The failure of "Any Given Wednesday" can't be completely blamed on Simmons. It aired once a week, at a weird time, and didn't really have much leading into it.
You look at the talent that he had on — Ben Affleck, Charles Barkley, Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Kevin Durant, Nas, Wayne Gretzky! It's not exactly diverse (women had no place on the show, though he did have Caitlyn Jenner, for whatever that's worth), but it was a pretty star-studded show.
Critics suggest that Simmons is not cut out for television, which may be true, but comparing him to Bill Maher, who has been a television host for something like 20 years, isn't really fair. And John Oliver is great, but give Bill Simmons a better writing staff and tell him to yell at a camera for thirty minutes straight, he could certainly pull that off.
The reason the show failed is because it primarily dealt with sports and pop culture in a limited time frame (30 minutes), while only airing once a week. These days, the pulse of sports and pop culture changes by the minute — scratch that, the second! — so a show about this would have to air at least every weekday in order to really catch on. Nobody cares about what happened on Wednesday come Thursday morning. That's just the reality.
Simmons will be back.
You look at the talent that he had on — Ben Affleck, Charles Barkley, Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Kevin Durant, Nas, Wayne Gretzky! It's not exactly diverse (women had no place on the show, though he did have Caitlyn Jenner, for whatever that's worth), but it was a pretty star-studded show.
Critics suggest that Simmons is not cut out for television, which may be true, but comparing him to Bill Maher, who has been a television host for something like 20 years, isn't really fair. And John Oliver is great, but give Bill Simmons a better writing staff and tell him to yell at a camera for thirty minutes straight, he could certainly pull that off.
The reason the show failed is because it primarily dealt with sports and pop culture in a limited time frame (30 minutes), while only airing once a week. These days, the pulse of sports and pop culture changes by the minute — scratch that, the second! — so a show about this would have to air at least every weekday in order to really catch on. Nobody cares about what happened on Wednesday come Thursday morning. That's just the reality.
Simmons will be back.
He's a great podcaster, and 30 for 30 is one of the best documentary series ever. But yeah, he is awkwardly bad on TV and shouldn't do any more. He could be a kind of Rod Serling for a sports documentary series, but nothing off-script.
Many sports media star personalities have dimmed when they take up orbit outside the gravitational pull of the ESPN platform. Simmons is the latest (but not the last) to learn the value of the built-in audience. His petulant attitude, which is matched by his prodigious writing skill and ability to attract other terrific writers, makes him more of a target as he fades.
2
I have enjoyed Simmons' writing from back in the ESPN Page2 Era - probably his peak in terms of creativity, humor, and quality. Even back then, as he first began appearing on TV, it was clear that it was not his medium. Improvement since then had been negligible.
To me, the first and biggest problem is his voice -thin and nasal. He doesn't have the chops to deliver the humor and passion that seem to flow so easily on the (web)page.
To me, the first and biggest problem is his voice -thin and nasal. He doesn't have the chops to deliver the humor and passion that seem to flow so easily on the (web)page.
2
The Ringer doesn't have an editorial purpose or voice or predictable output.
It finds them it will be fine. Too many good intentions when it needs focu focus and more focus.
It finds them it will be fine. Too many good intentions when it needs focu focus and more focus.
Like so many before him, Mr Simmons thought he was bigger than ESPN, and he found very quickly, just as the others have, that no one is bigger than the mothership. He yearned for that siren of Hollywood, but alas should have stayed where he belonged, in Connecticut.
1
I was unaware Mr. Sandomir has already started his new job of writing obituaries for the NYT
5
Grantland was amazing. I was sad to see it go. A perfect blend of sports and pop culture. Great writers, with Bill as the anchor. I never bought into Any Given Wednesday, but I have followed The Ringer closely. Unfortunately, it's a shell of its previous incarnation. The sports analysis isn't as good, Bill hasn't posted much and the site is overtly leftist to an annoying degree. The Ringer tries to do too much and does very little well.
1
He was painful to watch during NBA broadcasts, which makes you question Lombardi's judgment and/or research. That's a big contract HBO may have to essentially eat now. Simmons' columns were ridiculously long and low-brow (misogynistic jokes aplenty) and he is legendarily thin skinned. Still, he has a knack for producing quality among a variety of media. Time now to see if he can bounce back a second time. It seems this blow could be the hardest to recover from.
5
I never bought into Simmons the Star. I doubt that it is his humility that does him in, but I don't know him personally, so I could be wrong in assuming he's as full of himself as it seems. And HBO is a bad venue for sports talk. Bryant Gumbel as the ringmaster for Real Sports is more of a habit than a fix at this point, but we sure don't need a glass pipe full of the little guy on top of that.
3
I am not much of a sports fan and so Simmons is new to me. I enjoyed his snarkiness and great guest line.
1
Look, I don't have HBO so this is not about the show but I still enjoy his podcasts and, as before, it depends really on the guests. The Web site I find really uninteresting. Not that the entire output of Grantland was up my alley but I find the topics on The Ringer just dull especially the overemphasis on lamestream music.
4
As many before him, Simmons has moved obliviously to his level of incompetence. He was at his absolute best as a writer, producing compulsively readable pieces on teams and games or even just his NFL picks for the week. There was nothing better than when he sat down to watch a big game on TV and produced a copious take on his impressions as it progressed. And Grantland and 30 for 30 were wonderful successes. But then he seems to have become a prima donna in his relationship with ESPN, alienated the brass there and left us - for what - big money and stuff he's not good at. It's as if someone was whispering in his ear. He probably now feels he can never go back to the things he did so well, that he's moved beyond them, but if he'd stuck to writing, and developed, he could have been the Red Smith of his generation.
12
I've always loved Simmons writing. But he's been and remains pretty awful on tv("less than compelling " is way too kind). Never understood the outsize presence he was given on ABC for the NBA. Leading off his HBO show with the insufferable Ben Affleck(I'm so with Jennifer Garner) was inexcusable and highlighted the worst of Simmons: his too much Boston too often. I was out immediately. And now this must be the dozenth article I've read dissecting this newest failure. Enough. There's plenty of pop culture mysteries worth exploring! This ain't one of em.
2
His best written work was always about NBA or NFL team deep dive breakdowns at various points in the season with pop culture sprinkled in. The Grantland channel was great on many NBA items too for example. Some real funny stuff.
He moved too far away from it and his NFL and ESPN beefs just got tiresome. Most of us were well over Deflategate so bringing on Affleck to whine about it was not a good start. First impressions matter. Time to go back to what made him popular.
He moved too far away from it and his NFL and ESPN beefs just got tiresome. Most of us were well over Deflategate so bringing on Affleck to whine about it was not a good start. First impressions matter. Time to go back to what made him popular.
2
I saw the last show of the season. The problem with the show is that Bill uses the words "I" and "me" way too much and that there's absolutely nothing interesting about him. To be honest, his podcasts are the same.
But last Wednesday's show - with Carolla and Kimell as guests - was great. It made me nostalgic for The Man Show. Those two guys are funny and even funnier together.
But last Wednesday's show - with Carolla and Kimell as guests - was great. It made me nostalgic for The Man Show. Those two guys are funny and even funnier together.
7
Every writer aspires to move beyond the sports page into broadcasting and many excel on radio and podcasts. But TV is a whole different ballgame and Simmons simply doesn't have the chops. His voice is thin, his screen presence flat and he acts like the kid who is always trying too hard to be cool. Go back to writing, Bill, the screen ain't your fan or friend.
9
I subscribe to HBO in great reason because it is NOT ESPN. I do not want sports of any kind on HBO, Cable has way too much sports and sports talk already. Between ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News, ESPN U, CBS Sports OTA & Cable, NBC Sports OTA & Cable, Fox Sports OTA & Cable, Comcast Sports, The Golf Channel, The League Channels, Big Ten Network, Sec Network Pac 12 Network, Longhorn Network and such I think the subject is not only covered- it is beaten to death. Add in the numerous channels of satellite radio and broadcast radio wasted with sports formats. And the truth is most hours on these channels is nothing more than gossip and speculation- I would use another term not allowed here.
BYW, while you are at it cancel Boxing. Not only is it a corrupt and brutal thing, it is boring and belongs over on ESPN 12 or whatever new sports channel launched this week. Send Mr Simmons over to Fox- a set of channels I refuse to watch - where he can pontificate on how many Tight Ends can dance on the head of a pin. Not on my dime and not on my time.