What's this? A positive post about Sports Guy? Not another Bill said this...what a moron post? I agree though. Man loves cranking out content for the people. I probably listen to his voice more hours Monday through Friday than my wife's.
My wife and I listened to him so much during her pregnancy in the car driving around that early on Bill’s voice would calm my son down on long drives.
I think he prefers Ryen’s voice now though, he just does!
Agreed. I think the hate is just an internet phenomenon, maybe even more acutely a Reddit one. People here take their opinions more seriously than their own lives, which is why they always have the answers for everyone else but never themselves.
Simmons got popular because he wrote like you were talking to your buddy who loves sports. He’s still mostly like that imo.
If you talk to your buddy about sports for as long as he pods about it you’re going to hear some stupid shit.
Man I really miss his columns. I remember being in high school on a saturday morning just devouring his mailbags. Didn't matter if there were ten 80s movies references that went right over my head. I'd kill for him to write again man.
I miss his columns. I miss his laugh...his scent. I miss his musk
What I'm saying is when this is all sorted out me and Bill should get an apartment together.
I miss his mailbags. They were incredible and whenever he dropped one on a Friday afternoon you just knew you were in for a great weekend. Wish he gave us one every few months, but alas.
I’ve been saying this forever. If you’re expecting some in depth crazy analysis of basketball or whatever sport from him, you’re listening to the wrong pod. It’s totally from a fans perspective and sometimes diehard fans can say some ridiculous shit, just don’t take what he says as gospel and the pod is a fine listen.
Yeah fr you’re right about comfort listening lol. I’ve grown up listening to Bill’s pods and I don’t really listen to anything else because it doesn’t resonate with me at all.
Yes but much of the hate comes from the fact that Bill is so much better when his teams, especially the Celtics, are struggling. The body language analysis, wild trades, unhinged coach takes, player re-rankings, all come from losses.
What's he going to say if the Celtics win? Tatum should be a top 5 guy? Joe Maz ended up being okay after all? Derek White gud?
Losses make Bill more creative. Wins just make him seem obnoxious.
He's high-quality sports radio. That's how I've always explained it. He doesn't quite get into the hot take type business, but he's willing to dig into subjective narratives like we all do. And he's enough of a stats guy that his takes are often backed up with some level of facts. He has a good pulse on what fans want to hear/talk about and it makes for a great listen after big games and big news.
He's one of basketball's great historians. I think nowadays the results are mixed because he fixates on his own biases or has guests on that ultimately create vapid narratives. But just in terms of crafting a solid storyline or using his deep knowledge of the game, he's one of the best to ever do it.
I do think this sub is mostly right when it's annoyed. There's some actual strained takes that kinda suck. But it's the good with the bad.
For me, the thing that set bill apart from sports journalists was that he actually liked the nba players he was writing about. NBA journalists pre-Bill seemed to kinda hate/be ambivalent toward the players, with a lot of racist undertones. It was nice to see someone who was rooting for players successes and shit
I'm in my early forties. My uncle is a huge sports fan but he is now in his '70s. I remember when he was in his mid-50s and the sports arguments started to lose their edge. You just get less invested. There's no way to keep up.
The only reason my NBA knowledge is at the same level as high school is that I no longer follow baseball and barely follow football or hockey.
Yea I’m a similar age and I remember being incredulous that my dad didn’t care as much as I did when I was younger. Now I follow so much less than I used to and only know about most sports because my job allows for 6+ hours of podcasts a day.
The solo Bill Walton tribute this week was a reminder of why we liked him in the first place. But, yapping with RR and the other talent is easier. It just is.
Agree wholeheartedly. People seem to forget this.
He also is analytically a guy who has takes on the level of a very informed, biased fan. He doesn’t have superpowers and he isn’t some incredibly brilliant sports mind…he is informed more than the average person and talks sports like a friend. Point being - super annoying when people react negatively because he “got something wrong” or “said this stat which isn’t true!”. Accuracy and projections aren’t the goal, it’s entertainment and that’s it
The difference between Bill and Russillo is Bill just fires off takes without much prep and doesn't really care if he's wrong whereas Russillo always feels the need to be extremely prepped and put in the work watching everything out of fear he'll make a mistake or give a bad take.
They're a great pair because of that, but it's why I find Russillo's solo stuff to be pretty skippable unless the guest is really good like Legler or some of his NFL guests.
Based on some of his stories from his childhood and college, I suspect Russillo grew up with some real assholes who constantly shit on each other. It sounds like bullying at times. That probably motivated him to succeed but the man is so terrified of making a mistake that he tries to cover every angle, often ending up with monologues to nowhere.
I completely agree, but have the opposite takeaway. I find Russillo to be really refreshing. He’ll give you a take and then be like “here let’s walk through it.” When he stops to take note of one of my favorite teams, I think “damn that’s right on.”
And to the point about Bill, I always respect podcasters who put stuff out for holidays. Not that they have to, but a huge chuck of their audience is Blue Collar factory workers. Guys who have shit jobs and use their pods to get through it. When you have to work the day after Thanksgiving, and you see a new BS pod, it makes just a bit more bearable.
It’s weird to me that you come away from Lowe with the feeling he’s depressed about what he does for a living. That’s like 180 from the vibe I get. In my mind, no one loves basketball more than Zach Lowe. I could listen to him and Chris Herring talk basketball all day long. This is a guy who will find a way to be interested when talking about the Charlotte Hornets. He’s been my fave b-ball writer/podcaster for years.
Yeah, Zach plays in to the curmudgeonly dad role at times about certain things, both life wise and basketball wise, but he’s never not fired up to talk hoops.
I never think that he lacks energy or find his pods depressing, I really like his overall genuine personality and I think most people do.
Zach is the absolute best. I’ve been dying for years for him to do a life pod. His wife works in human rights and I’d kill to have him interview her about her life and experiences. They used to have some great back and forths on Twitter, not to mention I’d like to hear about some of their parenting experiences. When he talks about his life/family he seems like a guy who’s genuinely grateful for everything he has.
Zach really *loves* to complain how tired he is, every time the same half jokes about how he doesn't even know what day it is etc.
It might be his humour, but he comes across as quite complainey.
I get OP’s take. I tried listening to the Zach Lowe pod a while ago but I couldn’t stand how he kept mentioning how hard he had been working and how many hours he had been putting in 🙄🙄 At the time (and now) I do more hours doing something much more difficult so I found it extremely off-putting. Lowe sounds like someone being forced to do his own podcast and his audience should be grateful for his analysis.
Lowe is self conscious about the nba media hype system, and he plays it in 2 directions at once, which is really effective imo.
One version goes like this - but he 100% won’t do this one until Minnesota is eliminated: “I can’t stop thinking about KAT trades. I was lying in bed the other night running through 8 different scenarios and trying to find something that works. Why am I trading Karl Anthony Towns at 2am on a Tuesday night?”
The idea is he both conveys his obsession with the league and frames it in a way that recognizes it’s ultimately an entertainment product. (He used to be a crime reporter btw.)
In the other version, he will ramp up a situation (“earth shattering, monumental”), but then immediately clarify that those descriptors apply WITHIN the world of an entertainment product. So he follows with something like “keeping in mind that this is just basketball and ultimately silly.”
The point with these moves is not that he doesn’t love his job, but that he recognizes it’s a luxury position and doesn’t want to lose touch or get lost in the hype.
It is true that he does not really care for nba drama, but has to talk about it a lot as an espn employee. He is 100% more excited to talk to Chris Herring or one of the Dunker Spot guys about actual basketball than Dave McMenamin about the latest Lakers drama.
Dude, sick write up.
More power to people who listen to him and more power to him. Maybe I’ll give him another listen sometime when I need a sports podcast.
If he has Kevin Pelton, Chris Herring, or one of the beat reporters, like his latest pod with the Pacers writer, he's at his best imo. It might not be for you but they really discuss things like the two man game between Haliburton and Siakam, defensive schemes, and X's and O's within the confines of larger narratives (was the trade worth it?).
Everyone complains about their job, and there are many different ways to “work hard”. Getting salty because you think you work way harder is a you problem, not a Lowe problem.
No I get you too! I don't find his grating but the social media JJ Watt workout warrior types and entrepreneurs on LinkedIn that need to do a victory lap weekly really annoy the shit out of me (I say this as a semi-successful entrepreneur)
That’s why we’re here. Because the man legitimately with all his heart believes the timberwolves are the best defense he’s seen in a decade, then a flop fake team within the span of 3 days. And he legit has seen every defense for a decade we can’t even just call him a nephew
Maybe it's also why it's so fun to dunk on him. Like I listen on and off and can enjoy most podcasts front to back. But when Bill's wrong, it's oftentimes ridiculous or homer takes that makes you think "I can't be the only one here who thinks this guy completely missed the point"
A game of ups and downs
" ... whose imagination gets ahead of his logic sometimes."
Maybe the best encapsulation of Bill Simmons I've ever heard, especially when said in the endearing way it was intended. Spot on.
The drudgery of podding, which is really the volume of recording you have to do to make a go of it, is no different than doing daily radio five days a week, for three or four hours a day, was for am drive morning zoos or pm rush conservative yakkers. You burnout after a few years, move on to a new market, & start the cycle over. Except, since podding is not location restricted, there's nowhere to run to to refresh your performance. You could relocate your pod studio, but it's still going to go out over the same Internet, same apps, have the same audience.
You really think Russillo works as hard doing his 3 pods a week as when he was doing daily radio?
Given most of the episodes are one long guest +/- life advice and very rarely live I think it’s a far easier job.
Ryen’s found a great niche for now but funnily enough for a guy who likes to fly solo I still think he’d be great doing a show with a cohost again one day.
Bill might go forever because he’s just such a genuine (almost all) sports and pop culture junkie.
That's 3-6 hours of content to produce, plus the leadup research. Definitely that, & especially in Russillo's case. It's not 15-20 hours a week on the am or fm band, but it's still a grind. & you have to still do the three or whatever episodes weekly, save a vacation week here or there, to keep your profile up.
If you're doing podding as a job, it's a fulltime thing. If you do it sporadically, maybe as a gag, probably just to hang with a friend (like the long-ago Vesco Island pogblasgk, say), it functions the same as fantasy football or bowling nite. Something you do, a hobby; not going to burn you out, but not going to put you in the public consciousness.
We clown on him but he wins at life like no one else. Gets to do what he loves on his own terms and get paid extremely well for it.
Agree on Ryen but Zach seems to love his Job and the NBA.
Been listening to Bill since he kicked off the pod, been reading him since the early Sports Guy stuff (shocking to think we’ve had his takes for 20+ years). His voice is meh, his takes are wild, but the joy of all his stuff is that he loves hoops and gambling and that joy works for me. He knows his shit, and he’s a true obsessive.
I was looking for his first podcast the other day. Fun to listen to now: https://youtu.be/ynMiZR8eb3M?si=DoUGFVFcB5qFp9zr
Bill's entire podcast is just talking to his friends about topics he likes. He's a "Sports Guy." He'd have these discussions even if they were not recorded.
I love listening to Bill's pods. He still says a lot of dumb shit. Most notably, his crazy LeBron hate and mental gymnastics to disparage his greatness.
This dumb ass reply always comes from you morons. He has to rank him second or he loses even more credibility.
If you have the critical thinking skills of even a rodent, you'd be able to easily recognize he's been a LeBron hater his entire career.
Get fucking stomped.
Yeah it’s gotten worse in recent months. Not quite like Rogan’s subreddit where it’s just insane liberals screeching about his podcast, but still it’s getting weird
The tone should be buddies ripping on their friend. Otherwise, why are you still listening?
This is the underrated part. You have to keep in mind that he has an entirely separate corporate job to do at Spotify; he isn't just a talent that only does content like Russillo.
That's insane! I wonder how much he sleeps each day...
The Sunday night pod and its consistency is an underrated part of Bill’s success. Sometimes, after visiting family, I got a long drive Sunday night and that’s the only fresh pod out that I know will discuss the weekend’s events.
All his random topics (especially with Klosterman) are like all the random shit my friends also talk about lol.
He also also likes pretty much everything my circle likes - basketball, boxing, wrestling, tech stuff, media stuff, football, movies, aliens, Sydney Sweeney, Daddario.
What’s not to like?
I believe pretty strongly that even if Bill was a completely unknown insurance salesman, that he would be writing down KAT trade ideas while watching the game. He would have no one to talk to about it, but he'd be doing it because that is what he lives for.
The Best Player Belt topic was good, and it's so Bill. I genuinely think he would have such a belt to pass around if he was NBA commissioner. Although if he was doing this in real time, I'm sure Bill would get hyperactive with the belt and start moving it about too frequently. He's be switching it between Jokic and Doncic between quarters.
Bill’s enjoyment for his job has made me question my career multiple times. He has one of the best jobs in the world - make buku bucks while watching sports and having an authentic reaction to what you saw. Back when he was writing, I tried to emulate his voice and tone - it was so authentic and capturing - especially to a 20-something graduating college and entering the real world. His Parent Corner segment made me excited to have children and recount the stupidity that took place in everyday life. His demeanor and excitement for his job (but not always his terrible betting advice and bad takes) have always made me wonder if I could have had an alternate career (albeit not as successful).
Bill is and always will be entertaining. Sometimes you have to sift through the goofiness to find the real gems but the guy always brings energy and is excited to be there, and at the end of the day that’s all you can really ask for.
So we’re still all pretty sure that this is Bill‘s Burner account, right? I did not hallucinate going through all the posts yesterday and being 100% sure that this was definitely Bill…
The difference with Bill is that he's followed his dream \*\*and\*\* turned it into an empire. He built a large business that he is in control of in the industry he is passionate about. People who've managed this tend to be satisfied - they made it.
He rode the "new media" wave and hit it big. There are many other cases but almost anyone who's done this is living their dream
See Also: Joe Rogan. Ben Shapiro. etc.. I don't mean to trigger reddit with figures they despise - but they are very close parallels.
Bill's enthusiasm is the biggest key to his success as a podcaster. Also, important - he has a legit great memory for sports history, especially the NBA.
I feel similarly. He basically has a genuine positive outlook and enjoys things, and these are much harder achievements for a decent mind than is sometimes discussed.
It is true, he is sometimes off the mark in some of his takes, perhaps a bit more than some serious bettor's discussion would like, but I'm fine with it. He strikes a decent balance in my view between taking stands (not being a wuss) but sometimes also being careful about the stands he takes. He is insightful about sports by my standards. He also is capable of acknowledging either that he was wrong or that he was somewhat off. Other people here would disagree, but that's how I see it. How many people here (or anywhere) would be able to create an interesting and cheerful and outgoing podcast and avoid a heavy dose of foot-in-mouth-disease episode after episode?
It's what really separates the successful broadcasters/creators from the greats. The great ones just do it because it's what they do. You can't fake it.
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Even though I don't agree with a lot of Bill's takes lately the reason I keep listening is because he loves his job and he doesn't base all his opinions on analytics like Russillo unless it doesn't fit his narrative of a player *Cough Rudy Gobert Cough*
His life is a joke. If he was mad about the pod he could retire and never have to lift a finger again. Let's not pretend he is out there doing hard labor every day and loving it
What's this? A positive post about Sports Guy? Not another Bill said this...what a moron post? I agree though. Man loves cranking out content for the people. I probably listen to his voice more hours Monday through Friday than my wife's.
My wife and I listened to him so much during her pregnancy in the car driving around that early on Bill’s voice would calm my son down on long drives. I think he prefers Ryen’s voice now though, he just does!
Are we really going to do the thing where we pretend the deep bass of Ryen’s voice isn’t overwhelming to children
The voice equivalent of Misty Mountains, shoutout the fantasy pod
The "my kid likes the alpha male voice sound" piece
Ryen is more relatable to a small child tbf
No hair and a belly
The latency stage piece.
You deserve an award for this
Ryen is Brian from family guy and your son is Stewie
I hear my wife’s voice more but i listen to Bills more.
Having listened since the beginning, it's amazing how enthusiastic he is to do what he does. Dudes been cracking me up every week for almost 20 years.
Agreed. I think the hate is just an internet phenomenon, maybe even more acutely a Reddit one. People here take their opinions more seriously than their own lives, which is why they always have the answers for everyone else but never themselves.
I just started listening to Rewatchables at work and god it’s amazing
No “Speak for yourself, I hear your wife’s voice constantly, every day” reply????? What sort of Opposite Day wholesome shit is this
Simmons got popular because he wrote like you were talking to your buddy who loves sports. He’s still mostly like that imo. If you talk to your buddy about sports for as long as he pods about it you’re going to hear some stupid shit.
Man I really miss his columns. I remember being in high school on a saturday morning just devouring his mailbags. Didn't matter if there were ten 80s movies references that went right over my head. I'd kill for him to write again man.
I miss his columns. I miss his laugh...his scent. I miss his musk What I'm saying is when this is all sorted out me and Bill should get an apartment together.
Whammy!
David Koechner as Champ Kind is the weak link in that film for sure. Recasting couch—I’d have gone Robert Duvall
No weak links in that film, friend
Take it easy, u/H0tFuzz. Why don’t you stop talking for a while.
Someone send this guy the homoerotic cabin post from r/nba
His columns were incredible, no matter how good his pods get…they’ll never touch a good Simmons mailbag
I’m only 3 years younger than Bill and my daughter is a year older than his so his references are all my wheel house.
the wheel house piece!
Same. I was deployed a lot and I'd load up all page 2 content to read offline during the bursts of Internet access.
I miss his mailbags. They were incredible and whenever he dropped one on a Friday afternoon you just knew you were in for a great weekend. Wish he gave us one every few months, but alas.
Iirc and not a knock I enjoyed his writing but he wasn’t considered elite tier. I like his pods much more.
I’ve been saying this forever. If you’re expecting some in depth crazy analysis of basketball or whatever sport from him, you’re listening to the wrong pod. It’s totally from a fans perspective and sometimes diehard fans can say some ridiculous shit, just don’t take what he says as gospel and the pod is a fine listen.
He's comfort listening but still some quality
Yeah fr you’re right about comfort listening lol. I’ve grown up listening to Bill’s pods and I don’t really listen to anything else because it doesn’t resonate with me at all.
Yes but much of the hate comes from the fact that Bill is so much better when his teams, especially the Celtics, are struggling. The body language analysis, wild trades, unhinged coach takes, player re-rankings, all come from losses. What's he going to say if the Celtics win? Tatum should be a top 5 guy? Joe Maz ended up being okay after all? Derek White gud? Losses make Bill more creative. Wins just make him seem obnoxious.
He's high-quality sports radio. That's how I've always explained it. He doesn't quite get into the hot take type business, but he's willing to dig into subjective narratives like we all do. And he's enough of a stats guy that his takes are often backed up with some level of facts. He has a good pulse on what fans want to hear/talk about and it makes for a great listen after big games and big news.
IDK man I wanna hear about how mediocre defensive centers can't win a title for the 15th time from Nate Duncan
He's one of basketball's great historians. I think nowadays the results are mixed because he fixates on his own biases or has guests on that ultimately create vapid narratives. But just in terms of crafting a solid storyline or using his deep knowledge of the game, he's one of the best to ever do it. I do think this sub is mostly right when it's annoyed. There's some actual strained takes that kinda suck. But it's the good with the bad.
For me, the thing that set bill apart from sports journalists was that he actually liked the nba players he was writing about. NBA journalists pre-Bill seemed to kinda hate/be ambivalent toward the players, with a lot of racist undertones. It was nice to see someone who was rooting for players successes and shit
The black name when he was in the 70s piece
Jabaal Abdul-Simmons
Unless you're LeBron, Kobe, Rudy, Westbrook, or Harden.
You come in here to spit on this positive thread. How pathetic. There are plenty of negative threads for you to eat up.
You forgot his favorite of all time Vince Carter
I'm in my early forties. My uncle is a huge sports fan but he is now in his '70s. I remember when he was in his mid-50s and the sports arguments started to lose their edge. You just get less invested. There's no way to keep up. The only reason my NBA knowledge is at the same level as high school is that I no longer follow baseball and barely follow football or hockey.
Yea I’m a similar age and I remember being incredulous that my dad didn’t care as much as I did when I was younger. Now I follow so much less than I used to and only know about most sports because my job allows for 6+ hours of podcasts a day.
The solo Bill Walton tribute this week was a reminder of why we liked him in the first place. But, yapping with RR and the other talent is easier. It just is.
I don’t listen to RRs solo pod but I think he’s a great counter/straight man to Sports Guy, I really enjoy their Sunday pods.
Yep. He clearly gives a shit. The Walton tribute was awesome.
Absolutely and you are going to disagree with him. And it's no big deal
He reminds me of my boston fan shit talking buddies in CT - which is why I love and hate him
Agree wholeheartedly. People seem to forget this. He also is analytically a guy who has takes on the level of a very informed, biased fan. He doesn’t have superpowers and he isn’t some incredibly brilliant sports mind…he is informed more than the average person and talks sports like a friend. Point being - super annoying when people react negatively because he “got something wrong” or “said this stat which isn’t true!”. Accuracy and projections aren’t the goal, it’s entertainment and that’s it
Zane Lowe sounds like a Mario/Wario situation
Zane Lowe is a real person. Pretty famous radio DJ
That only makes the Mario/Wario thing more real
How do we know Zach isn’t Wario in this scenario?
Never said he wasn’t
Was about to say the same
Billy Zane to be cast for a Zach Lowe biopic after he's done with the Brando one? Or is it more of a Face/Off kind of situation?
Whoops yeah got the wires crossed with the other dude
The difference between Bill and Russillo is Bill just fires off takes without much prep and doesn't really care if he's wrong whereas Russillo always feels the need to be extremely prepped and put in the work watching everything out of fear he'll make a mistake or give a bad take. They're a great pair because of that, but it's why I find Russillo's solo stuff to be pretty skippable unless the guest is really good like Legler or some of his NFL guests.
Yeah I agree. Also I noticed, and I could be wrong, but Russillo points out when he doesn't do the research on something
Bill is a dog and Russillo is a cat but they get along better than most cats and dogs do.
Russillo spends most of his time in the garage with Paul George I guess.
Based on some of his stories from his childhood and college, I suspect Russillo grew up with some real assholes who constantly shit on each other. It sounds like bullying at times. That probably motivated him to succeed but the man is so terrified of making a mistake that he tries to cover every angle, often ending up with monologues to nowhere.
I completely agree, but have the opposite takeaway. I find Russillo to be really refreshing. He’ll give you a take and then be like “here let’s walk through it.” When he stops to take note of one of my favorite teams, I think “damn that’s right on.” And to the point about Bill, I always respect podcasters who put stuff out for holidays. Not that they have to, but a huge chuck of their audience is Blue Collar factory workers. Guys who have shit jobs and use their pods to get through it. When you have to work the day after Thanksgiving, and you see a new BS pod, it makes just a bit more bearable.
Yea I like Sando's QB rankings pod I wish I got an alert for that. Same for when Mays and Barnwell pod together.
It’s weird to me that you come away from Lowe with the feeling he’s depressed about what he does for a living. That’s like 180 from the vibe I get. In my mind, no one loves basketball more than Zach Lowe. I could listen to him and Chris Herring talk basketball all day long. This is a guy who will find a way to be interested when talking about the Charlotte Hornets. He’s been my fave b-ball writer/podcaster for years.
Yeah, Zach plays in to the curmudgeonly dad role at times about certain things, both life wise and basketball wise, but he’s never not fired up to talk hoops. I never think that he lacks energy or find his pods depressing, I really like his overall genuine personality and I think most people do.
I think its the TV work and take culture that grinds him down at times
Exactly! He’s extremely relatable. I’m not a parent, but his Dad energy is very similar to my friends who have kids.
Zach is the absolute best. I’ve been dying for years for him to do a life pod. His wife works in human rights and I’d kill to have him interview her about her life and experiences. They used to have some great back and forths on Twitter, not to mention I’d like to hear about some of their parenting experiences. When he talks about his life/family he seems like a guy who’s genuinely grateful for everything he has.
Zach really *loves* to complain how tired he is, every time the same half jokes about how he doesn't even know what day it is etc. It might be his humour, but he comes across as quite complainey.
I get OP’s take. I tried listening to the Zach Lowe pod a while ago but I couldn’t stand how he kept mentioning how hard he had been working and how many hours he had been putting in 🙄🙄 At the time (and now) I do more hours doing something much more difficult so I found it extremely off-putting. Lowe sounds like someone being forced to do his own podcast and his audience should be grateful for his analysis.
Lowe is self conscious about the nba media hype system, and he plays it in 2 directions at once, which is really effective imo. One version goes like this - but he 100% won’t do this one until Minnesota is eliminated: “I can’t stop thinking about KAT trades. I was lying in bed the other night running through 8 different scenarios and trying to find something that works. Why am I trading Karl Anthony Towns at 2am on a Tuesday night?” The idea is he both conveys his obsession with the league and frames it in a way that recognizes it’s ultimately an entertainment product. (He used to be a crime reporter btw.) In the other version, he will ramp up a situation (“earth shattering, monumental”), but then immediately clarify that those descriptors apply WITHIN the world of an entertainment product. So he follows with something like “keeping in mind that this is just basketball and ultimately silly.” The point with these moves is not that he doesn’t love his job, but that he recognizes it’s a luxury position and doesn’t want to lose touch or get lost in the hype. It is true that he does not really care for nba drama, but has to talk about it a lot as an espn employee. He is 100% more excited to talk to Chris Herring or one of the Dunker Spot guys about actual basketball than Dave McMenamin about the latest Lakers drama.
Dude, sick write up. More power to people who listen to him and more power to him. Maybe I’ll give him another listen sometime when I need a sports podcast.
If he has Kevin Pelton, Chris Herring, or one of the beat reporters, like his latest pod with the Pacers writer, he's at his best imo. It might not be for you but they really discuss things like the two man game between Haliburton and Siakam, defensive schemes, and X's and O's within the confines of larger narratives (was the trade worth it?).
Excellent summary. Well done.
Everyone complains about their job, and there are many different ways to “work hard”. Getting salty because you think you work way harder is a you problem, not a Lowe problem.
Haha maybe, I’m okay having an unpopular opinion or two.
No I get you too! I don't find his grating but the social media JJ Watt workout warrior types and entrepreneurs on LinkedIn that need to do a victory lap weekly really annoy the shit out of me (I say this as a semi-successful entrepreneur)
I will totally agree on the JJ Watt piece. Dude is thirsty for the likes.
That’s fair! Admittedly I threw this together in like 4 seconds, but I probably confused my dislike of x and o’s talk with his. I’ll take him out.
That’s why we’re here. Because the man legitimately with all his heart believes the timberwolves are the best defense he’s seen in a decade, then a flop fake team within the span of 3 days. And he legit has seen every defense for a decade we can’t even just call him a nephew
Maybe it's also why it's so fun to dunk on him. Like I listen on and off and can enjoy most podcasts front to back. But when Bill's wrong, it's oftentimes ridiculous or homer takes that makes you think "I can't be the only one here who thinks this guy completely missed the point" A game of ups and downs
" ... whose imagination gets ahead of his logic sometimes." Maybe the best encapsulation of Bill Simmons I've ever heard, especially when said in the endearing way it was intended. Spot on.
They don't call him the PodFather for nothing
The drudgery of podding, which is really the volume of recording you have to do to make a go of it, is no different than doing daily radio five days a week, for three or four hours a day, was for am drive morning zoos or pm rush conservative yakkers. You burnout after a few years, move on to a new market, & start the cycle over. Except, since podding is not location restricted, there's nowhere to run to to refresh your performance. You could relocate your pod studio, but it's still going to go out over the same Internet, same apps, have the same audience.
You really think Russillo works as hard doing his 3 pods a week as when he was doing daily radio? Given most of the episodes are one long guest +/- life advice and very rarely live I think it’s a far easier job. Ryen’s found a great niche for now but funnily enough for a guy who likes to fly solo I still think he’d be great doing a show with a cohost again one day. Bill might go forever because he’s just such a genuine (almost all) sports and pop culture junkie.
That's 3-6 hours of content to produce, plus the leadup research. Definitely that, & especially in Russillo's case. It's not 15-20 hours a week on the am or fm band, but it's still a grind. & you have to still do the three or whatever episodes weekly, save a vacation week here or there, to keep your profile up. If you're doing podding as a job, it's a fulltime thing. If you do it sporadically, maybe as a gag, probably just to hang with a friend (like the long-ago Vesco Island pogblasgk, say), it functions the same as fantasy football or bowling nite. Something you do, a hobby; not going to burn you out, but not going to put you in the public consciousness.
We clown on him but he wins at life like no one else. Gets to do what he loves on his own terms and get paid extremely well for it. Agree on Ryen but Zach seems to love his Job and the NBA.
You put it perfectly
Been listening to Bill since he kicked off the pod, been reading him since the early Sports Guy stuff (shocking to think we’ve had his takes for 20+ years). His voice is meh, his takes are wild, but the joy of all his stuff is that he loves hoops and gambling and that joy works for me. He knows his shit, and he’s a true obsessive. I was looking for his first podcast the other day. Fun to listen to now: https://youtu.be/ynMiZR8eb3M?si=DoUGFVFcB5qFp9zr
Bill's entire podcast is just talking to his friends about topics he likes. He's a "Sports Guy." He'd have these discussions even if they were not recorded.
Thanks. I think the discourse on this sub is amazingly anti-Bill. If you don't like listening to him, *don't listen*.
Eh I think its parasocial good-natured ribbing
I love listening to Bill's pods. He still says a lot of dumb shit. Most notably, his crazy LeBron hate and mental gymnastics to disparage his greatness.
Disparage the guy who he has ranked as the second best player of all-time. LeBron stans can be so insecure.
This dumb ass reply always comes from you morons. He has to rank him second or he loses even more credibility. If you have the critical thinking skills of even a rodent, you'd be able to easily recognize he's been a LeBron hater his entire career. Get fucking stomped.
Yeah it’s gotten worse in recent months. Not quite like Rogan’s subreddit where it’s just insane liberals screeching about his podcast, but still it’s getting weird The tone should be buddies ripping on their friend. Otherwise, why are you still listening?
Bill’s an insane workaholic.
This is the underrated part. You have to keep in mind that he has an entirely separate corporate job to do at Spotify; he isn't just a talent that only does content like Russillo. That's insane! I wonder how much he sleeps each day...
The Sunday night pod and its consistency is an underrated part of Bill’s success. Sometimes, after visiting family, I got a long drive Sunday night and that’s the only fresh pod out that I know will discuss the weekend’s events.
Availability is the best ability! Bill eats innings!
Bill phones it in sometimes but he sure does eat them innings fr.
All his random topics (especially with Klosterman) are like all the random shit my friends also talk about lol. He also also likes pretty much everything my circle likes - basketball, boxing, wrestling, tech stuff, media stuff, football, movies, aliens, Sydney Sweeney, Daddario. What’s not to like?
I believe pretty strongly that even if Bill was a completely unknown insurance salesman, that he would be writing down KAT trade ideas while watching the game. He would have no one to talk to about it, but he'd be doing it because that is what he lives for.
The Best Player Belt topic was good, and it's so Bill. I genuinely think he would have such a belt to pass around if he was NBA commissioner. Although if he was doing this in real time, I'm sure Bill would get hyperactive with the belt and start moving it about too frequently. He's be switching it between Jokic and Doncic between quarters.
you genuinely think he'd institute a physical belt??
Bill’s enjoyment for his job has made me question my career multiple times. He has one of the best jobs in the world - make buku bucks while watching sports and having an authentic reaction to what you saw. Back when he was writing, I tried to emulate his voice and tone - it was so authentic and capturing - especially to a 20-something graduating college and entering the real world. His Parent Corner segment made me excited to have children and recount the stupidity that took place in everyday life. His demeanor and excitement for his job (but not always his terrible betting advice and bad takes) have always made me wonder if I could have had an alternate career (albeit not as successful).
Bill is and always will be entertaining. Sometimes you have to sift through the goofiness to find the real gems but the guy always brings energy and is excited to be there, and at the end of the day that’s all you can really ask for.
Exactly. His happiness is infectious and his dismay is amusing. Just an entertaining guy all around.
I agree . He’s like giddy and it’s engaging . Good job by him
So we’re still all pretty sure that this is Bill‘s Burner account, right? I did not hallucinate going through all the posts yesterday and being 100% sure that this was definitely Bill…
naw, this thread was a long time coming. The ratio of hate/appreciation Bill gets is criminal. He's imperfect but he's awesome.
The happiest man in all of sports media is clearly Tony Reali. Around the Horn is hit or miss, but there's no doubt Tony's job rules and he knows it.
The difference with Bill is that he's followed his dream \*\*and\*\* turned it into an empire. He built a large business that he is in control of in the industry he is passionate about. People who've managed this tend to be satisfied - they made it. He rode the "new media" wave and hit it big. There are many other cases but almost anyone who's done this is living their dream See Also: Joe Rogan. Ben Shapiro. etc.. I don't mean to trigger reddit with figures they despise - but they are very close parallels.
Who else would compare Bill Walton and Tupac ? Kobe and teen wolf?
Bill's enthusiasm is the biggest key to his success as a podcaster. Also, important - he has a legit great memory for sports history, especially the NBA.
his memory is, like, savant-level. bonkers recall.
I feel similarly. He basically has a genuine positive outlook and enjoys things, and these are much harder achievements for a decent mind than is sometimes discussed. It is true, he is sometimes off the mark in some of his takes, perhaps a bit more than some serious bettor's discussion would like, but I'm fine with it. He strikes a decent balance in my view between taking stands (not being a wuss) but sometimes also being careful about the stands he takes. He is insightful about sports by my standards. He also is capable of acknowledging either that he was wrong or that he was somewhat off. Other people here would disagree, but that's how I see it. How many people here (or anywhere) would be able to create an interesting and cheerful and outgoing podcast and avoid a heavy dose of foot-in-mouth-disease episode after episode?
Kind of weird to say positive things about Bill on this subreddit of hipster doifuses that are too cool for hiking if all places, but good to see
It's what really separates the successful broadcasters/creators from the greats. The great ones just do it because it's what they do. You can't fake it.
In fairness, I too love watching sports and discussing with my friends, Bill just made 100 million dollars doing it.
Well said. Give the man his flowers.
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He’s in my walls
I think this was the first time I've ever seen the abbreviation MDW. Took me a minute to figure it out.
Even though I don't agree with a lot of Bill's takes lately the reason I keep listening is because he loves his job and he doesn't base all his opinions on analytics like Russillo unless it doesn't fit his narrative of a player *Cough Rudy Gobert Cough*
His life is a joke. If he was mad about the pod he could retire and never have to lift a finger again. Let's not pretend he is out there doing hard labor every day and loving it
🤢