Bill Simmons: Everybody Has Alliances and Sources They Protect

Bill Simmons and 30 for 30 co-creator Connor Schell comprised a small panel, which was hosted by REDEF curator Jason Hirschhorn at the Paley Center for Media’s International Council Summit on Thursday. The conversation alternated in between specific information about how ESPN’s acclaimed documentary series gets made, and general talk about sports media at-large.

Around the 17-mark, Schell said that they encourage their directors to reveal their biases, which led Hirschhorn to say Simmons was transparent in his rooting interests and ask him if he thinks other reporters and pundits should be more upfront about their allegiances. Simmons answered:

Hirschorn brought up the Goodell suspension, and asked what Simmons sees himself as. A journalist?

A little while later, Schell said that some 30 for 30’s have been great journalism, but they set out first and foremost to tell great stories. He spoke about the landscape has changed as access has become more segmented:

The whole duration of the conversation was pretty interesting, and it’s worth carving out 45 minutes for this weekend if you’ve got some downtime.