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ESPN suspends publication of Grantland

espnmediazone.com

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Re: ESPN suspends publication of Grantland

#21

Post by mlucero »

danso wrote: post #9
mlucero wrote: post #4

Interesting because I'm familiar with the site but why is this here?

Besides Grantland stories popping up frequently on HN, ESPN is an interesting and significant company...not just because of its pure size and near monopoly over sports entertainment, but because of its willingness to invest money in non-profitable media ventures, like Grantland...Grantland was a great example of what happens when you hire the best writers and give them room to work.

I'm not sure I see the hacker news connection myself. It's a news site about sports. They weren't really doing anything particularly innovative besides the popular editor and good writers.

Re: ESPN suspends publication of Grantland

#23

Post by paulcole »

Implicated wrote: post #3

I'll never understand what they were thinking getting rid of Simmons. Ego's calling the shots is never a good thing. Can't wait for him to start up something new, Grantland was really great.

"Ego's calling the shots is never a good thing."

Are you talking about Simmons or the ESPN bigwigs?

Re: ESPN suspends publication of Grantland

#24

Post by mlucero »

awwstn wrote: post #18
waterlesscloud wrote: post #15

I blame cordcutters slashing ESPN's profits. Content ain't free.

So...you're saying if we want great sports reporting from a web publication like Grantland then we should pay Comcast for cable?

I think he's being sarcastic or trolling.

Re: ESPN suspends publication of Grantland

#25

Post by kareemm »

Implicated wrote: post #3

I'll never understand what they were thinking getting rid of Simmons. Ego's calling the shots is never a good thing. Can't wait for him to start up something new, Grantland was really great.

ESPN has a history of making sure the talent don't get too big for their britches. Simmons, Keith Olbermann (twice), Dan Patrick, are three guys who had great personal brands and didn't hesitate to criticize The Worldwide Leader when they felt ESPN management acted without integrity.

BTW, I worked for ESPN.com for 2.5y.

Re: ESPN suspends publication of Grantland

#26

Post by aaron-lebo »

mlucero wrote: post #21
danso wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Besides Grantland stories popping up frequently on HN, ESPN is an interesting and significant company...not just because of its pure size and near monopoly over sports entertainment, but because of its willingness to invest money in non-profitable media ventures, like Grantland...Grantland was a great example of what happens when you hire the best writers and give them room to work.

I'm not sure I see the hacker news connection myself. It's a news site about sports. They weren't really doing anything particularly innovative besides the popular editor and good writers.

See a piece like this:

http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/silicon-valley-hal...

Not about sports, informative, and thoughtful.

Re: ESPN suspends publication of Grantland

#27

Post by Analemma_ »

mlucero wrote: post #21
danso wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Besides Grantland stories popping up frequently on HN, ESPN is an interesting and significant company...not just because of its pure size and near monopoly over sports entertainment, but because of its willingness to invest money in non-profitable media ventures, like Grantland...Grantland was a great example of what happens when you hire the best writers and give them room to work.

I'm not sure I see the hacker news connection myself. It's a news site about sports. They weren't really doing anything particularly innovative besides the popular editor and good writers.

A big part of it is that Grantland was seldom accused of writing "clickbait" or churning out low-quality content. They had talented writers producing good longform material. If ESPN couldn't make that profitable, it's a blow to the argument (often seen on HN) that people are willing to pay for quality journalism.

Re: ESPN suspends publication of Grantland

#28

Post by aaron-lebo »

sremani wrote: post #16
Implicated wrote: post #3

I'll never understand what they were thinking getting rid of Simmons. Ego's calling the shots is never a good thing. Can't wait for him to start up something new, Grantland was really great.

Grantland was not making money, and Bill Simmons snobbery did not help him either.

But Simmons has made a career of snobbery. He wouldn't be him without it.

Re: ESPN suspends publication of Grantland

#29

Post by paulcole »

mlucero wrote: post #21
danso wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Besides Grantland stories popping up frequently on HN, ESPN is an interesting and significant company...not just because of its pure size and near monopoly over sports entertainment, but because of its willingness to invest money in non-profitable media ventures, like Grantland...Grantland was a great example of what happens when you hire the best writers and give them room to work.

I'm not sure I see the hacker news connection myself. It's a news site about sports. They weren't really doing anything particularly innovative besides the popular editor and good writers.

"They weren't really doing anything particularly innovative"

Well, better get back to posting about the next "unicorn" with no business plan.

Re: ESPN suspends publication of Grantland

#30

Post by kjdal2001 »

awwstn wrote: post #18
waterlesscloud wrote: post #15

I blame cordcutters slashing ESPN's profits. Content ain't free.

So...you're saying if we want great sports reporting from a web publication like Grantland then we should pay Comcast for cable?

Yeah, that doesn't make sense. I dont know how Grantland was doing financially, but its unrelated to cable. In fact, things like Grantland could be viewed as diversifying away from reliance on cable viewers.
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