bill simmons IS bill simmons IN the book of BASKETBALL

lol didn't mean much by it, just seems like he'd be an annoying personality type. the one thing that I've noticed is that whenever any writers leave the ringer he never acknowledges their departure or existence

i'm sure there are worse bosses out there

he is annoying tbf

my post wasn't to allege that bill is a bad boss, just that it's funny when he has his writers on his podcast and reveals that he doesn't know what they're publishing, even though that is a fairly standard dynamic at a place w/ as many editorial layers as the ringer. it's just that most places like the ringer don't have a hugely popular podcast where its founder speaks frequently w/ his writers

that being said i know enough ppl that have worked for him to say definitively that whether he is a bad boss or a good boss depends on who you are talking to. there is a core group of people who have been w/ him for ages, there are also people who have found working for him untenable and have parted on bad terms. this is prob a fairly common dynamic among bosses.

why do the untenable people find it untenable

i don't think you have to know anyone behind the scenes to say that bill can be petty and vindictive. he deals w/ conflict in a way that can feel righteous when his opponent is ESPN and disney -- it's far more problematic when he is managing employees. i know that when the ringer union was forming, some people who were very active & vocal in the union drive felt that he was doing stuff like no longer tweeting out links to their stories from his personal account etc. boss fighting union is not exactly a breaking news story but there were some ppl there who felt like he was taking it to a more personal level

there's also just stuff like, the ringer having very few black people on staff, bill being confronted about this by his staff, and then his response being to hire ppl like raja bell and cc sabathia to host podcasts. like...

Above all, the four former employees said, it was difficult for black staff members to win more responsibility and visibility at the company — especially since late 2017, when company leaders appeared to make podcasting a priority. At that point, they said, top editors started claiming shows for themselves.

The outlet’s popular R3w4tch4bl3s podcast, in which staff members revisit old movies, led by Mr. Simmons, allowed for a variety of guests when it started. By the spring of 2018, the ensemble approach faded as the show came to rely more on Mr. Simmons along with S34n F3nn3ss3y and Chr1s Ry4n, both founding editors who are white.

“The Rewatchables was pitched as, ‘Let’s get the rest of you participating in podcasts,’” Mr. Collins said. “It very quickly became Sean, Bill and Chris.”

Mr. Simmons said by email that the company needed to spotlight its best podcasters. “It’s a business,” he said. “This isn’t Open Mic Night.”

responding to concerns by your (at the time) handful of black employees that there wasn't enough room for advancement by saying, to the new york times, that you aren't hosting an open mic night is a style of management that, um, isn't going to work for everyone. again this is the kinda thing that works when you're the david, not the goliath. but i think he always sees himself as the former despite having been the latter for quite some time.

good post thank you

Bill Simmons attempting to sing No Flex Zone. This is peak podcasting pic.twitter.com/ISZP4ztxze

— Jamal McMurray (@JamalMcMurrayy) April 29, 2024

oh my god lol

haha

lmaooooo

💪💪 @BillSimmons @ringer pic.twitter.com/PgYMgB4JQB

— J.E. Skeets (@jeskeets) April 30, 2024

should be noted that this performance of "No Flex Zone" came while he was listing the three worst commercials of the NBA playoffs, none of which were "what a pro wants"

Bill's list:
1. Wingstop / "No Flex Zone"
2. "BK have it your way ... you rule!"
3. Caitlyn Clark StateFarm ad

no Chet/SGA is an all-time zag

bk have it your way is a top tier jingle. it has run its course tho

"no flex zone" is so familiar to me (and i loved it so much when it first came out) that the ad doesn't even register to me as annoying

"what a pro wants" is so much worse, man. like why would chet and sga know or like that song which came out before chet was born and nobody has listened to or mentioned in decades?

the no flex zone ad is easily the best of the ads they play constantly during basketball classic song and i like vibe of the family the kids seem like they know something funny, the worst are those emotionally manipulative ads from lilly the company that was gouging life saving insulin

i like the what a pro wants ad its nice theyre signing together but then the end is bad when shai is all a lil flat, feel like sort of thing where theres a line thats in the shape of a punchline but isnt actually a joke its just someone saying something is everywhere in ads now some sort of new pernicious ad man strat, like the one where melo tells eli you not slick or the one where grant hill does all the talking then ant says oh i know

i agree i don’t really understand the hate for it. it’s dumb but it’s not exactly like our best minds are in advertising these days. mostly i find it kinda cute, they seem to be having fun. i do agree w/ ppl who point out that they’re too young to really have nostalgia for an early xtina single tho

the singing is cute and they seem like good guys, harmless ad imo

they look extremely uncomfortable! if you’re going to do something like that you gotta actually let yourself get into it. F minus

for me, it’s more “oh god why are they being forced to do this?”

it's definitely awful, but i feel the opposite of lagoon - the singing is cringe, the song choice is weird, the whole premise seems detached from any sort of reality, and the only redeeming quality of the commercial is SGA going "lil bit flat, we'll get better" as if there *is* some backstory that we're unaware of, like these two dudes are on a journey toward trying to sing well together for some reason. it's like that's the only part of it that has even a hint of intrigue?

it's also the only line of the whole thing that's delivered in a natural way, not stiffly acted.

the crypto ad about pizza is good too bad they cant make cyber money that good

i dont like seeing will smith and martin lawrences old puffy faces in the bad boys 3 ads they shouldve used the face deaging tech on them

were dying goon, we're all just dying and decaying cant get ai to stop it baby

not in the bad boys universe

theyre not bad boys anymore, theyre bad men

will smith and martin lawrence in....grumpy old boys

see thats the direction they shouldve gone

The only truly random number generator is the one in Bill Simmons’ head when he says, eg “he was one of the 12 to 13 best guys in the league in ‘88” or “he’s one of the best guys we’ve seen in what, the last six to seven years?”

— Brad (@BGM_22) May 15, 2024

lol

one of the most accurate tweets

the spinal tap school of measuring things

That’s good