Bill Simmons

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Bill Simmons 2007

William "Bill" John Simmons III (born September 26, 1969 in Marlborough ) is an American sports journalist, analyst, author and podcaster. He achieved fame with his blog The Boston Sports Guy and his employment with the US television broadcaster ESPN from 2001 to 2015. In July 2015, Simmons signed a multimedia donation with the broadcaster HBO and is currently managing director of the website The Ringer, which is partly financed by HBO has been.

Life

Born on September 25, 1969 in Marlborough, Massachusetts , Simmons is the only child of William Simmons and Jan Corbo. After his parents separated, Simmons moved to Stamford, Connecticut , at the age of 13 to live with his mother. He attended schools in Greenwich and Wallingford before undertaking a bachelor's degree in political science at the College of the Holy Cross . After graduating in 1992, Simmons studied journalism at Boston University and graduated in 1994.

First career stations and The Boston Sports Guy

During his time at the College of the Holy Cross, Simmons wrote columns for the college magazine The Crusader and later served as editor-in-chief of the sports section. After his time at Boston University, Simmons worked as a bartender and freelancer, among other things. His breakthrough came with his online column BostonSportsGuy.com , which was available on the website of the American media group AOL and reported content on sports. In the first few months, Simmons only sent the column to close friends and acquaintances and thus reached a reach of almost 100 people. In November 1998, AOL made the blog available online and the number of clicks soared. In 2001 the website had an average of 10,000 readers and 45,000 hits per day.

Careers at ESPN

The success of BostonSportsGuy.com drew the attention of US sports broadcaster ESPN to Simmons and in 2001 offered him three guest posts . The success of the three columns gave Simmons its own section on the ESPN website. In the following years, Simmons' popularity grew steadily. His column recorded almost 500,000 monthly clicks between 2005 and 2009.

In addition to the online column, Simmons also created other formats at ESPN. Together with Connor Schell he started the documentary series 30 for 30 , developed the very successful podcast The BS Podcast and wrote a two-week column for ESPN The Magazine between 2002 and 2009 .

His contract with ESPN, which expired in September 2015, was not renewed due to various differences between Simmons and the broadcaster.

Careers at HBO

After signing the contract with the broadcaster HBO, Simmons started the new talk show Any Given Wednesday in June 2016. However, HBO removed the show from the program in November 2016, but Simmons' contract remained.

The ringer

In February 2016, Simmons announced his new website The Ringer , which was available online from June 2016. The platform is a collection of different content on topics such as sports, lifestyle and technology. Various podcasts make up a large proportion of the content .

Controversy

During his time at ESPN, Simmons found himself at the center of controversial situations. The subject matter included slight censorship by ESPN, for which Simmons showed no understanding. The station also suspended twice because it criticized ESPN or ESPN's own programs via Twitter.

Private

Bill Simmons is married to Kari Simmons (née Crichton) and they have two children: Zoe Simmons and Benjamin Oakley Simmons. While his wife is featured frequently in his columns and podcasts under the pseudonym The Sports Gal , his father, William, often appears as The Sports Dad on Simmons' podcasts.

Simmons says he is a big fan of many Boston teams, including the Boston Celtics , New England Patriots , Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Geoff Edgers: Bill Simmons's new site, The Ringer, goes live. And please, don't call it just another Grantland . In: Washington Post . June 1, 2016, ISSN  0190-8286 ( washingtonpost.com [accessed March 29, 2018]).
  2. ↑ The Boston Sports Guy: Revisited, Reinvented and Revealed by Scott's Shots. July 30, 2010, accessed March 29, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Bill Simmons. Accessed March 29, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Bill Simmons. Accessed March 29, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Warren St John: That Sports Guy Thrives Online . In: The New York Times . November 20, 2005, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed March 29, 2018]).
  6. ↑ Bill Simmons '92 is "Boston's Sports Guy" | College of the Holy Cross. January 9, 2008, accessed March 29, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Warren St John: That Sports Guy Thrives Online . In: The New York Times . November 20, 2005, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed March 29, 2018]).
  8. ↑ Jason Fry: ESPN Wins The Courtship Of Bill Simmons . In: Deadspin . ( deadspin.com [accessed March 29, 2018]).
  9. ↑ Creators and producers of 30 for 30 series share thoughts on fifth anniversary - ESPN Front Row . In: ESPN Front Row . November 4, 2014 ( espnfrontrow.com [accessed March 29, 2018]).
  10. ↑ Sports Business Journal. Accessed March 29, 2018 .
  11. ↑ ?? The Sports Guy ?? Bill Simmons Renews Agreement; Expands Role at ESPN . In: WebWire . ( webwire.com [accessed March 29, 2018]).
  12. ^ Richard Sandomir: Bill Simmons to Join HBO, Going From Free Agency to Freedom . In: The New York Times . July 22, 2015, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed March 29, 2018]).
  13. ↑ Cynthia Littleton, HBO Cancels Bill Simmons Talk Show 'Any Given Wednesday' . In: Variety . November 4, 2016 ( variety.com [accessed March 29, 2018]).
  14. ^ Brian Stelter: Bill Simmons unveils new site's name: The Ringer . In: CNNMoney . ( cnn.com [accessed March 29, 2018]).
  15. ↑ Geoff Edgers: Bill Simmons's new site, The Ringer, goes live. And please, don't call it just another Grantland . In: Washington Post . June 1, 2016, ISSN  0190-8286 ( washingtonpost.com [accessed March 29, 2018]).
  16. ^ Brian Stelter: Bill Simmons unveils new site's name: The Ringer . In: CNNMoney . ( cnn.com [accessed March 29, 2018]).
  17. ↑ Leitch: ESPN Nixes Bill Simmons-Barack Obama Podcast . In: Deadspin . ( deadspin.com [accessed March 29, 2018]).
  18. ↑ Kevin Draper: ESPN Suspends Bill Simmons Three Weeks Over Goodell Criticism . In: Deadspin . ( deadspin.com [accessed March 29, 2018]).
  19. ↑ Bill Simmons. Accessed March 29, 2018 .
  20. ^ Simmons: LeBron's choice. Retrieved March 29, 2018 .
  21. ↑ AJ Daulerio: Is The Sports Gal The New Sports Fella? In: Deadspin . ( deadspin.com [accessed March 29, 2018]).
  22. ^ Penthouse Scores With Its Spring Sports Issue. Industry & Business Article - Research, News, Information, Contacts, Divisions, Subsidiaries, Business Associations. June 13, 2008, accessed March 29, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Simmons, Bill
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Simmons, William John III
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American sports journalist, analyst, author, and podcaster
DATE OF BIRTH 26th September 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH Marlborough