Concha: Latest Suspension Shows Bill Simmons, ESPN Need a Divorce

ESPN is the most successful network in the history of broadcasting. More than CBS. More than NBC. More than ABC.

What? A cable network worth more than any of the Big Three? Yup. And it isn’t even close.

Per Forbes in April:

ESPN’s value is derived from the massive cash flow the company generates, which is expected to reach $4.5 billion this year, up 39% from five years ago. For comparisons sake, CBS Corp., the highest rated broadcast network, had operating income of $1.6 billion last year.

Overall, ESPN’s worth is over $50 billion, according to respected Wunderlich Securities research analyst Matthew Harrigan. In contrast, ABC — also owned by Disney — is worth just $3.2 billion (Forbes).

As you may have heard, ESPN’s Bill Simmons was suspended for three weeks from the network after a premeditated expletive-filled rant directed at NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on his Monday podcast. In case you missed it, the transcript is below:

“Goodell, if he didn’t know what was on that tape, he’s a liar. I’m just saying it. He is lying. I think that dude is lying. If you put him up on a lie detector test that guy would fail. For all these people to pretend they didn’t know is such f***ing bull***t. It really is — it’s such f***ing bull***t. And for him to go in that press conference and pretend otherwise, I was so insulted. I really was.”

And here’s the part that shows this commentary was premeditated:

“I really hope somebody calls me or emails me and says I’m in trouble for anything I say about Roger Goodell,” he said. “Because if one person says that to me, I’m going public. You leave me alone. The commissioner’s a liar and I get to talk about that on my podcast.”

Simmons knew three things going into this podcast:

– What he was going to say and how he was going to say it

– The reaction from ESPN management wouldn’t be kind given the suspensions he’s received in the past (they cited a breach of journalistic standards in this particular case)

– By threatening to “go public” if anyone had the audacity to reprimand him, he again illustrated he believes he’s bigger than the network (the hashtag #FreeSimmons quickly has become a top trending topic on Twitter)

Here’s something Simmons also knows but perhaps didn’t consider: ESPN has always been bigger than its talent despite any hashtags to the contrary. Always. The network is so ensconced into the fabric of the American sports fan–both rabid and casual–that even Simmons could be replaced tomorrow. Just ask Keith Olbermann. Craig Kilborn. Rich Eisen. Max Kellerman. Dan Patrick. Josh Elliott. Charissa Thompson. Michelle Beadle. Some (Olbermann, Kellerman, Beadle) left and later returned. Some–like Kilborn–are as easy to find today as Ed Snowden. Point is…ESPN keeps growing (eight channels and counting), keeps expanding internationally, keeps dominating domestically regardless of who’s in the anchor chair or on what panel.

Simmons is arguably the best writer of his generation. He’s tops in my book. Nobody connects with his audience better. His humor, his candor, his ability to seamlessly integrate a Karate Kid or 90210 reference into his books or columns make every offering a must-read. When Simmons sticks to sports or gambling stories or pop culture, he is both patently compelling and likable.

But when Simmons becomes arrogant, pompous and impossibly self-important, you see where all the vitriol directed at him from the likes of Deadspin comes from. He was that guy during the Redskins controversy when he became yet another me-too columnist by jumping on the PC bandwagon after never mentioning the topic during the first 15 years of his writing career. He morphed into pompous Bill the last time he was suspended for publicly criticizing one of his (annoying) colleagues (Skip Bayless) on Twitter, because Bill always knows better. Just ask him.

Still, Simmons is one the most powerful people at ESPN thanks to his podcast (32 million downloads per year), being editor-in-chief of the popular Grantland.com and an executive producer on the award-winning 30 for 30 documentaries. And despite all of this, he’s still expendable to the Worldwide Leader in Sports. Being worth $50 billion allows that kind of flexibility.

Note: ESPN isn’t innocent here, either. The network has followed the cable news model and moved heavily in the direction of opinion journalism. But when that opinion becomes too strong, too controversial, too over-the-line (which is subjective, of course), the suspensions come fast and furious. Just in the past few weeks, Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman were sent to the bench for their ill-advised comments on domestic violence. ESPN wants its talent to be provocative and push some buttons…until it doesn’t.

For those making the ridiculous point that ESPN — because of the billions invested in its NFL package — is somehow protecting the league by suspending Simmons, you might want to listen to Keith Olbermann’s nightly rants (done in very MSNBC Special Comment fashion) on why the commissioner should be fired or must resign. Fact of the matter is, almost every ESPN commentator and opinion maker has hammered the league and Goodell for its/his handling of the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson controversies. To argue the network is singling out Simmons for also slamming Goodell is a perspective not based in reality.

In the end, if Simmons truly loathes the restraints his employer puts on him, perhaps it’s time to follow Howard Stern’s lead and head to unregulated satellite radio.

On the TV side, Fox Sports 1 (or 2) or the NBC Sports Network would be happy to take him. As for the writing part, creating your own subscription publication can be profitable and quite easy: Just ask Andrew Sullivan, who’s Dish generated over $850,000 in revenue in its first year alone. Simmons could quadruple that number without breaking a sweat.

Bill Simmons begged ESPN to take action against him. It did. And like all those before him who thought they were bigger than the network, the Sports Guy may be on his way out the door permanently. Because in Bristol, anyone…even him…is dispensable.

[Image via screengrab]
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>>Follow Joe Concha on Twitter @JoeConchaTV

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.