The r/BillSimmons Podcast

Welcome to Episode #145! We bring on friends Nathan and Jon for a 3-man weave covering a wide variety of topics in the world of Bill Simmons.

(0:00-25:30) We start off reminiscing about becoming fans of Bill many years ago. The sports media landscape was vastly different and Bill's writing, and later podcasting, were revolutionary. We identify what enabled him to surpass peers, stay ahead of those emulating his style, and how impressive it's been that Bill's been relevant for three decades across several mediums. Plus, he's done an excellent job of cultivating and coaching talent.

(25:30-46:00) We next discuss how the guys have bonded with peers in DC by referencing Bill, including attending events in a Heat movie poster t-shirt. In a highly political world, especially living and working in the nation's capital, The Ringer's content is an escape from the day to day, and the shows are a refreshing alternative to Rogan, hitting on more varied topics. We do wonder, though, why Bill sat out the "podcast election" in 2024 and whether The Ringer will change that in 2028 and beyond.

(46:00-59:00) We contrast Barstool and The Ringer and identify how the latter has more interesting and nuanced takes on sports and pop culture which keep listeners coming back, compared to Barstool's more inconsistent shock value attempt at entertainment. We get into Russillo's move and why fans of him and Bill together haven't followed him to Barstool; he's a great #2, but the roster at his new home doesn't have the same depth of people he can play off of like he used to have.

(59:00-1:17:00) Next we get into one of Bill's most divisive guests, Derek Thompson - who Nathan knows in real life, yet is blocked by him on Twitter. While we at times enjoy Derek on Bill's pod, we have issues with how he presents his guests and their views and how he often clouds the audience of knowing his and his guests' bias. He will also buy into the hype on topics before doing a quick 180. We have a spontaneous review of Derek and Ezra Klein's Abundance book and discuss the movement in general (1:07:50) before articulating why we like "big ideas" guests Gladwell and Klosterman over Derek.

(1:17:00 -1:24:45) Speaking of Klosterman, we look back on his epic Sophie Cunningham call. Jon, who is a WNBA fan and thinks the product has never been better, offers his takes on how the WNBA can fix things, including a very Simmons-esque idea of making Sophie a player commish.

(1:24:45-1:38:45) We next get into Bill Simmons current events including his Anduril hat, in which we theorize his motivation for wearing it and how he actually got it, Bull Simmons Instagram reels, Bill's dad as a Pantheon guest and the Jimmy Kimmel situation.

(1:38:45-1:53:00) Given Jon and Nathan's backgrounds, we discuss why is there no conservative Ringer. Jon sees parallels to Christian media, which in his view has often failed because the first goal is to push a message instead of the art itself being the point. Contrasting this with The Ringer, their aim is to make entertaining content about sports and pop culture, and while some politics may come out, it's not the focus; Hollywood can be similar in this way. We also hit on (1:44:30) which Ringer podcasters would be the most likely to run for office (CR, Van, Mallory).

(1:53:00-2:07:30) We next talk Ringer current events, including more analysis of Sean and Amanda's comments on the Talk Easy pod, and predict there could be some internal issues at The Ringer because of those dynamics; would Sean & Amanda ever leave? We also assess Bill's role in sports gambling and wonder if Bill is vulnerable to being cancelled because of it.

(2:07:30-2:21:10) We finish up stating why Bill is underrated as a sports columnist and hope he writes a biography one day.

If you liked the pod, follow Jon (@JonSchweppe) and Nathan (@NathanLeamerDC) on Twitter.

Welcome to Episode #144! We bring on Reed to react to Sean's Netflix and AI comments and the overall Talk Easy pod with him and Amanda, and discuss their place at The Ringer, the general dynamics of calling out your boss, and whether they'd ever move on. We also predict the reaction on the next Rewatchables with Sean.

We then contrast The Ringer with Barstool, including a discussion of why Russillo isn't working out there just yet. Barstool is much more open with inter-company drama and while we're not advocating for The Ringer to go full Barstool, the reaction to Sean's comments proves there's an interest in that type of content; we think The Ringer should lean in. The fantasy draft is a perfect example, and Van could play a critical role there as well. We also debate the best place to start one's career, The Ringer or Barstool.

We then hit some more on the use of AI in an evolving media ecosystem. If you liked the pod, find Reed on Twitter @reedmalcolmj

Welcome to Episode #143! We bring on Ben for his third appearance (#133, #134). We start off on Bill's proxy betting scandal, which leads into a discussion of how the pod's become worse the more Bill talks gambling - the charm is gone and it's now much more commercialized.

We next get into the Clippers situation, Pablo's big W, and break down Bill's fleeting support of Adam Silver - who went from "throwing a no hitter" to now Bill questioning his leadership of the league and plans for expansion, which Bill's done a 180 on.

We grade Russillo's first year at Barstool, and assess where GM Bill and The Ringer front office should be looking to improve their sports bench. We also re-visit our Max Kellerman takes one year later and conclude he remains a sportscaster outside his element and that the Rich Paul pod is not working. We finish with a discussion of Bill's use and promotion of AI in his content. Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode #142! We bring on Gracie for her third appearance (#129, #121). We start off breaking down Chuck Klosterman's comments about The Ringer's impact on movie discourse - is he right abut how influential their podcasts have been on what it means to be a movie fan? We continue the conversation Bill & Chuck started and wonder if movies are having a moment, particularly in comparison to TV and books. We hit on some movie current events including Nolan, Nolan vs. Spielberg, the success of movies like Obsession and what's going on with Ryan Gosling and Will Ferrell these days.

We next discuss the ESPN layoffs and current decrepit state of the network, touch on Tom Brady's bizarre post-retirement actions and talk LeBron's most recent decision and constant desire to be the center of attention. Next we run through Bill Simmons current events including his highly enjoyable guest appearance on Mina Kimes' pod, Bill getting more feisty on Twitter, and CR guest hosting the BS Pod, which leads into a discussion of whether Bill will actually retire one day.

We finish up the pod discussing Dave Portnoy's recent book about the founding and rise of Barstool, which features commentary on Simmons, Pardon My Take, Call Her Daddy, the Chernin and Penn Gaming deals, and a lot of ESPN nonsense. Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode #141! We bring on Danny Funt, author of Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling, for a highly informative and engaging discussion on the impact of legalizing sports gambling in the US.

We start with Danny's motivations for writing the book, including how the main people involved haven't yet had to answer for the negative consequences of how prolific gambling has become. We next dive into mostly unknown but fascinating online sportsbook practices including betting VIPs and hosts (which just gained more prominence with the Bryce Harper FanDuel video), referral fees that are based on a percentage of a bettors' lifetime losses, extremely misleading "risk-free" sign-up bets, and how successful bettors are being limited by the apps. We also discuss the irony of how so many people are losing money gambling, yet the companies themselves aren't very profitable and so many have failed. Plus, Danny notes a key difference between US and international online gambling companies for why the US hasn't been as successful to date.

We then get into Bill Simmons. In a chapter called The Media GoAll In, Danny details how powerful sports media has been in popularizing sports gambling; being a long-time BS Pod listener, Bill was the perfect person for him to focus on. We are both disappointed that, since Bill fancies himself as a truth teller who won't hold back, he's been conspicuously silent on the more nefarious aspects of the rise of sports gambling. Given Bill's love for gambling and particularly same game parlays, plus The Ringer's FanDuel contract, he's clearly benefitted financially by US legalization, which we absolutely think is affecting his content, such as weak takes on major gambling stories like Jontay Porter. We also hear feedback about The Ringer and Bill'srelationship with FanDuel from former employees, and about Bill's (pre re-apex) fall-off by those in the sports media industry.

We finish up talking about the negative impacts on young people and how the rise of gambling is likely related to the current state of society, which is encouraging other (also well-marketed) high-risk taking activities such as crypto meme coins and prediction markets.

If you enjoyed the episode, follow Danny on Twitter @dannyfunt and check out the book here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Everybody-Loses/Danny-Funt/9781668062029

Welcome to Episode #140! We bring on Rebecca from Twitter to get the perspective of a relatively new Bill Simmons listener who came to his pod and The Ringer through their pop culture content. We hit on the recent Spielberg and Friedland pods as well as Bill's NBA Finals coverage, and assess the move to video pods for Netflix - no surprise they haven’t been attracting many viewers as has been recently reported. We also predict movie industry changes stemming from the Paramount/Warner Bros. merger, detail frustrations with streaming services and praise physical media.

Next we dive into The Big Picture pod, including the intense online discussion of the show - especially with Disclosure Day - and decide if Sean himself and The Ringer in general are apexing. We also highlight a significant miss in their 25 Best Movies of the Century list. We then re-visit Bill's unpopular (but correct) Challengers take and celebrate his movie authenticity, including his love for The Devil Wears Prada. We touch on current movie events including Disclosure Day and Oscars results, and Rebecca reveals her take on why Timothee Chalamet gets too much hate. Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode #139! We bring back Chris for his 5th appearance (#93, #95, #100, #130). Last November we discussed who was winning the break-up; we update our thoughts after Russillo's recent ascension and Bill's lackluster content of late - is the re-apex officially over?

We get into the issues with Zach Lowe Sunday nights - and address whether the hate has been too intense or fully warranted - and wonder whether basketball discourse in general is reaching a logical endpoint.

We finish with a ruling on the break-up to date, including recent developments (Russillo's Barstool week and screenwriting comments) and what we’ll be looking for to make a final judgement once it's been a year since Russillo left.

Welcome to Episode 138! We bring on returning guest Mike (Episode #112) to get to the bottom of why there's been almost no coverage of the Dianna Russini scandal by sports media. We go through the evolution of the medium: TV and ESPN's early days, athletes gaining more control over the narrative, the insider economy, and ultimately conclude with a) why the story hasn’t been covered and b) if this will be a reckoning or continued drift. Of course, along the way the Podfather features prominently throughout our conversation. Enjoy!

Chanch and Kyle (Episodes #98 and #120) return to the pod after calling their shot in 2024 on listeners turning against Zach Lowe and coming to the realization that the NBA has serious issues including style of play and the regular season schedule. We also discuss how the NBA is losing its coolness factor and how that shares similarities to rap music. We then finish up the pod explaining why Chuck Klosterman has lost his fastball.

If you liked the show, check out Kyle on TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@smilingstrange) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/smiling_strange) as well as his podcast (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2573404) and Chanch on Twitter (https://x.com/perchanches).

Welcome to Episode #136! We bring on Matt from Twitter for an in-depth conversation on all things Bill Simmons. First, we discuss the topic of the year so far: Russillo vs. Lowe NBA Sundays. The listeners already miss Ryen and prefer him over Zach; we get into why we think that is, and propose potential fixes to the current Sunday iteration of Lowe & Bill. We also check-in with Russillo at Barstool.

Next we get into Bill's desire to be a cultural commentator without taking as much risk as he used to - Bill often comes in late to the discourse but wants to be known as the guy with an original take, which he did more of back in the day. During his re-apex he's been taking more risks, which we've enjoyed, and we assess his content shift from Grantland to early Ringer and now post-Russillo.

Next we hit on several Ringer personalities including House, Sal, Matt Belloni, Muhammed Kellerman & Rich Paul, Derek Thompson, the pop culture crew of CR/Fennessey/Joanna/Mallory and give our takes on since-departed KOC. We finish up talking ideas for Bill's future content. Enjoy!