Worthwhile Will Leitch essay on Bill Simmons

Agree well done JaredK.

To bad Howard Cosell is not still around. I would have loved to hear his take on Simmons.

 

Everyone else on the Internet? Picking on Simmons is practically its own industry now. Isn't there an entire message board devoted to it?

 

Perhaps Simmons was wrong? Perhaps!?!

He absolutely was wrong.

But you're right otherwise.

 

Simmons responds to KO via Twitter...

KO, please know the feeling is mutual. You’re my worst case scenario for my career in 12 yrs: a pious, unlikable blowhard who lives alone.

I’m furious that my Tiger column distracted America from a detailed and only mildly creepy case for Johnny Orsino’s Hall of Fame candidacy.

 

As I said on another thread, two egos that deserve each other. Before the basketball book, Simmons was a popular sportswriter whose style and approach to me. So he was easy to ignore. Now things are more serious. He's trying to come off as a serious sports historian when he makes it obvious he doesn't know shit about history -- of sports or any other kind.
That's major intellectual fraud, not just writing I don't like. I have infinitely more respect for the women and old folks who like Mitch Albom's sob sister books than I do for the otherwise normal people who think Simmons is a legitimate sports and social commentator.

 

Olberman is getting ripped in comments section of his blog.

 

Nothing brings trolls out of the woodwork quite like Simmons. Yup, those are his readers.

 

Simmons' appeal is based on a misconception. His fans think they could do what he does, because he's just like them. This is nuts. They couldn't do it, because he's a good writer. Lousy thinker, but good writer. So they're ferocious in his defense, because they're defending their image of themselves.

 

At least he allows them, unlike Simmons.

 

ESPN took away the comments on Simmons' articles because they were overloading the servers.

 

I'm curious to see if Simmons gets another Twitter suspension following his response to Olbermann. this specifically:

"KO, please know the feeling is mutual. You're my worst case scenario for my career in 12 yrs: a pious, unlikable blowhard who lives alone."