By Harvin Bhathal (Contributor) – Email
He’s back! After a five month “sabbatical,” the controversial-yet-renowned Bill Simmons has made his return to the world of sports. For those of you who have lived under a rock for the past five months, or just have no clue what I’m talking about, Simmons was fired by his former employer, ESPN. For years, the relationship between the two had been on the rocks. In Simmons’ 14-year tenure at ESPN, he was suspended three times, all relating to his criticism of the company. His firing coincided with him going on The Dan Patrick Show — Dan Patrick is also a former ESPN employee — and ripping NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
With ESPN no longer his employer, Simmons doesn’t have to worry about criticizing the company. He expectedly praised new employer, HBO, and fired shots at ESPN in his first episode. You can expect to see more of this, knowing Simmons.
While he worked for ESPN, Simmons made two ventures, creating the critically acclaimed, Emmy award-winning series, 30 for 30, as well as Grantland (in a sense, his own personal site funded by ESPN). It was on Grantland that Simmons started one of the most famous sports podcasts today, The B.S. (Bill Simmons) Report.
Despite putting his blood, sweat, and tears into the podcast, he could not take it with him, as it was owned by ESPN. Thus, after these five months, Simmons has finally returned with his new podcast, The Bill Simmons Podcast, which you can check out on SoundCloud. What makes his podcasts so revered is the fact that they are more natural, free-flowing conversations than anything else — and touching on mature and controversial subjects doesn’t hurt, either. For reference, watch one of many podcasts he has done with Adam Corolla. He made the viewers feel as if they were sitting in on the discussion. Simmons himself is incredibly relatable, and that shows with his loyal fanbase. The podcasts are a perfect blend between sports and pop culture, as he often combines an analysis of recent sports news with a pop culture reference or two. Simmons has a rare ability to maintain credibility and respectability despite his nonchalant ways. Never boring or repetitive, Simmons will shuffle in guests such as regulars Jalen Rose and Cousin Sal, and more well-known guests, from the likes of Mark Wahlberg and former NBA commissioner David Stern, to Mike Tyson, Jimmy Kimmel, and even Barack Obama. If the President wants to come on your podcast, you’ve definitely made it. Tune in to The Bill Simmons Podcast three times a week (Monday, Friday, and some time midweek) for the first six months on SoundCloud.
