Effective immediately.
In what is simultaneously a shocking and unsurprising move, ESPN announced today that effective immediately, Grantland is no more. On one hand, the recent departure by Bill Simmons, when his contract was not renewed, raised the suspicion that ESPN was going to starve out, eliminate, or fundamentally change Grantland. Indeed Bill Simmons has been vocal in his podcasts about how ESPN was blatant in its treatment against Grantland. These claims may very well have been further demonstrated by the lack of transparency from ESPN to Grantland freelance writers and current staff.
Well that's the first time I've ever found out I was laid off via Twitter
— Michael Baumann (@MJ_Baumann) October 30, 2015
Conversely though, the move is a stunner given how popular and respected the site had become.