The r/BillSimmons Podcast

Bill Simmons has been chirping at Pat McAfee for months. A few weeks back Bill ripped off a lengthy impression making in fun of McAfee on his show. This closely followed Bill & Cousin Sal's buddy Jimmy Kimmel being miffed at McAfee guest Aaron Rodgers. McAfee waited a month, but today landed what I consider a nuclear blast on Simmons - audio included in the first two minutes of the pod. In...

Welcome to Episode 64! We bring on Brett (@CCM_Brett) from the Chit Chat Stocks Podcast (@chitchatstocks) for a deep dive into Spotify. The company's been in the news lately following a robust earnings report celebrated by Wall Street and their new deal with Joe Rogan, where he will still be with Spotify, but non-exclusive to their platform. On the pod we discuss 1) Why investors liked the rec...

Welcome to Episode 63! We had massive news last week with Joe Rogan re-upping his Spotify deal, but with major changes to his initial contract. We bring back Neil from Episode 62 to break it all down. First, this deal is much different than Joe's previous deal, as he's going non-exclusive and Spotify will help with ads and distribution, including on YouTube. The contract is also structured...

Welcome to Episode 62! We bring on Neil from Twitter (@NeilYayamanj) to discuss his journey of Bill Simmons fanhood over the last several years. This is the spiritual sequel to the fan favorite 4-hour Epic, Definitive Bill Simmons Retrospective, this time exploring in depth the period of Bill Simmons from 2017-2024. We kick off the pod talking about Neil's introduction to Bill and how he immed...

Welcome to Episode 61! We bring on Henry from Twitter for a classic r/BS Pod episode. After discussing our backgrounds with Bill, we hit on several topics: — Why does he focus so much on announcers & pre-game shows? — What's worse these days, his NFL takes or NBA takes? — Ringer employees: Who is good, who isn't? — Downfall of The Rewatchables — His overall hypocrisy We also discuss Bi...

We break down the much maligned Peacock game! Enjoy — 23 Million viewers much better than predictions — Financials mean it was a great buy by NBC — There will be a bidding war for next year's game(s) — NBA on NBC/Peacock now close to locked in

Welcome to Episode 59! The Peacock game is all the rage with wild takes left and right all week. As someone that works in sports media, I had to break it down. This is an EXCELLENT move for Peacock, and makes a ton of strategic sense for the NFL long-term. I go through the streaming and media landscape in 2024 to explain why. Thank you to @_zachblatter for the podcast art and @WiserTimesmusic for...

Welcome to Episode 58! We bring on Bridger, the founder and editor in chief of New Grantland. That's right - a website dedicated to continuing the legacy and spirit of the epic Bill Simmons led ESPN project in the early 2010s. We start off discussing what we both loved about Grantland, and why it truly was a once in a generation publication and also the last of its kind in the internet era. Al...

Pat McAfee called out his boss and the #3 executive at ESPN by name on Friday's show. He not only didn't get suspended, but was back on ESPN on Monday doubling down, talking up his relationships with Bob Iger and ESPN's CEO and #2 exec, having on top ESPN talent from the national championship game set, and being front and center for College GameDay. At least for now, McAfee has achieve...

We have a special emergency podcast for a fast developing massive sports media story. We start with why Pat McAfee is at ESPN in the first place; ESPN is experiencing quickly declining profits and felt the need to take a high risk (and potential high reward) move. Next we discuss who Norby Williamson is (one of the most powerful people at ESPN) and his alleged use of strategic leaking to sports me...

Welcome to Episode 55! We bring on Zach (@_zachblatter on Twitter) from The Strickland (@TheStrickland), a Knicks-focused podcast, to talk Bill, Russillo, sports media, podcasts and more. The timing for this pod couldn't have been better given the RJ Barrett trade, so Zach gives his initial reaction and we discuss takes from Bill and KOC on the news. Next we get into Zach's background with...

Welcome to Episode 54! We bring on Richie from Twitter for a wide ranging conversation on Bill Simmons and the state of the BS Pod & The Ringer. Richie is a Simmons fan from the Page 2 days that recently started listening to the show again and has noticed a major drop on Bill's fastball. What was the reason for the decline? We discuss how Bill became what he used to rail against in the mid...

The Wall Street Journal just broke the news that Amazon is in discussions to invest in Diamond Sports, the owner of Bally's Sports Networks. This could have a major impact on the future of sports rights and specifically NBA rights. In this episode I discuss why Diamond Sports has performed so poorly and had to go bankrupt, what the leagues are looking to get from the bankruptcy, what Amazon is...

That's right — a four and a half hour podcast. Call the r/BS Pod the evolutionary JRE. We bring back Smug (@SmugFecundity on Twitter) for his 3rd appearance, after the legendary Epic, Definitive 4-Hour Bill Simmons Career Retrospective (Episode 25), the most popular r/BS Pod episode (1100 listens) besides the Harry & Meghan reaction pod that got picked up by UK media. For the first part of...

Welcome to Episode 51! In today's show I break down two hot media stories. Why is Disney licensing content to Netflix, and what does it mean for the Streaming Wars? What are experts now saying about the NBA's upcoming media deal? And how do they relate to one another? We break it down. This is a must listen for those who follow streaming and sports media closely.

We have podcasting beef! Bill Simmons called out JJ Redick for comments JJ made about his time at The Ringer and we had to react. We go through the backstory of Bill and JJ's business relationship, previous comments JJ has made about The Ringer, the relative success of each podcaster's video efforts, and close with some broad thoughts about Bill and Spotify's podcasting strategy. Hope...

Welcome to Episode 49! We bring on Chance from Twitter for a wide-ranging conversation about Bill Simmons following one of the wonkiest BS Pod weeks in history. We start off talking Michael Rubin's appearance, which went over like a chainsaw in the jacuzzi; is he the most hated guest in BS Pod history? Most say yes. We also pull a Russillo-esque zag and explain where our views differed from th...

We bring on Alex from Twitter (@AlexxLawson) for an excellent conversation on a variety of Bill Simmons related topics. First, we assess Bill's NFL content and agree that yes, it's fallen off. Why has it, and what can be done about it? What were the better days like? Next we talk how Bill's pod is today for NBA casuals - do we need as intense of NBA discussion as we have now? Why does...

Some BS Pod listeners didn't agree with Bill and Matt Belloni that Netflix had an incredible 2023. I contend that Bill and Matt were right, and explain why, giving detail on the streaming industry and competitors including Max, Disney, Paramount & NBC. If you like streaming and media discussions, give this a listen.

Welcome to Episode 46! I bring on Steve from Twitter (@ssabb05) for a fun and lively discussion of Bill's career. When and why did Bill start falling off? We investigate and Steve introduces a new theory. We examine how his increased Boston homerism and focus on the NBA has been affecting the pod negatively for long-time fans. We then look back and have some laughs at some of Bill's most h...

Welcome to Episode 45! Michael from Twitter, a fellow Page 2 Bill stan, joins the show to talk all things Bill Simmons and the BS Pod. We first review the recent Gladwell pod - these are really going to happen quarterly now? Oh no. Next Michael reveals the Russillo Pod has market corrected the BS Pod for him, and we talk how other podcasters are eclipsing Bill, especially if you're not NBA obs...

In today's show we examine 3 key recent stories that imply the next NBA rights deal will look much different than today's: 1) ESPN's financials were finally released - and they're not good! 2) The Wall Street Journal reported ESPN & TNT are looking to cut back, while Amazon and Apple are ready for a package 3) CNBC reported that Netflix, famously anti-sports to date, may be int...

Welcome to the latest episode. We bring back Pop and Bob from r/BillSimmons for another evolutionary Steiny Mo and Bucher 3-man weave. First we discuss the state of the BS Pod - is it in its Nadir Canyon or not? We each have different views. Then we discuss whether Russillo has market corrected Simmons, and with at least one of us, he has. Next we talk Bill's reaction to the Dame trade and Gia...

Welcome to the latest episode! We bring on Wolf of @WOLF_Financial on Twitter to talk Simmons, The Ringer, fantasy football and more. We start with his love of the BS Pod and how Bill actually provided inspiration for his current career. Next we hit on several Ringer pods and Wolf explains why he's a big fan of The Ringer's fantasy football show. Then we channel our inner Cousin Sal and Bi...

Celebrating Miami’s win, a joyous time for Bill Simmons listeners worldwide