Bill Simmons' Reaction Towards Me Prompts Questions About His Sensitivity

Rewritten Article:

Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo can't seem to keep their hands off me, not in a friendly way, of course. For the past couple of weeks, they've been taking shots at me during their gushy NBA playoffs coverage.

Last week, Russillo joked about my tweets on ratings, and Simmons was anything but joking when he brought me up, saying, "Get Bobby Burack on that one!"

This week, Simmons complained about outrageousness of outlets like the New York Post aggregating his jibes at me and my response to his rants using snarky tropes about the NBA's on-court product.

"We're getting aggregated all over the place," Simmons grumbled to Russillo on Monday. "Should we say something about Bobby Burack again? We can get aggregated. Do you think Burack will pick that up?"

Honestly, I hadn't even realized there was any issue between me and these two until last week. Surprisingly, their gripes with me appear to be solely about my NBA coverage.

When Bomani Jones labeled me the "world's biggest asshole" last week, it was personal. He's still fuming that I exposed his last three shows' disappointing ratings and abrupt cancellations.

Similarly, when Le Batard called me a Klansman for questioning his hypocritical domestic violence coverage, he was just mad because I'd asked him about it. In 2023, Le Batard claimed he had zero tolerance for violence, but he employs Howard Bryant, who was arrested for allegedly choking his wife in public.

Le Batard even backed out of a planned interview with me.

However, Bill Simmons, ladies and gentlemen, our site rarely even mentions him. To be honest, the last time I talked about Simmons was when I defended him against bloggers making fun of his low ratings at HBO.

So, any guesses as to why?

Ryen Russillo doesn't generate many topics useful for us either. The last time he made headlines was back in 2017 when he was busted for trespassing while drunk and wearing his pants around his ankles in public.

We all mess up, but man, come on now.

I also defended Russillo when ESPN demoted him to afternoon radio, saying they should have promoted him.

Nonetheless, between their hysterical take on my previous coverage of the NBA, it seems they're struggling to enjoy the NBA playoffs.

Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo, via The Ringer.

For a bit of background, I used to work for a sports media site called The Big Lead before we set up our site. Thanks to founder Jason McIntyre, the site was as mainstream as mainstream gets.

Around 2019, I caused a stir by reporting on the NBA's dwindling popularity. Since The Big Lead was as mainstream as mainstream gets, people at ESPN--and the NBA office--weren't too thrilled about my truthful reporting on the league.

However, since 2019, nearly every major outlet has covered the NBA's declines, including Bill Simmons. In December, Simmons pointed the finger at the NBA's "star issue."

"I do think that they have a star issue," Simmons said on his podcast while discussing the ratings. "[Joe] House and I didn't miss Michael Jordan in the 90s when he played a playoff game. It was just non-negotiable. You didn't miss Jordan in the playoffs - period - unless you had a substantial event that superseded it. Otherwise, you watched Jordan. You don't have a guy like that now."

Now, for the first time in nearly six years, the NBA's enjoying some momentum. The opening weekend of the first round saw an increase of 17% year over year. However, we use the word "some" purposefully. National viewership for the season is down 2%. Local viewership is down 9%.

Those numbers aren't a major cause for celebration, especially since every other sport is thriving on TV, including horse racing and bowling. The growth mainly stems from the Lakers' shock trade for Luka Doncic (and a little dishonest gaming of the Christmas Day viewership) back in February. For the record, the NBA was down around 28% on ESPN in December.

Unfortunately, for the NBA, the Timberwolves eliminated the Lakers recently.

If we're going to discuss the NBA's ratings honestly (my original take on Simmons was a joke), a couple of big months don't erase a decade of significant declines. According to reports, NBA viewership is down 48% since 2012.

Streaming isn't the issue. The NFL keeps setting record viewership year after year.

Put simply, the NBA is not as popular as Simmons might think. In reality, it may just be that MLB is more popular when local markets are taken into account.

Yet, because the NBA is the most politically progressive league in the US, and people like Simmons can sit courtside instead of outside in the cold/heat, media elites seem oddly protective of the league's image.

As the first national writer to point out the NBA's low ratings, Simmons probably sees me as a hindrance to his preferred image of the league.

However, if Simmons (or Russillo) wants to have a real chat with me about their criticisms of me, they're more than welcome to do so privately (like Ryan Clark) or publicly (like Michael Wilbon). Until then, I better get out the keyboard and start writing about those NBA ratings.

Simmons and Russillo, despite their criticism towards Bobby Burack, seem to generate little content for Burack's site, with the last mention of Simmons being in defense of his low ratings at HBO.
In the world of sports coverage, horse racing and even bowling are outperforming the NBA, with local viewership down by 9% for the current season.
Despite the NFL's growing popularity on streaming platforms, the NBA's viewership is down by 48% since 2012, a fact that Bobby Burack brought to light initially as a joke, but remains a valid concern.
Contrary to Simmons' preferred image of the NBA, Burack sees the league as not as popular as it might seem, perhaps even less popular than MLB in local markets.
Celebrities like Simmons and sports analysts may find it challenging to enjoy the NBA playoffs, given the league's ongoing struggles with ratings.
In the realm of pop-culture and entertainment, Burack defends even those who have made mistakes, such as Ryen Russillo, who was demoted by ESPN and was once caught in a public incident involving drunken trespassing.
With their seemingly hypocritical stance on issues like domestic violence, sports analysts and celebrities like Le Batard and Simmons might find themselves under the scrutiny of reporters like Burack, who continues to discuss such topics with candor and analysis.