons received criticism for the lack of racial diversity in The Ringer following email comments he made to The New York Times, particularly that: "It's a business. This isn't Open Mic Night."[65] Critics noted that Simmons employed his nephew as a producer and had created a podcast for his teenage daughter.[66][67]

Writing

[edit]

On October 1, 2005, Simmons released his first New York Times best-selling[39][68] book, Now I Can Die in Peace.[69] The book is a collection of his columns, with minor changes and lengthy footnotes, leading up to the 2004 World Series victory by the Boston Red Sox.[69] The book spent five weeks on The New York Times extended best-seller list.[21]

In July 2008, Simmons announced that he would be taking 10 weeks off from writing columns for ESPN.com's Page 2 to concentrate on finishing his second book,[70] The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy, which was released on October 27, 2009.[71] The book tries to find out who really are the best players and teams of all time and the answers to some of the greatest "What ifs?" in NBA history.[72] It debuted at the top of The New York Times Best Seller list for non-fiction books.[26][73][74]

Style

[edit]

When Simmons first started his website, he wrote what he thought friends would enjoy reading because he never understood how people could be sportswriters while claiming they did not care which team won, in the name of journalistic objectivity.[21] Since Simmons was writing on the web he figured that "in order to get people to read it, it had to be different from what people got in newspapers and magazines."[75] He claims that he believed his job was not to get into the heads of the players, but into the heads of his readers,[76] and to do so by updating frequently and being provocative, and get a discussion going with his readers.[76] Simmons has stated that he "...will never write a traditional sports column."[76]

With his column, Simmons aims to speak for,[40] reconnect sportswriting with, and reproduce the experience for the average fan.[27] Simmons' writing in his columns is characterized by mixing sports knowledge,[16] references to pop culture[16][18][27][77] including movies and television shows,[78] his non-sports-related personal life, his many fantasy sports teams,[27] video games,[27] and references to adult video.[73][79] His columns often mention trips to Las Vegas[80] or other gambling venues with his friends, including blackjack and sports gambling.[27][81]

In 2007, he was named the 12th-most influential person in online sports by the Sports Business Journal, the highest position on the list for a non-executive.[23]

Controversy

[edit]

A frequent column target for Simmons in the past has been former New York Knicks coach and general manager Isiah Thomas.[77][82][83] This led to Thomas threatening Simmons on Stephen A. Smith's radio show in early 2006, saying that there would be "trouble" if they ever met in the street.[82][83][84] Upon a meeting in Las Vegas, they both decided they were entertainers at heart.[82] Simmons and Red Sox announcer Jerry Remy feuded over the presidency of Red Sox Nation. The Red Sox asked Simmons to run for the ceremonial position and he accepted. In a candidate's memo, Simmons remarked that he was a better choice than Remy because he is not a smoker.[85] Remy criticized Simmons for about five minutes during the July 16, 2007 NESN broadcast of a Red Sox–Royals game.[86] Simmons later removed himself from consideration and Remy was named president.[87]

Simmons faced widespread critique in 2013 when he linked local fans' ambivalence about Memphis Grizzlies's chances to lingering trauma surrounding the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.[88][89] In September 2017, Simmons voiced his support for Jemele Hill, who became involved in controversy after tweeting her personal views on Donald Trump.[90]

On September 1, 2021, The New York Times published an investigation into The Ringer′s workplace culture. It included accusations that Simmons had tried to marginalize The Ringer′s newly formed union, through tactics such as bringing in contract workers and unfollowing writers on Twitter who had expressed support for the union.[91]

On April 26, 2022, Simmons drew criticism from current and former NBA players over his comment stating "...fuck Jalen Green" when discussing his choices for All-Rookie first team.[92] Simmons later clarified that the expletive was a joke and not a personal attack, and that he was simply indicating his preference for Herb Jones as a candidate for the All-Rookie team. On May 24, 2022, Simmons hosted Jalen Green as a guest on his podcast, where the two discussed the controversy and cleared the air.[93]

In June 2023, when referring to the mutual decision of Spotify and Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex's Archewell productions to end a $20 million agreement and part ways after only 12 episodes of a single podcast (Meghan's Archetypes podcast) and one holiday special, Simmons labelled the Prince and Duchess "fucking grifters".[94][95][96] Simmons (who is an executive at Spotify overseeing podcast innovation and monetization) further stated: "'The Fucking Grifters'. That's the podcast we should have launched with them. I have got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It's one of my best stories [...] Fuck them. The grifters."[97]

Conflicts with ESPN

[edit]

Simmons at times had tense and public battles with ESPN about creative freedom and censorship.[98] In May 2008, Simmons was embroiled in a dispute with management at ESPN.com. When asked by the editors of Deadspin why he had not written a new column in over two weeks, he said that he was writing less because he loved writing his column and believed that he and ESPN had come to an agreement "on creative lines, media criticism rules, the promotion of the column and everything else on ESPN.com" but within a few months all of those things changed.[99]

A month before the feud erupted, Simmons was scheduled to interview then-senator Barack Obama for a podcast.[100] Obama was still running against then-senator Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination at the time.[100] ESPN nixed the interview, saying that they would allow their reporters and columnists to interview a presidential candidate only after the nomination had been finalized.[100]

In November 2008, according to Deadspin, Simmons quit the B.S. Report due to corporate interference with his writing.[101] The controversy revolved around the admission of pornstar Christian into an ESPN fantasy basketball league.[101][102] Simmons was upset that his explanation of ESPN's refusal to allow him into the league was edited out of a podcast.[102] On November 25, 2008, Simmons returned to recording his B.S. Report podcast with a disclaimer, which said "The BS Report is a free flowing conversation that occasionally touches on mature subjects."[103]

In late 2009, Simmons was punished by ESPN for writing tweets critical of Boston sports radio station WEEI's The Big Show. He was suspended for two weeks from Twitter, though he was still allowed to post tweets about his ongoing book tour.[104] ESPN again suspended him from Twitter in March 2013 after he posted tweets critical of ESPN's First Take.[105]

On September 24, 2014, ESPN suspended Simmons for three weeks for criticizing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's handling of the Ray Rice domestic violence case.[106][107] During his podcast, Simmons stated that Goodell was lying when he claimed that he did not know what was on the tape that showed Rice punching his fiancé in the face and knocking her out in a hotel elevator.[106][107][108][109]

On May 8, 2015, ESPN president John Skipper announced[110] that the sports media conglomerate would not be renewing Simmons's contract, which was set to expire in September 2015. On May 15, it was announced that Simmons' would no longer be working at ESPN, effective immediately.[111]

Personal life

[edit]

Simmons is married to Kari Simmons (née Crichton),[14] mentioned only as "The Sports Gal" in his columns.[80] They have two children together.[8][112] His father, William Simmons Jr. (born 1947), also referred to as "The Sports Dad", was the superintendent of schools in Easton, Massachusetts, for more than 15 years.[8]

Simmons is a devoted fan of Boston's teams[16][21][80][113] including the Boston Red Sox,[114][115] New England Patriots,[115][116] and Boston Celtics.[24][115] He was a longtime fan of the Boston Bruins and the NHL, but claims that their poor management led to his completely losing interest in them until the 2008 playoffs.[117] He also says he is a fan of English Premier League football team Tottenham Hotspur, and he has had playful debates on football with previous ESPN colleague David Hirshey, a football columnist and a die-hard fan of Tottenham's fierce rival Arsenal.[118]

Simmons and his family established the Simmons Family Foundation. They made a scholarship gift to Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism to support HBCU graduates.[119][120]

In May 2023, Simmons reaction of sadness became a meme following the Celtics' Game 7 loss to the Heat.[121]

Influence

[edit]

Simmons also has created numerous internet memes, most notably the Ewing Theory[122][123] (though the idea was originally proposed by a reader[122]), The Tyson Zone[124] and the Manning Face.[125]

References

[edit]
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Further reading

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