Bill Simmons vs. ESPN and the NFL: The Decline of Sports Journalism

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Anyone out there who has written a sports, movie, wrestling or pop culture related article over the past fifteen years is in some way influenced by Bill Simmons. It may not have been a conscious move or the writer's intent, but it doesn't change the fact that the self proclaimed Sports Guy has his fingerprints on it. Since he broke onto the scene in the late, late 20th Century, Simmons has become the symbol for the modern day era of sports writing. Before him, sports journalism was numbingly by the book, with little to no personality involved. Simmons changed that, for better or worse. His sports writing was as often times funny, important and immensely readable while also being out of control, sexist (something he thankfully cleaned up as he matured) and loaded with Tommy Heinsohn levels of homerism. There's a lot to like and a lot to hate about Bill Simmons, but one thing is clear; he changed sports writing for the better. I'm thankful for that; as a big fan of his for the most part (the levels of sexism in his past columns do disappoint me), I can say for a fact I wouldn't be here today writing if it weren't for Simmons. He is in many ways much like his friend and my favorite all time wrestler CM Punk; a maverick. It's the thing that makes them admirable, infuriating and what ultimately cost them both.

Simmons in the Grantland Studio

It's not surprising at all that ESPN and Bill Simmons parted ways this past Friday. Long before John Skipper's cold as ice press release was the writing on the wall regarding the relationship between both parties. Simmons has frustrated many of the higher ups at ESPN for his brash, outspoken nature over the years, while ESPN has annoyed him with a combination of slights (not letting him interview Barack Obama), rigidness and plain old corporate policies. In a lot of ways, Simmons situation does mirror Punk's with WWE; a partnership between a top star and his organization that should prosper, only to fall apart due to politics, infighting and ego. Just like it wasn't surprising that the relationship between Punk and WWE failed, neither way is surprising that the one between ESPN and Simmons did. The only shock there is that it happened now, and not back in the fall after ESPN suspended two weeks for...you know, we'll get to that.

Because the reason Simmons was fired is, in a word, confounding. According to author James Andrew Miller (who co-wrote the ESPN biography Those Guys Have All the Fun), the last straw came from Simmons' appearance Thursday on the Dan Patrick Show, when Simmons was quoted as saying NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell lacked "testicular fortitude" in regards to his handling of pretty much every NFL scandal these past few years. That's right, if Miller is to be believed), ESPN decided not to renew Simmons' contract, not because of a crime he committed, not for a serious scandal and not even for his remarks about Goodell this past September that got him suspended for two weeks and were far more controversial than his recent statement. No, Simmons' tenure at the worldwide leader came to an end because he dared to use a non flattering every day statement to describe a sports figure, on a national radio show by a former ESPN anchor. I'm sorry, what?

On the outside looking in, it does seem as ludicrous as it sounds. Why on earth would a company fire one of their most profitable names over a not that offensive phrase? Some would say ESPN was looking for anything, and damnit, I mean anything, to use to justify Simmons' departure to rid themselves of his pay grade and attitude, and this statement did the trick. Others may point out that it was simply Simmons appearing on Patrick's show that did the deed, something ESPN has frowned upon their talent doing since the former Sportscenter legend left in 2007. While those two issues may have played a part, the bigger reason (and the scariest) is because of who Simmons' comments were directed at; Roger Goodell. Indeed, Simmons' comments and his subsequent dismissal serve to highlight a chilling fact that becomes more and more clear by the day; don't talk bad about the leader of the NFL. Otherwise, you'll end up just like Simmons; silenced like one of his favorite characters in The Godfather, although in this case he's merely swimming with the figurative fishes.

Yes, the National Fuck You Football League, in just a few short years, has become the most corrupt non boxing sports organization on the planet. It's really not hard to see why; the game is the most popular sport here in the United States, drawing some of the highest ratings in history and raking in big bucks from almost every single TV Network alive. NBC? TV deal with the NFL. CBS? Yup. Fox? You bet. ESPN? Duh. Only ABC (who is associated strong with ESPN) and Turner Sports don't have a TV deal with the NFL, deals that have helped make the league one of the most profitable ventures in America. With that profit, however, has come power, and as the old adage goes, power corrupts. Think about the NFL in the past couple of years. There's been numerous controversies; Spygate, the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal (late proven to greatly exaggerated), concussion lawsuits, the Ray Rice domestic violence case, the Jonathan Martin bullying scandal, more domestic violence cases and now Deflategate. That's a whole lot of stuff that's been going poorly for the NFL. And yet, why is it that no one seems to care?

It's simple; sports media, while certainly not ignoring these issues, hasn't reported on them as much as they should. Just think about how much you remember each scandal. Does anyone recall how bad Jonathan Martin was bullied by the racist, homophobic Richie Incognito? Or that the Saints weren't actually as guilty as many still seem to believe? Or how about the fact that the NFL seemed to do a better, quicker investigation for a controversy over air in a football than they did when a man hit his wife in an elevator? All of these factoids have been lost, like tears and rain, a product of fear within each major sports network. You see, the NFL's ability to make money and it's deals with almost every network has bought them more than just worldwide recognition; it's brought them silence. After all, why would a network come out and criticize the NFL or Roger Goodell for poor decision making (and that's putting it kindly) and risk the NFL bolting for another network or their own? No wonder the NFL has gotten more popular as the credibility of the sport has sunk. There may not be a conspiracy between journalists, but it's pretty clear between networks that when it comes to the NFL, better to adhere to a code of silence when it comes to the ills. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Indeed.

And that's why Simmons was let go from ESPN. The Sports Guy, much like his nemesis and fellow ESPN employee Keith Olbermann, never bowed down to the master, never adhered to any sort of code of silence in regards to Goodell's wrong doing. Simmons has been as outspoken as anyone on Goodell since he botched the Bounty Gate investigation, something that boiled over immensely when the Rice incident occurred. And that's the dirty little secret of all this; Simmons has never been wrong about Goodell. Goodell did screw up the Saints bounty scandal, likely because he was trying too hard to prove he was cleaning up the league following all sorts of concussion drama. He did screw up the Ray Rice case, and potentially was even complicit in covering it up. And his failures at those two investigations have made it hard to believe he's going to do right for this Deflategate scandal, a scandal that I again remind you is over a little bit of air left out of a football. Not exactly fixing a game here. All Simmons ever did was point this out. Was it perhaps sometimes with a little too much vigor? Sure, but ESPN for years had allowed Simmons to go off on profanity laced tirades on his podcast (which also features a disclaimer, warning people that swearing can happen), and his recent comments on Patrick's show were light years away from being as bad as the rant that got him suspended. If Simmons had gone off on any other sport, I bet him and ESPN are still negotiating. But he went off on Goodell, and fearing the wrath of the evil empire that doesn't like it when they're called out, John Skipper and ESPN tightened up like Byung-hyun Kim and set Simmons free.

In the end, it's their loss. Simmons will land on his feet somewhere when his contract officially expires this Fall (though it could, and likely will, be sooner, seeing how ESPN ended the relationship), and will continue to deliver his witty, controversial, for the most part excellent writing. As much as ESPN would like you to believe otherwise, his audience will leave the worldwide leader, and so may many of the talent Simmons brought to his website Grantland (a fantastic, but money losing endeavor that will likely lose more now that the top talent is gone). I'm sure in the end, ESPN thinks it's worth it. The NFL, at the end of the day, will still make ESPN more money than Simmons did, and will keep on rolling to the tune of a Limp Bizkit song. But at what price? What cost to journalistic integrity and the ability for one to speak their mind? That is what I'll take away from this Simmons fiasco more than anything. At the end of all things, a popular sportswriter, a person with a voice that should be heard, was silenced because his employers didn't want to hurt the feelings of America's most popular sport. The silence now grows louder. And we will proceed in our continuance to not care.

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