The r/BillSimmons Podcast

The r/BillSimmons Podcast
The r/BillSimmons Podcast

A podcast discussing Bill Simmons, the BS Pod, podcasts, sports media and a lot more. Not affiliated with Bill Simmons or The Ringer

  1. 9 JAN

    #99: Why Bill Remains So Popular Despite a Content Drop-off, is Pardon My Take the Evolutionary Page 2 Bill, Reacting to Ric Bucher's Comments, and a Theory on Why Bill's Takes Have Become So Wonky

    Welcome to Episode 99! We bring on @T_sizzle71 from Twitter for a classic r/BS Pod show. We've focused on NBA ratings for the last couple episodes and had a welcome return to this podcast's roots talking all things Bill Simmons. We start off discussing our backgrounds with Bill, both finding him on ESPN.com in the early 2000s and listening to "Eye of the Sports Guy" in 2007 before it was changed to "The BS Report". Is there a Bill Simmons of 2025 and if a younger Bill came up now, would he become as popular? We next discuss the issues we're currently finding with the podcast including Guess the Lines and then compare it and the overall BS Pod to Pardon My Take - are they the true evolutionary Page 2 Bill rather than 2025 Ringer Bill Simmons? We discuss what they're doing better than Bill to make them the top sports podcast today. Next, we speculate on how Bill's audience has changed over the years - as he's lost some long-time fans, plenty keep listening out of comfort and familiarity. He also brings in new NBA and Rewatchables fans, but can the younger generations relate to him? And is he using too many Ringer people as guests? We discuss whether Bill should be doing podcast mailbags and why he probably isn't despite the fans wanting it. T then zags and defends Any Given Wednesday, after we called it the worst HBO show of all-time in our recent podcast deep dive, and so we #EmbraceDebate. We next get into Bill being annoyed with many people (including myself!) who have been calling out Bill's takes - he should just embrace the fact that he gives hot takes and will be wrong often - especially because he used to rip other sports media figures back in his Digital City Boston and early ESPN days. We hit on the Ric Bucher comments and then I spring a new theory on why Bill's sports takes have gotten so wonky lately, and we finish up with a call to action for Bill to record fewer, but higher quality podcasts as his career winds down. If you like the show, leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and we'll read the review on the next pod.

    1h 34m
  2. 22/10/2024

    #95: The Ringer's New Hires — What This Means for NFL & NBA Coverage; Do They Need Zach Lowe? Plus, Nadir Canyon Guess the Lines Needs a Format Change, and Bill Appears Ready to Re-Sign With Spotify

    Welcome to Episode 95! We bring back Doug from Episode 70 and Chris from Episode 93 for a timely 3-man weave. We start off discussing the recent Ringer news: Why we like these additions, and how they should fit into and improve their NBA and NFL coverage. The Ringer's NBA roster is now robust - do they even need Zach Lowe? And how is their NFL roster with McShay added, but still missing Robert Mays and Kevin Clark - is there another move coming? We also contrast these hires by Bill with ESPN's current strategy of going all-in on hot take artists like Kendrick Perkins, and give kudos to Bill for his Podcast GM skills and updated vision for The Ringer. We also pose the question - would Ringer fans prefer these 4 additions, or Zach Lowe alone? We then segue into Guess the Lines - which we all agree is in Nadir Canyon. Can it be fixed? We break down the struggles and offer our suggestions for improvements. We think they need a format change, including cutting the recap down and bringing on guest line guessers. Also, did Bill & Sal overcorrect by making the pod more of a recap show in response to Pardon My Take's success? We close the episode discussing Bill's future - it certainly appears far more likely that he's going to stay at Spotify now. What would Bill leaving The Ringer even look like - and does Bill want that after this recent news? Probably not. Enjoy, and check out Episode 70 and 93 if you haven't listened yet for more of Doug and Chris!

    1h 6m

About

A podcast discussing Bill Simmons, the BS Pod, podcasts, sports media and a lot more. Not affiliated with Bill Simmons or The Ringer

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada