Welcome to Episode 72! We bring on Wiser Times - the creator of the awesome intro song - for another classic r/BS Pod ep. First we delve into Bill Simmons current events. We're seeing previously unimagined levels of flip flopping from the Podfather, which is backfiring on him in hilarious ways. It's been very fun to see Bill's takes age poorly almost immediately this NBA postseason. Next we get into how Wiser Times found Bill, which he did through The Ringer's NBA Desktop show. Why did...

Welcome to Episode 71! We bring on JF, who reached out to me on the Bill Simmons subreddit wanting to talk Simmons, The Ringer and more. We first hit on Bill Simmons current events - it's laughable how much Bill praises and makes excuses for KD but hates on LeBron. What's the reason for this? We think it's obvious. Next we discuss why Mark Titus and others have left The Ringer - is Bill not paying people enough and not giving them creative freedom? That appears to be the case. And why is...

Welcome to Episode 70! We bring on Doug from Twitter (@dougie_fresh055) for a rollicking ride of all things Bill Simmons. We first hit on Bill Simmons current events, including what will surely be a hilariously petty response to LeBron's podcast with JJ; in fact, this likely explains the uptick in cheap shots Bill's taken at LeBron lately. Next we look back at Doug's Bill Simmons tweets starting as early as 2012. We see the highs (mailbags, NBA Draft, Grantland, Countdown, Bill &...

That’s right — an entire show talking Ringer Union. The BS Pod has continued to be released despite no contract after it expired, yet Bill added a disclaimer today that The Ringer is “owned, managed and operated by Spotify” - was this an attempt to pass the buck? We say yes. Bill not only has significant influence at Spotify, but he’s also Head of Podcast Monetization & Innovation! We then get into the crux of the Ringer Union issue and wonder how Bill got himself into this in the first...

Welcome to another episode! We bring back r/BS Pod OGs Pop & Bob — these guys have been here from the beginning. We haven't done a 3-man weave since late October, so we needed to get another evolutionary Ric Bucher, Steiny Mo and BS Report-era Bill Simmons 3-man weave episode out with so much going on in BS Land. We start with how we're holding up during this BS Pod break (some Russillo, Bill on another pod) before talking Derek Thompson's last appearance. In the spirit of Derek we do a...

Welcome to Episode 67! We bring back fan favorite Zach (@_zachblatter) from Episode 55 for a return visit to The Ringer & Bill Simmons' video, social media and growth strategies. Zach (Brand Manager at The Strickland) is highly experienced in the field as anyone who listened to #55 can attest to and once again brings a variety of excellent ideas to the pod. We first discuss The Ringer's video progress in 2024. In Episode 55 Zach highlighted The Ringer's lack of focus on video,...

Welcome to a jam packed episode with Jake from Twitter (@DeAnime69)! We start off with Bill Simmons current events. Mark Titus recently spoke not so glowingly about Bill on a podcast, so we discuss their falling out - Bill used to refer to Mark as his "illegitimate son" - as well as Titus' career progression to date, including some drawbacks of being at Barstool, and why he and Tate ultimately parted ways. Next we get further into the Simmons vs. McAfee feud, with excellent context from Jake...

Bill Simmons has been chirping at Pat McAfee for months. A few weeks back Bill ripped off a lengthy impression making in fun of McAfee on his show. This closely followed Bill & Cousin Sal's buddy Jimmy Kimmel being miffed at McAfee guest Aaron Rodgers. McAfee waited a month, but today landed what I consider a nuclear blast on Simmons - audio included in the first two minutes of the pod. In today's episode I break down the origins of the beef, why this was such an epic killshot by Pat,...

Welcome to Episode 64! We bring on Brett (@CCM_Brett) from the Chit Chat Stocks Podcast (@chitchatstocks) for a deep dive into Spotify. The company's been in the news lately following a robust earnings report celebrated by Wall Street and their new deal with Joe Rogan, where he will still be with Spotify, but non-exclusive to their platform. On the pod we discuss 1) Why investors liked the recent earnings report, 2) Why does Spotify's music business keep growing so quickly, 3) Why Spotify...

Welcome to Episode 63! We had massive news last week with Joe Rogan re-upping his Spotify deal, but with major changes to his initial contract. We bring back Neil from Episode 62 to break it all down. First, this deal is much different than Joe's previous deal, as he's going non-exclusive and Spotify will help with ads and distribution, including on YouTube. The contract is also structured as a lower guaranteed payout with revenue sharing, and Spotify aims to do this with all their top...

Welcome to Episode 62! We bring on Neil from Twitter (@NeilYayamanj) to discuss his journey of Bill Simmons fanhood over the last several years. This is the spiritual sequel to the fan favorite 4-hour Epic, Definitive Bill Simmons Retrospective, this time exploring in depth the period of Bill Simmons from 2017-2024. We kick off the pod talking about Neil's introduction to Bill and how he immediately took to him as he was yearning for sports talk. Bill mixed in other qualitative features that...

Welcome to Episode 61! We bring on Henry from Twitter for a classic r/BS Pod episode. After discussing our backgrounds with Bill, we hit on several topics: — Why does he focus so much on announcers & pre-game shows? — What's worse these days, his NFL takes or NBA takes? — Ringer employees: Who is good, who isn't? — Downfall of The Rewatchables — His overall hypocrisy We also discuss Bill's KD takes, and use Bill's own The Book of Basketball to show how 2024 Bill Simmons is massively...

We break down the much maligned Peacock game! Enjoy — 23 Million viewers much better than predictions — Financials mean it was a great buy by NBC — There will be a bidding war for next year's game(s) — NBA on NBC/Peacock now close to locked in

Welcome to Episode 59! The Peacock game is all the rage with wild takes left and right all week. As someone that works in sports media, I had to break it down. This is an EXCELLENT move for Peacock, and makes a ton of strategic sense for the NFL long-term. I go through the streaming and media landscape in 2024 to explain why. Thank you to @_zachblatter for the podcast art and @WiserTimesmusic for the intro song

Welcome to Episode 58! We bring on Bridger, the founder and editor in chief of New Grantland. That's right - a website dedicated to continuing the legacy and spirit of the epic Bill Simmons led ESPN project in the early 2010s. We start off discussing what we both loved about Grantland, and why it truly was a once in a generation publication and also the last of its kind in the internet era. Also, why hasn't Bill done the same with The Ringer? We then discuss the evolution of sports media...

Pat McAfee called out his boss and the #3 executive at ESPN by name on Friday's show. He not only didn't get suspended, but was back on ESPN on Monday doubling down, talking up his relationships with Bob Iger and ESPN's CEO and #2 exec, having on top ESPN talent from the national championship game set, and being front and center for College GameDay. At least for now, McAfee has achieved a resounding victory. We also dive into the history of Norby Williamson and how his strategic leaking...

We have a special emergency podcast for a fast developing massive sports media story. We start with why Pat McAfee is at ESPN in the first place; ESPN is experiencing quickly declining profits and felt the need to take a high risk (and potential high reward) move. Next we discuss who Norby Williamson is (one of the most powerful people at ESPN) and his alleged use of strategic leaking to sports media reporters to gain power. We then assess the current state of play for why Pat believes...

Welcome to Episode 55! We bring on Zach (@_zachblatter on Twitter) from The Strickland (@TheStrickland), a Knicks-focused podcast, to talk Bill, Russillo, sports media, podcasts and more. The timing for this pod couldn't have been better given the RJ Barrett trade, so Zach gives his initial reaction and we discuss takes from Bill and KOC on the news. Next we get into Zach's background with Bill, being a relatively new fan, and how Russillo has market corrected Bill for him, like many of...

Welcome to Episode 54! We bring on Richie from Twitter for a wide ranging conversation on Bill Simmons and the state of the BS Pod & The Ringer. Richie is a Simmons fan from the Page 2 days that recently started listening to the show again and has noticed a major drop on Bill's fastball. What was the reason for the decline? We discuss how Bill became what he used to rail against in the mid-90s - an older, past his prime media member mailing it in. Next we discuss the absurdity of Bill's...

The Wall Street Journal just broke the news that Amazon is in discussions to invest in Diamond Sports, the owner of Bally's Sports Networks. This could have a major impact on the future of sports rights and specifically NBA rights. In this episode I discuss why Diamond Sports has performed so poorly and had to go bankrupt, what the leagues are looking to get from the bankruptcy, what Amazon is looking to do with an investment, the different motivations of the creditors, and how this might...

That's right — a four and a half hour podcast. Call the r/BS Pod the evolutionary JRE. We bring back Smug (@SmugFecundity on Twitter) for his 3rd appearance, after the legendary Epic, Definitive 4-Hour Bill Simmons Career Retrospective (Episode 25), the most popular r/BS Pod episode (1100 listens) besides the Harry & Meghan reaction pod that got picked up by UK media. For the first part of the pod we talk Bill Simmons current events: Why has the BS Pod gone downhill of late, does Bill...

Welcome to Episode 51! In today's show I break down two hot media stories. Why is Disney licensing content to Netflix, and what does it mean for the Streaming Wars? What are experts now saying about the NBA's upcoming media deal? And how do they relate to one another? We break it down. This is a must listen for those who follow streaming and sports media closely.

We have podcasting beef! Bill Simmons called out JJ Redick for comments JJ made about his time at The Ringer and we had to react. We go through the backstory of Bill and JJ's business relationship, previous comments JJ has made about The Ringer, the relative success of each podcaster's video efforts, and close with some broad thoughts about Bill and Spotify's podcasting strategy. Hope you enjoy!

Welcome to Episode 49! We bring on Chance from Twitter for a wide-ranging conversation about Bill Simmons following one of the wonkiest BS Pod weeks in history. We start off talking Michael Rubin's appearance, which went over like a chainsaw in the jacuzzi; is he the most hated guest in BS Pod history? Most say yes. We also pull a Russillo-esque zag and explain where our views differed from the common reaction. Next we tackle this week's Guess the Lines - was this Nadir Canyon for the...

We bring on Alex from Twitter (@AlexxLawson) for an excellent conversation on a variety of Bill Simmons related topics. First, we assess Bill's NFL content and agree that yes, it's fallen off. Why has it, and what can be done about it? What were the better days like? Next we talk how Bill's pod is today for NBA casuals - do we need as intense of NBA discussion as we have now? Why does Bill insist on the hamster wheel content? We then transition to some Bill Simmons subreddit talk. What's...