ESPN will make its annual upfront presentation to advertisers Tuesday morning in a Broadway theater four days after scripting the latest if not final act in its relationship with Bill Simmons. On Friday, John Skipper, ESPN’s president, effectively fired Simmons, announcing that ESPN would not renew its contract with him.
The message: Regardless of your influence or how many people listen to your podcasts, no one is bigger than the brand.
Since Skipper’s early morning putsch, Simmons has been publicly silent. His last post on Twitter, on Friday morning, referred to the previous night’s edition of “The Grantland Basketball Hour.