Re: Can Bill Simmons Win The Big One? (Grantland.com)
As a former sports writer, I'm all for long form articles, but goodness, there needs to be a better filter on what is getting published on that site. The one column about the guy moving to Seattle and Ichiro was terrible, imo, and some of the other stuff on there hasn't been that good, either.
I've noticed in the last year or two Simmons mentioning how he attends NBA Finals games and there's a pic of him at the Stanley Cup Finals; I'm not saying he shouldn't go to those games because he's free to spend his money how he wants, but the way he writes his columns, it does come off as bragging to an extent and I don't like it.
What made Simmons popular back in the day was that pretty much every guy that was a sports fan could relate to him; he was sitting there on the sofa, just like us, and writing columns about what we all saw. Now, he's turned his nose up at baseball (for ridiculous reasons; um, baseball has always been about stats, Simmons) and only seems to write "retro-diaries" (which is a really cheap way of doing things AFTER the game has already happened) on basketball games and chimes in with a few football columns. His popular mailbags also appear very infrequently.
Guys are allowed to change things up, but I think Simmons is starting to alienate his core audience. He appears more focused on his celebrity than being the "Sports Guy" that we all loved.
It's funny because writers constantly rip on professional athletes for their big egos, when in fact, the writers have just as big, if not bigger, egos than the athletes. You see this all the time and the post a while back where someone's friend tried to introduce himself to Simmons is a prime example; if a writer in a big spot feels that you are beneath him, he will treat you like a piece of crap, without having even exchanged a hello with you. It's a shame because there are some really nice guys in the industry, but I've seen peoples' egos spiral way out of control in the sports journalism world, and I think Simmons now falls into that category of guys who have let the celebrity get to their heads.
It shouldn't matter if Joe Blow is writing for a small hometown newspaper; if he's a fan of Simmons' work and wants to say hi, the least Simmons can do is be cordial to the guy. No one says you have to be friends with everyone you meet, but that doesn't give you the right to just blow off people, either, if you don't think they are on "your level".
As a former sports writer, I'm all for long form articles, but goodness, there needs to be a better filter on what is getting published on that site. The one column about the guy moving to Seattle and Ichiro was terrible, imo, and some of the other stuff on there hasn't been that good, either.
I've noticed in the last year or two Simmons mentioning how he attends NBA Finals games and there's a pic of him at the Stanley Cup Finals; I'm not saying he shouldn't go to those games because he's free to spend his money how he wants, but the way he writes his columns, it does come off as bragging to an extent and I don't like it.
What made Simmons popular back in the day was that pretty much every guy that was a sports fan could relate to him; he was sitting there on the sofa, just like us, and writing columns about what we all saw. Now, he's turned his nose up at baseball (for ridiculous reasons; um, baseball has always been about stats, Simmons) and only seems to write "retro-diaries" (which is a really cheap way of doing things AFTER the game has already happened) on basketball games and chimes in with a few football columns. His popular mailbags also appear very infrequently.
Guys are allowed to change things up, but I think Simmons is starting to alienate his core audience. He appears more focused on his celebrity than being the "Sports Guy" that we all loved.
It's funny because writers constantly rip on professional athletes for their big egos, when in fact, the writers have just as big, if not bigger, egos than the athletes. You see this all the time and the post a while back where someone's friend tried to introduce himself to Simmons is a prime example; if a writer in a big spot feels that you are beneath him, he will treat you like a piece of crap, without having even exchanged a hello with you. It's a shame because there are some really nice guys in the industry, but I've seen peoples' egos spiral way out of control in the sports journalism world, and I think Simmons now falls into that category of guys who have let the celebrity get to their heads.
It shouldn't matter if Joe Blow is writing for a small hometown newspaper; if he's a fan of Simmons' work and wants to say hi, the least Simmons can do is be cordial to the guy. No one says you have to be friends with everyone you meet, but that doesn't give you the right to just blow off people, either, if you don't think they are on "your level".
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