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Re: The Ringer

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 5:42 am
by Johnnie
Wooooow. That's some serious tea. When it's put in the context of "only child," it makes complete sense.

I remember when he had Spike Lee on a podcast he kept interrupting him. And Spike called him on it in the moment. When I was reading Reddit or a blog about it the consensus in the comments was "Dude does that to his own father too, but none of his guests say anything to him. Complete symptom of being an only child and needing to be heard all the time."

That first hand account is a real, true behind the scenes look at how he operates. And it even touches on the aspect of his wife. How does she tolerate him?

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 9:01 am
by Ryan
I'm biased I guess but framing that whole thing around the only child comment was a pretty stupid move. He could have left that out and made the same impact with all his other first hand accounts. Do you really want to look around at the world right now and a.) add another stereotype to the pile and b.) not leave room for the fact (oh, it's a fact) that there are hundreds of millions of selfish assholes with brothers and sisters.

I'm not saying Simmons's specific upbringing might not explain his behavior - and it was just a quote from one guy - but that if you're going to go after a target like that, why open yourself up to those obvious issues as a writer?

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 9:47 am
by DSafetyGuy
I think the "very good at finding out who's powerful, then cozying up to him" is a very big part of it*. It explains the power that he has/had at his various stops, be that ESPN.com, Kimmel, etc. We're talking about a guy who was taunting his former employer over Instagram about really enjoying his suspension by getting to spend his time playing golf, etc. But, he was always in with a big shot at ESPN. And he was in with Kimmel. And he turns around and exploits those relationships for power.

I have a friend who attended an NFL Sunday at Kimmel's house back when Simmons was a writer on the staff. To put it simply, the majority of the other staff writers did not like Simmons because he buddied up to Kimmel when he was at ESPN, then got offered the TV job, while they had to work and work and work to get to the point where they would just be considered for an interview for the job.

The fact that he has let his staff writers at both Grantland and Ringer just twist in the wind underscores this. His interest is only in those who have power that he can exploit. Those writers are just tools for his success, but he does not value them because they are not true paths to his power.

I imagine his wife tolerates him because he makes a shit-ton of money and she probably doesn't read his work (and rarely, if ever, did). She probably thought he was manageable (or that she could at least deal with it) while they were younger. Lots of people say lots of stupid things and people still love them. Then, the move to LA brought wealth and an entrance to celebrity circles. And more wealth. And greater celebrity. And she probably rarely has to deal with him due to his work, attending/watching games, hanging out with his friends, and whatever else.

Maybe I'm wrong, I haven't read any of his stuff since before Grantland died.


* I don't think the "only child" thing can be very fleshed out without knowing things about his childhood about his age when his parents split, when his mom re-married the guy wealthy enough to gift him a Porsche for his 16th birthday, etc. He never wrote about being a kid of privilege, but his dad's Celtics season tickets close to the floor suggests a certain level of disposable income, no matter how Simmons downplays them.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:31 pm
by A_B



Ringer Union probably loving this one. How tone deaf can you be. This seems calculated.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:54 pm
by Nonlinear FC
Ryan wrote: Fri Jun 26, 2020 9:01 am I'm biased I guess but framing that whole thing around the only child comment was a pretty stupid move. He could have left that out and made the same impact with all his other first hand accounts. Do you really want to look around at the world right now and a.) add another stereotype to the pile and b.) not leave room for the fact (oh, it's a fact) that there are hundreds of millions of selfish assholes with brothers and sisters.

I'm not saying Simmons's specific upbringing might not explain his behavior - and it was just a quote from one guy - but that if you're going to go after a target like that, why open yourself up to those obvious issues as a writer?
I'm in the same boat. The idea that every (even most) only children are coddled is pretty insane. There are a lot of situations that create a one and done situation, and I can personally attest... a lot of those situations aren't ideal.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 7:41 pm
by sancarlos
Well, my daughter is an only child, and I think it’s fair to say that she get 100% of the parental attention, that would otherwise have to be rationed out. Simple, right?

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:26 pm
by Johnnie
Ooof. Shitty to read this thread about him being that underpaid.


Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:30 pm
by Pruitt
Fuck the fucking Ringer.

Fuck Huffington Post and all the other sites that become profitable on the backs of low paid content creators.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:33 pm
by A_B
Johnnie wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:26 pm Ooof. Shitty to read this thread about him being that underpaid.

I don't know enough about journalism salaries to know how badly underpaid that is or isn't. But I was generally of the opinion that most journalists don't really make big money unless they become kind of nationally known, and most of those writers are definitely not nationally known.

And in three years from 11.50/hr to $46k isn't a bad progression, IMO, though I don't know where Samman is based or how livable that salary is.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:40 pm
by Pruitt
Had to laugh while watching "Little Women" (set in 1860's).

Movie starts with Jo selling an article to a big magazine publisher for $25.

My son is currently writing articles for a car website for $25-$35 each.

An extreme example perhaps, but indicative of the value that "content creators" (aka 'Writers") have in the eyes of management.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:54 pm
by DaveInSeattle
A_B wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:33 pm And in three years from 11.50/hr to $46k isn't a bad progression, IMO, though I don't know where Samman is based or how livable that salary is.
There was something else in the thread that mentioned being required to be in LA.

So $46K to live in LA is a stretch...

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:00 pm
by DSafetyGuy
A_B wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:33 pmI don't know enough about journalism salaries to know how badly underpaid that is or isn't. But I was generally of the opinion that most journalists don't really make big money unless they become kind of nationally known, and most of those writers are definitely not nationally known.

And in three years from 11.50/hr to $46k isn't a bad progression, IMO, though I don't know where Samman is based or how livable that salary is.
One of the tweets in his thread said there was "a mandate to live in Los Angeles". When my wife and I moved seven years ago, we were paying $1,700/month for an apartment in a nice area, mostly due to just one rent increase in eight years and it being below market value when we moved in. Using the "one week's pay = your monthly rent" shorthand, he's at $884.62/month for rent. That is two roommate territory. A quick look shows some one bedrooms and studios going for $1400-$1500, but you often get into worse and worse neighborhoods for that.

Journalism isn't where the money is at, but it took him multiple years to get to $46K in a very expensive city.

Also, Spotify paid almost $200 million to buy Ringer and Bill Simmons owns five homes in various parts of the LA area, including a $16 million mansion that was purchased two months after the sale. Fuck him.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:58 pm
by Steve of phpBB
Sometimes the laws of Supply and Demand totally suck.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:43 pm
by Pruitt
Steve of phpBB wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:58 pm Sometimes the laws of Supply and Demand totally suck.
No fucking kidding.

It's always a buyer's market with writing.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:51 pm
by Steve of phpBB
Pruitt wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:43 pm
Steve of phpBB wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:58 pm Sometimes the laws of Supply and Demand totally suck.
No fucking kidding.

It's always a buyer's market with writing.
And of course readers don't want to pay for content.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:56 pm
by A_B
Steve of phpBB wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:51 pm
Pruitt wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:43 pm
Steve of phpBB wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:58 pm Sometimes the laws of Supply and Demand totally suck.
No fucking kidding.

It's always a buyer's market with writing.
And of course readers don't want to pay for content.
It’s sad. I’ll buy books for days but yeah I don’t like paying for internet stuff.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 7:02 pm
by Steve of phpBB
A_B wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:56 pm
Steve of phpBB wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:51 pm
Pruitt wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:43 pm
Steve of phpBB wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:58 pm Sometimes the laws of Supply and Demand totally suck.
No fucking kidding.

It's always a buyer's market with writing.
And of course readers don't want to pay for content.
It’s sad. I’ll buy books for days but yeah I don’t like paying for internet stuff.
I think one problem is that there are still so many content providers. I subscribed to the Athletic since the beginning when it was a few Chicago guys. And I think it's important that it succeed, so I'll keep paying.

But I don't really see a strong competitor for the Athletic, so a subscription there gives me everything I need sportswise. (Well, that and the Swamp's front page.)

When it comes to political or political-social writing, though, there are just so many different sources. And newspapers. It's just not reasonable to expect people to pay $50 per year for each.

I think ultimately most of the sources will band together, and it'll either be like cable, where you pay a monthly fee but get lots of different sources, or like a ASCAP royalty system where you pay a small amount for each individual article you read.

But it's going to take a lot of turmoil to get to that point.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 12:13 am
by DaveInSeattle

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 12:17 pm
by tennbengal


The weird thing (that Simmons doesn't care about, I know), is that I mourned the end of Grantland and was happy about the Ringer NOT because of his shit, but because of the writing voices lost and I hoped found when Ringer began. It wasn't about him, except, it is always about him. What a jackass.

Simmons really is the consummate douche.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 1:03 pm
by mister d
And the thing is, it would be so easy for him to adopt an "I'm so lucky to have broken when I did and now I get to manage this amazing group" persona and ride them upwards but his ego can't do it. Its like that time I was watching 90210 with my cousin Sully and he mentioned the Ewing theory ...

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 1:43 pm
by tennbengal
mister d wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 1:03 pm And the thing is, it would be so easy for him to adopt an "I'm so lucky to have broken when I did and now I get to manage this amazing group" persona and ride them upwards but his ego can't do it. Its like that time I was watching 90210 with my cousin Sully and he mentioned the Ewing theory ...
It was right there for him. So, so easy. Almost Trumpian, his ability to not do the simple and right thing.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 1:52 pm
by brian
tennbengal wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 1:43 pm
mister d wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 1:03 pm And the thing is, it would be so easy for him to adopt an "I'm so lucky to have broken when I did and now I get to manage this amazing group" persona and ride them upwards but his ego can't do it. Its like that time I was watching 90210 with my cousin Sully and he mentioned the Ewing theory ...
It was right there for him. So, so easy. Almost Trumpian, his ability to not do the simple and right thing.
Him and Trump have a lot in common. Both born on third base and think they hit a triple for one.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:24 pm
by DSafetyGuy
I hope that one of his friends in the media publicly turns his back on him (basically by not appearing on his podcast any more, as that's the only way you can do it, from what I gather), but he doesn't really hang with small-salaried folks who don't still need him.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 12:01 am
by Johnnie

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2020 9:55 am
by A_B
Man a whole lot of their stuff these days comes from "contractors." That's not to say there isn't some quality, but I can't remember the last time Serrano had an article. I know he's doing podcasts more often, but I don't like the trajectory.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2022 7:36 am
by A_B
I'm running an experiment...name me the top 5 teams you think will have the best offense in the NFL. This is imperfect, but to give it depth, rank them 1-5. Don't spend a lot of time thinking outside what you'e already done to prepare for Fantasy or just your general preseason routine. Just name me 5 teams in order. Thanks in advance.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2022 7:38 am
by GoodKarma
Cincinnati
Green Bay
Tampa
Chargers
Rams

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2022 7:42 am
by L-Jam3
Tampa
Cincy
Green Bay
Rams
KC

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2022 8:21 am
by DSafetyGuy
Tampa
Buffalo
Rams
Chargers
Chiefs

(I am open to the Raiders being in the group due to the additions of Davante Adams and Josh McDaniels, who has a long history of calling pass-heavy offenses.)

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2022 8:28 am
by tennbengal
Rams
Bills
Chiefs
Bengals
Chargers

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2022 8:32 am
by Pruitt3
Bills
Chiefs
Raiders
Bengals
Chargers

Broncos could be really good too.

Wait - that's all AFC...

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2022 10:47 am
by Giff
Rams
Bengals
Dolphins
Bills
Tampa

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2022 6:02 pm
by sancarlos
Bills
KC
Cincy
Rams
Raiders

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2022 7:34 pm
by EnochRoot
Bills
Chargers
Bucs
Bengals
Raiders

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 8:41 am
by A_B
The point was the ringer had an article with a deep dive analysis to figure this out, and you guys placed the top 5 teams here that were all in the top 6 of the article (actually top 6 was correct, just out of order). We were higher on cincinnati and lower on the chargers, but it wasn't rocket science.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 5:33 pm
by sancarlos
A_B wrote: Wed Aug 17, 2022 8:41 am The point was the ringer had an article with a deep dive analysis to figure this out, and you guys placed the top 5 teams here that were all in the top 6 of the article (actually top 6 was correct, just out of order). We were higher on cincinnati and lower on the chargers, but it wasn't rocket science.
Kind of like those fantasy football articles where they say, “You should definitely start [superstar] this week!” Duh.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 10:28 am
by A_B
I love me some Shea Serrano, but since he barely writes anymore, I'm not biting on the buy the book or get unsubscribed. It's a strange marketing ploy. I have all of his books but the coloring book and I've enjoyed them, but I don't wanna pay $10 for one short story. Pretty sure I said this the last time he did one, too.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 10:55 am
by mister d
I would have pre-ordered on the spot for Marcus Weinerpunch.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 3:15 pm
by blundercrush
A_B wrote: Thu Oct 20, 2022 10:28 am I love me some Shea Serrano, but since he barely writes anymore, I'm not biting on the buy the book or get unsubscribed. It's a strange marketing ploy. I have all of his books but the coloring book and I've enjoyed them, but I don't wanna pay $10 for one short story. Pretty sure I said this the last time he did one, too.
I mean, in fairness, you can probably sign back up with the free pdf if you want, so I sort of doubt it's actually all that serious. I do have him muted on twitter until it comes out though.

Re: The Ringer

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2022 9:33 am
by A_B
blundercrush wrote: Thu Oct 20, 2022 3:15 pm
A_B wrote: Thu Oct 20, 2022 10:28 am I love me some Shea Serrano, but since he barely writes anymore, I'm not biting on the buy the book or get unsubscribed. It's a strange marketing ploy. I have all of his books but the coloring book and I've enjoyed them, but I don't wanna pay $10 for one short story. Pretty sure I said this the last time he did one, too.
I mean, in fairness, you can probably sign back up with the free pdf if you want, so I sort of doubt it's actually all that serious. I do have him muted on twitter until it comes out though.
he got me! I didn't order, but he wasn't serious about the purge. shew.