Bill Simmons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bill Simmons
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Simmons in 2011
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| Born |
William John Simmons III
September 25, 1969 |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Journalist, author, podcaster |
| Spouse(s) |
Kari Crichton
(m. 1999) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Shorty Award (Best in Sports, 2010) |
William John Simmons III (born September 25, 1969) is an American podcaster, sportswriter, and cultural critic. He is famous for founding and leading The Ringer, a popular website and podcast network about sports and pop culture.
Simmons first became known as "The Boston Sports Guy" through his own website. In 2001, he joined ESPN, a major sports network. There, he wrote articles, hosted his own podcast called The B.S. Report, and even appeared on the TV show NBA Countdown. He also helped create the website Grantland.
After leaving ESPN in 2015, Simmons started The Ringer in 2016. He also hosted a show on HBO called Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons. Today, he hosts The Bill Simmons Podcast on The Ringer. He is known for his unique writing style, which mixes deep sports knowledge with references to pop culture and stories from his own life. He writes from the viewpoint of a passionate sports fan.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Simmons was born on September 25, 1969. His father was a school administrator. When he was nine, his parents divorced, and he moved to Stamford, Connecticut, to live with his mother.
He attended Greenwich Country Day School and Brunswick School for high school. Later, he spent a year at Choate Rosemary Hall, a prep school. As a child, he read a book called The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam. Simmons says this book greatly influenced his decision to become a sportswriter.
While at the College of the Holy Cross, Simmons wrote for the school newspaper, The Crusader. He even became its sports editor. He graduated in 1992 with a degree in political science. Later, he earned a master's degree in print journalism from Boston University.
Career Journey
Starting Out
After finishing grad school, Simmons worked various jobs for eight years. He started as a high school sports reporter at the Boston Herald. Later, he freelanced for the Boston Phoenix.
In 1997, he couldn't find a newspaper job. So, he convinced AOL's Digital City Boston to give him a column. At the same time, he started his own website called BostonSportsGuy.com. He called his column "Sports Guy" because the site already had a "Movie Guy."
At first, his column was only available on AOL. He would email it to his friends. Soon, many people wanted to be added to his mailing list. By November 1998, his column was available on the web. The website quickly became popular, and by 2001, it had 10,000 readers every day.
Time at ESPN
Simmons' fame as "The Boston Sports Guy" led to a job offer from ESPN in 2001. He was asked to write three guest columns. His second column, "Is Clemens the Antichrist?", became one of the most emailed articles on the site.
He quickly became one of ESPN.com's most popular writers. He got his own section on ESPN.com's Page 2. This helped both him and Page 2 become very well-known. In the first 16 months he wrote for Page 2, its viewership doubled. Simmons became one of the most widely read sportswriters in the country. He is seen as a pioneer for sportswriting on the Internet.
In 2007, Simmons and Connor Schell came up with the idea for 30 for 30. This was a series of 30 documentaries celebrating ESPN's 30th year. Simmons was an executive producer for this project until he left ESPN in 2015.
On May 8, 2007, Simmons started a podcast for ESPN.com called Eye of the Sportsguy. It later changed to The B.S. Report. Simmons usually created one or two hour-long podcasts a week. He talked to sports stars, media figures, and his friends. The B.S. Report was very popular, averaging 2 million downloads a month. In 2009, it was downloaded over 25.4 million times.
Simmons also wrote for ESPN The Magazine. From 2012 to 2014, he was a panelist on NBA Countdown, a pregame show for ESPN/ABC's NBA coverage. On May 8, 2015, ESPN announced that Simmons' contract would not be renewed.
Working with Jimmy Kimmel
In the summer of 2002, Jimmy Kimmel asked Simmons to write for his new late-night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Simmons initially refused because he didn't want to cut back on his columns or move to the West Coast. However, Kimmel kept asking, and Simmons eventually agreed.
He joined the show in April 2003 as a comedy writer. Simmons called it "the best move I ever made." He left the show in the spring of 2004 after a year and a half. He wanted to focus full-time on his sports columns.
Leading Grantland
Simmons became the editor-in-chief of Grantland. This was a website owned by ESPN that covered sports and pop culture. It launched on June 8, 2011. The website was named after the famous sportswriter Grantland Rice.
Grantland featured many talented writers and contributors. In 2014, ESPN announced that Simmons would host The Grantland Basketball Hour. In this show, he discussed NBA news and his popular sports columns with co-host Jalen Rose. Special guests included journalists, celebrities, and athletes. ESPN shut down the Grantland website on October 30, 2015.
Projects with HBO
On July 22, 2015, Simmons announced a new deal with HBO. This deal started in October 2015. As part of it, he hosted a weekly talk show called Any Given Wednesday. The show premiered on June 22, 2016, but was cancelled in November 2016.
However, Simmons' deal with HBO continued. He announced plans for future projects. One project was a documentary about the famous wrestler André the Giant. This documentary aired on HBO on April 10, 2018. In 2018, HBO renewed Simmons' contract to keep him with the network.
Founding The Ringer
Simmons launched his new website, The Ringer, on February 17, 2016. The site is part of his company, the Bill Simmons Media Group. This group also includes several podcasts about sports, pop culture, and technology. Many writers from The Ringer website also host these podcasts.
The Ringer officially launched on June 1, 2016. In 2017, The Ringer partnered with Vox Media for advertising and its publishing platform. On February 5, 2020, Simmons announced that Spotify was buying The Ringer for about $200 million. Spotify's CEO, Daniel Ek, called The Ringer "the new ESPN." Simmons stated that The Ringer would keep its own content and editorial control.
At The Ringer, Simmons is the CEO. He writes less now than he used to. He hosts The Bill Simmons Podcast, where he talks with Hollywood stars, athletes, other media experts, old friends, and family members.
Writing Style and Books
On October 1, 2005, Simmons released his first New York Times best-selling book, Now I Can Die in Peace. This book is a collection of his columns. It includes his writings leading up to the 2004 World Series victory by the Boston Red Sox. The book stayed on The New York Times best-seller list for five weeks.
In July 2008, Simmons took time off from writing columns to finish his second book. This book, The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy, was released on October 27, 2009. It tries to figure out who the best players and teams in NBA history really are. It also answers some of the biggest "What ifs?" in NBA history. This book also became a New York Times Best Seller.
His Unique Style
When Simmons first started his website, he wrote what he thought his friends would enjoy reading. He believed his job was to connect with his readers. He wanted to be different from traditional newspaper and magazine writers. He aimed to update his content often and be thought-provoking.
Simmons' writing style is known for mixing sports knowledge with references to pop culture, like movies and TV shows. He also shares stories from his personal life, his fantasy sports teams, and video games. His columns often mention trips to Las Vegas and discussions about gambling.
In 2007, he was named the 12th-most influential person in online sports by the Sports Business Journal. This was the highest spot for someone who wasn't an executive.
Personal Life
Simmons is married to Kari Simmons, who he often calls "The Sports Gal" in his columns. They have two children. His father, William Simmons Jr., was a school superintendent for over 15 years.
Simmons is a huge fan of Boston sports teams. These include the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, and Boston Celtics. He also supports the English Premier League football team Tottenham Hotspur.
The Simmons family has created the Simmons Family Foundation. They have given scholarships to Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. These scholarships support graduates from HBCU schools.
Influence and Memes
Simmons has created several popular internet memes. The most famous is the Ewing Theory. This idea suggests that a team sometimes plays better when its best player is injured or leaves. Other memes he created include The Tyson Zone and the Manning Face.
Images for kids
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Connor Schell, Bill Simmons and John Dahl at the 70th Annual Peabody Awards
