Bill Simmons, trending.

The Mizzou Mafia — I'm a member — is certainly a thing, and there was at least one Missouri grad at every stop I made. But my work is what got me those jobs, not the Mizzou connection.

I think the Mizzou method of training on the job while in school gives many of the go-getters a leg up. I wasn't one of those, but I got by.

 

I am around kids a lot, or was before the pandemic, and 'I will tell you' that these kids don't give a damn about the cultural flotsam of my/our/Bill's youth.

Simmons's particular model to me seems to have an expiry.

 

Oh, it does. Definitely. Like other parts of society.

In 25 years, who will go to Graceland? Or Dealey Plaza?

 

Shit, how many people will even know what those places are — or have even heard of them?

 

#CancelGrassyKnoll

 

At least on the TV side, the Mizzou, 'Cuse and Northwestern grads almost always have the best-looking video reels coming out of college. They simply get more reps and, at least at Mizzou, the TV side is so cutt-throat. Almost like Marine basic training compared with other schools. That's why I think they get the "first look" at the first job but, after that, the quality of the work matters more. Unless someone decides to start sleeping with the boss because that never happens in small market TV.

 

ESPN is a deeply political network at this point. Who are we kidding? And the politics on the channel are almost universally left. I guess Will Cain is the exception. (He’s political, too.)

It is what it is. I still watch it. But it’s what it is.

 

The idea that a subsidiary of Walt Disney Co. is a leftist propaganda machine is truly hilarious.

 

I have always thought that being a station manager would be a difficult position. You have a lot of very attractive reporters who are generally very ambitious and want more air tine, either by covering bigger stories or moving up the anchor ladder. A certain percentage are going to try to come on to you. The temptations must be great but the problems immense if you succumb.

 

Oh my.

“Do I get to speak now? It’s been like ten minutes.”

 

Then Grantland launched and had much wonderful content. But it didn’t show us. The numbers showed niche appeal. Around that time they put up these monitors around the ESPN offices in Bristol that showed how many people were reading the most-popular stories. The Grantland stories that we heard so much about in meetings, that we promoted so heavily, almost never sniffed the top. Before too long they reconfigured the displays, so Grantland stories appeared in their own, separate listings. After an initial flourish, the word was that Grantland’s relationship with the all-important ad sales team had soured. When your startup has troubles with both audience and revenue, things can get a little tense.

You could tell Grantland was struggling by the low number of shares on many of the stories. Some were in the single digits.

I think it's probably about time people stop cutting Bill Simmons so many breaks, but I'm guessing there's someone else, around the corner, with a wad money and total belief.

 

Whew.
That was a hell of a takedown.