The Ringer is Live

And with that the new ESPN-free Bill Simmons has launched again.

The site has an Obama piece, something on Game of Thrones, obligatory Durant free agency story, the rebuilding of the Phillies, something on music and a few other things.

 

Maybe not coincidently, Mark Titus' contract with ESPN ended yesterday and his Twitter feed was pretty funny.

 

Not giving you clicks if you can't come up with a better name.

 

I don't think that his departure (or his arrival at the Ringer, if it happens) will shake ESPN to the core.

 

Normally I would give a shit, but following Simmons' twitter feed of late has made me realize I don't give a damn about anything he's interested in anymore. I watched his periscope briefly the night of the NBA draft, and it was him sitting in a living room with a bunch of 20-somethings trying to crack jokes about reality shows I could not care less about. I know he's a brand and all, and he made a great move to HBO, but launch of the Ringer rates at about a 2 on a scale of 10 for attracting my interest, whereas Grantland was about a 9.

 

More work for more writers. Good.

 

Apparently, all the money Simmons is getting only left about 57 cents for design.

 

Damnit, now I have to look.

 

Dammit, I wish I had been that good at drawing people to my own content.

 

Yeah, nobody suggested such a thing. He just had some funny cracks about getting paid not to write for seven months.

 

He certainly doesn't have much a future as a comedy writer . Good for him for squeezing 7 more months of getting paid.

 

As an employment lawyer, I think that Simmons constantly talking and writing about how he wants his website to be filled with young writers and voices is an age discrimination suit waiting to happen.