The Sports Guy’s Yanked Column: Political
1-liner, Bill Simmons, ESPN, Politics November 7th. 2008, 2:15pmSimmons, ESPN, and Politics: So we’re hearing the reason that Bill Simmons’ NFL picks column was yanked last week was because he was pushing a political agenda (specifically, talking up Obama) and that went against strict ESPN policy, which, according to a source, was apparently laid down rather sternly in August. As you may have read in his column today, he opens with a direct quote from Obama’s victory speech. Then, there’s this shot at Chris Berman: “There is one silver lining to Buffalo’s Cinderella season slowly falling apart to the point that the Bills now might miss the playoffs. I am not allowed to mention it, but if you rack your brains, you will figure it out. Think about the insufferable way that Oprah attached herself to Obama, and you will be getting warm.” He closes the column with this: “I had the Titans as the favorite three weeks ago, and nothing has changed. You know, except the fate of the country.” It seems a bit childish for Simmons to say that he’d rather have his column not run at all, instead of just yanking out the political mumbo jumbo, but who knows, maybe it’s deeper than that. So what’s weaker: ESPN.com’s strict no-politics policy leading up to the election, or Simmons thinking he’s above it?
44 Responses to “The Sports Guy’s Yanked Column: Political”
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November 7th, 2008 at 2:17 PM
Yes, I realize this should have been a full post, but I’m on my way out the damn door. This one will stay up for a minute.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:18 PM
i actually give him credit for not backing down if thats what he did. it seems to me that espn is very very pick and choose when it comes to enforcing their policies, and he ends up on the short stick. for being their most popular personality they should probably cut him some slack.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:21 PM
Maybe, they’re trying to fight those racist allegations they got after the Harold Reynolds and Jemele Hill situations. Just a thought.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:23 PM
TBL-this is long as shit, should have been a full post.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:23 PM
6 Foot Bong Rip.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:25 PM
Simmons sounds like one of those people that are just a bit too much into Obama. These people are freaking crazy and as luck would have it, I work with three of them. Good for Obama winning and I’m sure he’ll do well, but I’m about slap three of his groupies.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:25 PM
clearly youre referring to the fact that jemele hill only has her job because shes a black woman?
*ducks*
November 7th, 2008 at 2:28 PM
At least he wasn’t pushing you to vote for Sully as a write-in candidate.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:29 PM
Simmons is the “Giant Douche” mascot of ESPN.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:30 PM
Just read Simmons article. Glad I did. I had given up on Kate Bosworth as someone who might have looked hot in 1 or 2 movies, but wasn’t that great. Ole’ Billy-boy brought me back with his comments about those legs. That’s the kind of stuff that I love about his writing.
btw… the comments about Kardashian’s ass were priceless as well. Some nice putdowns toward the Queen of Lardashian…
November 7th, 2008 at 2:30 PM
This Simmons obsession is getting a little … creepy.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:30 PM
Perhaps Bill should re-read the “Law of Threes” mentioned in the section on the Giants. His is a classic case of a minor celebrity believing his own hype and seriously thinking anyone gives a crap about what he thinks about real-life issues. This probably would have made a good Johnny Drama storyline.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:31 PM
Yeah, J-Bug is the better candidate anyway
November 7th, 2008 at 2:31 PM
Am I the only one who doesn’t read this guy, or really give a fuck what he does on a daily basis? Am I missing something here?
November 7th, 2008 at 2:31 PM
Can someone tell me what this means? It’s Friday and I’m dumb so I need help.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:32 PM
End%20Of%20Election%20Causes%20Obsessive%20Obama%20Supporters%20To%20Realize%20How%20Empty%20Their%20Lives%20Are“>This is highlarious
November 7th, 2008 at 2:33 PM
@Happy: It means Simmons is an unfunny hack.
What is funny to me is that the good people at SOTSG.com all seem to think Simmons is a racist, so his recent Obama love is interesting.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:33 PM
Wow. I really fucked that up. Clown is going to be pissed.
Happy – I assume he has a hard on for the Bills. I dunno. I don’t watch Berman.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:34 PM
Are we gonna have a Bill Simmons post or what?!
November 7th, 2008 at 2:35 PM
KC not as funny as this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIgv992NZs0
November 7th, 2008 at 2:35 PM
I understand ESPN’s policy, but I don’t agree with it.
If it’s interesting and within the bounds of reasonably good taste, let your writers talk about what they want.
Simmons often talks about the most inane things imaginable, and somehow his column is always decent.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:36 PM
Scratch that, this reminds me of The Iron Sheik versus the entire WWF.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:39 PM
Tampa -
That’s freaking funny. Never underestimate the ignorance of blind followers.
“When did you first hear of Acorn?”
“Today.”
Comedy.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:40 PM
@NickP: You can make the argument his work as BSG and “The Sports Guy” for Page 2 were the precursor to places like TBL, Deadspin, etc…
You might not like his writing, which I can understand. But he’s not a “hack”.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:41 PM
I guess I haven’t been watching enough ESPN… Berman has been slobbering on the Bills?
November 7th, 2008 at 2:42 PM
He’s been obsessed with the Bills and Niners for years.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:43 PM
Berman has been slobbering on the Bills?
for a long time. How can people forget that he always picks Buffalo and San Fran for the Super Bowl
November 7th, 2008 at 2:45 PM
KC, splitlip is playing here in fayetteville next week. I’m strongly considering going.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:52 PM
Oh and just a wild guess, but I bet his column included some sort of complaint about Berman AND Reilly getting interviews with Barack..
November 7th, 2008 at 2:53 PM
Ark -
I haven’t seen them since Kirk died. My friends have gone and said they are still pretty good, but not nearly as intense. Is it at George’s Majestic?
November 7th, 2008 at 2:57 PM
It’s one thing to have anchors slipping into political commentary. I understand the restrictions from the broadcasting angle. But, if you are hiring someone as a “columnist,” you are hiring him to write his opinions. If it’s neither obscene nor factually incorrect, they shouldn’t spike him for his opinions. They’ve hardly limited him to purely sports content in the past. I think it’s ridiculous to do that and call themselves a journalistic entity.
It’s particularly distasteful when after the election they hop on the Obama popularity train and draw every comparison possible between his historic achievement and sports.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:57 PM
Yeah, it’s at George’s. I’ve never seen them but a guy I work with in KC is always talking them up.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:59 PM
I’ve seen 15 or so times. They played quite a bit at Davey’s and I lived 2 blocks from there for a couple years. They play a ton of festivals. If you haven’t seen them, it’s interesting. Try and see if you can tell how stoned the banjo player (Eric Madris) is.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:00 PM
What’s even funnier is how they allow Simmons’ arch-nemesis, TMQ, into his miles long political/religious tangents..
November 7th, 2008 at 3:01 PM
as Obama is currently discussing how he would rather see a stimulus package sooner rather than later and it will be the first thing he does when he gets into office
November 7th, 2008 at 3:05 PM
If anything I can see why he’d be a bit pissed for having his column taken down b/c it’s political then ESPN does and interviews the candidates on MNF.
Besides, it’s Page 2. Most of the writing on Page 2 has been crap for years anyway.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:08 PM
and who is the turd sandwich? Stew Scott? Boomer?
November 7th, 2008 at 3:10 PM
mmonast stole my thunder.
I would say it’s definitely Boom.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:50 PM
Who cares about Simmons thinks about politics? He should be posting that crap on his blog. Not on ESPN.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:10 PM
No one reads anything on Page 2 anymore. ESPN lost Shanoff, had the original Page 2 guys leave and/or die, and now they have a once good idea that has been taken over by places like TBL, etc., as noted above. I would think anything that would draw hits would be worthwhile – and given everything else we have shoved down our throat by the WWL, I’m relatively sure there wasn’t anything Simmons was going to write that was worse than anything in an op-ed piece on an equally “respected” media outlet. ESPN misses on how the interweb works yet again.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:15 PM
There’s little room for politics in sports… so even though I’d love to read what Mr. Simmons wrote last week (and voted for Obama not once, but three times (hey I live in Chicago)), I don’t blame ESPN if it was just a pro-Obama piece last week. But if it was like five lines, then screw ESPN. There are so many other forums were Simmons could have expressed his Obama love, why didn’t he just do that?
November 7th, 2008 at 4:17 PM
TMQ’s rants aren’t partisan, they’re actually pretty fair (though lean to the right most of the time, well in the past, this year at least he’s shown a lot of hate for the GOP). And TMQ knows his shit when it comes to policy and economics.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:57 PM
Also, no podcasts this week. (What, no one else cares?)
November 7th, 2008 at 8:15 PM
Could be worse, Obama could be from Boston.