Fansided

CBS, NBC sound uninterested in signing Bill Simmons

ByJonathan Bass|
Credit: ESPN
Credit: ESPN

CBS and NBC executives do not, right now, sound interested in signing Bill Simmons

Now that the Godfather of sports blogs, Bill Simmons, and his frenemployer (friend/enemy/employer) ESPN have parted ways, the real fun begins: Simbo Watch 2015. It’s kinda like Panda Watch 2004 mixed with every year LeBron opts out of his contract – only for those of us as interested in sports media as we are actual sports.

One can only hope that this whole shindig ends with Simmons sitting down with Jim Gray for an interview (monetized online video only) where he announces his Decision before promptly kicking Gray into the bear pit (all proceeds will be split between the Boys and Girls Clubs of Los Angeles and Boston).

As it stands now, there are no leaders in the Bill Simmons sweepstakes. However, if they can be taken at face value, it appears that two of the Big Three networks – CBS and NBC – are uninterested in the free agent media mogul. According to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, during a recent panel discussion both networks’ sports programing executives sidestepped any talk of bringing Simmons under their umbrellas.

"On the same panel, NBC Sports Group Chair Mark Lazarus and CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus both said the popular columnist is not part of their plans right now. Lazarus: “I’ve never met the man. We don’t have a reason to do business right now.” McManus: “I would agree with Mark.”"

Eric Shanks, president of Fox Sports, was also on the panel, but took a “wait and see” approach when broaching the topic.

Ever since ESPN president John Skipper publicly terminated Simmons earlier this month (technically: informing that Simmons’ contract would not be renewed, and subsequently stating that the Grantland editor-in-chief would have no further front-facing roles with the company) speculation to where the Sports Guy will land has run rampant.

Popular theories include CNN/Turner/Bleacher Report, thanks to the abundance of platforms, Turner’s rights to the NBA and its monster bankroll. Conventional thought being that Simmons could carve out his brand extension across television and the Internet, much like he started with Grantland’s multimedia endeavors (it also doesn’t hurt that TNT has the market cornered when it comes to Shawshank Redemption broadcasts – a Simmons stronghold).

Burgeoning online media giants Vox and Gawker are also ripe for speculation, given their loose (compared to the Disney-owned ESPN) editorial reins and young but well-educated audiences. One is flush with venture capital cash and can pay; the other, maybe equity could be in play?

There’s also the speculation that Simmons stays a free agent and cobbles together income from a few different sources. Perhaps he creates a new publishing platform with Twitter’s co-founders. Maybe he follows his buddy Ace (Adam Carolla) into the world of daily monetized podcasts. Or what if he himself is bankrolled by a VC firm and reconstructs Grantland 2.0 (The G.O.A.T.?) with many of the power players whom he built his last site around.

All cards are on the table. And even with Lazarus and McManus playing coy, two words in Lazarus’s response (and McManus’s concurrence) ring loudly – “We don’t have a reason to do business right now.” Who knows what the future leads. Until then, keep Gray on speed dial and the bear pit stocked.

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