The house that Bill Simmons built is no more. ESPN announced today that they will be suspending publication of Grantland, a long-form sports and pop culture website that was founded by Bill Simmons in 2011.
I loved everyone I worked with at G and loved what we built. Watching good/kind/talented people get treated so callously = simply appalling.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) October 30, 2015
ESPN released a statement that opened with this: “Effective immediately we are suspending the publication of Grantland. After careful consideration, we have decided to direct our time and energy going forward to projects that we believe will have a broader and more significant impact across our enterprise.” The full statement can be read here.
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Jim Miller, the man who wrote the definitive, inside look on ESPN, tweeted that all Grantland’s writers’ contracts will be honored and the plan is to use them throughout ESPN’s platforms.
All @Grantland33 writers will have their contracts honored; intent is to use sports writers on other @espn platforms. — James Andrew Miller (@JimMiller) October 30, 2015
This comes on the heels of various reports that the staff was bucking against interim managing editor Chris Connelly, and the departure of several pop culture personalities who jumped to HBO to reunite with Simmons.
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Since the announcement, there’s been no shortage of disappointment online about the news.
Lots of talented people worked at @Grantland33 there is no joy surrounding this decision.
— James Andrew Miller (@JimMiller) October 30, 2015
after the deaths of Grantland and The Dissolve, it's become increasingly clear the Internet is no place for writing — Blah! Vampkey (@bobservo) October 30, 2015
#Grantland is dead, but #FirstTake is still alive. #NoJustice
— Tony Bruno (@TonyBrunoShow) October 30, 2015
Don't know what's next. But I know I had the absolute best job in the world and I'm forever grateful to Simmons and everyone at Grantland. — Mark Titus (@clubtrillion) October 30, 2015
The memory of Grantland will be very, very positive. And not just from the people who worked there.
— Chuck Klosterman (@CKlosterman) October 30, 2015
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Colin weighs in on the end of Grantland and the changing landscape of sports media today. https://t.co/D4ylrTvHJh — Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) October 30, 2015
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