Internet sports and pop-culture commentary icon Bill Simmons and his website, The Ringer, have come under fire in recent weeks for their hiring practices and general claims of fostering diversity within their talent pool. The internet seems legitimately torn on this one, with some quick to dig into Simmons’ background and past comments looking for additional material, others rising to the former-sportswriter-turned-podcaster’s defense, and pretty much everyone else lost somewhere in the middle.
I don’t think Bill Simmons is a racist. I don’t think Bill Simmons and the Ringer deliberately stacked the deck of their editorial staff with white faces, but that deck is undeniably stacked. I do think it never occurred to Bill Simmons to ask someone on his staff or someone he trusted for their honest evaluation of his hiring practices, and what he could do better. I do think the Ringer suffered from an editorial complacency in ensuring that they were finding and providing a truly representative platform for content creators. I’m not sure if Bill Simmons ever truly considered that that is his job now. His responsibility.
— The Ringer (@ringer) June 2, 2020
In a story that has had some legs for about three weeks now, but was picked up and hit hard by The New York Times overnight, several staffers at The Ringer have registered complaints in recent weeks. At the outset of the nationwide protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, Simmons and podcast network co-host Ryen Russillo recorded an ill-advised podcast on which they made some poorly informed, ignorant comments that seemed more focused on looting and rioting than the issues behind the unrest and the divide facing our nation.
The podcast hosts, both of whom are white, were immediately called out for their comments. On the show, which was titled “A Truly Sad Week in America,” Russillo suggested that rioting and looting were being organized and targeted, saying “whoever was organizing this, it was like we’re going after some of the higher-end areas,” and drew lines between what he perceived as “important” and “unimportant” issues of racism. The line Russillo drew seemed to be between things he said and did on the internet, where commentary tying his points to race makes him “roll his eyes as a white guy” and police killings, with not much in between. Russillo would then go on a multi-minute rant about looters destroying local stores stating that their only motivation was to steal sneakers, saying it was no longer about George Floyd but “about getting those rare Jordans.”
Simmons would stumble into comments that miss the point widely, at one point saying that police violence against Black people happens “every few years,” after citing one or two of the most famous cases from the last decade. Later in the podcast, Simmons’ taking credit and accepting Russillo’s praise for fostering a diverse work environment seemed to be the final straw.
Russillo would tell Simmons “… as a white guy, I do a lot of things where, I treat people well, I’m a good person. Look at you Bill, look at the people that you’ve hired, look at the company you’ve started. Look at the jobs and the opportunities you’ve given to a diverse group of, which I know you’re always looking to do. I’m not bullshitting. I’m not kissing up to you here.” He was.
The Ringer Union, a staff union comprised of 65 Ringer employees and affiliated with the Writer’s Guild of America, at the time posted commentary to Twitter calling out the website.
In 2019, 86% of speakers on The Ringer Podcast Network were white. We have zero black editors. We have zero black writers assigned full time to the NBA or NFL beats. Our union is currently bargaining for practices to improve our diversity and inclusion.
— Ringer Union (@RingerUnion) June 1, 2020
A representative staff is crucial for representative coverage. Going forward, we hope management will make firm commitments to increasing the diversity of our staff, particularly our public-facing voices.
— Ringer Union (@RingerUnion) June 1, 2020
Some staff writers added their voice to the chorus, while others provided anonymous quotes to various outlets, citing fear of reprisal for the reason they were not willing to attach their names to their statements.
If you’ve heard someone say The Ringer is a super diverse place, sadly that person does not know what he’s talking about. We have a long way to go, and I hope we get there https://t.co/uw8HfIaksm
— Jawn Gonzalez (@JohnGonzalez) June 1, 2020
Bill Simmons and Russillo would issue separate apologies on their podcasts. Simmons would say “I think I just misread the moment on Sunday night. I was trying to do a shoot the shit, take your mind off things kind of podcast like we would always do on Sunday, and the moment was bigger than that. I wish I had an expert with us that we could have bounced some questions off of and tried to learn from instead of treating the moment like we did.”
The Ringer and Simmons took numerous hits for losing on this issue to Barstool Sports.
@BarstoolBigCat and @PFTCommenter have a nuanced conversation with @ArianFoster about systemic racism and the roots of our problems. You have a conversation about tax breaks and your cop friends that spot you at the gym. Unreal
— B L (@BrianLancette) June 1, 2020
In a later podcast episode, Simmons would tell civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson “Look, I’m 50 years old, I still barely know what I’m doing, I’m still going to make mistakes, I’m still not going to throw a no-hitter every step of the way. I want to use this platform to educated people and make them think about what’s going on.”
To his credit, it does seem that Bill Simmons is sincere in this desire. The Ringer Union provided a follow up to their labor negotiations via Twitter on June 10th.
The entirety of our bargaining session with management today was dedicated to the subject of diversity. We have not reached an agreement on all of our proposals, and we expect discussions to continue at the next session in two weeks.
— Ringer Union (@RingerUnion) June 10, 2020
Related
- Stolen Perfection: Armando Galarraga Nearly Made History 10 Years Ago Today
- “F-K With Nails You Get The F-Ing Hammer”: Lenny Dykstra Has A Problem
- Danish Football Team Invents Drive-In Soccer And It’s Cooler Than You’d Think
In recent weeks The Ringer has added new podcasts to the network, focusing on more diverse voices. Unfortunately, Simmons also provided some questionable comments to the Times by email for their piece. Simmons is quoted as saying “bloggers and media critics who seemed pretty determined to prove that we weren’t financially viable” as an excuse for why it was difficult to recruit talent when the website was launched as a startup. This is shaky ground at best; throw a rock on the internet and you’ll hit someone who would kill to write at Bill Simmons’ website.
https://twitter.com/dave_schilling/status/1275193023647768576?s=20
https://twitter.com/dave_schilling/status/1275193431153758208?s=20
An anonymous claim that was corroborated by four former employees stated that “it was difficult for black staff members to win more responsibility and visibility at the company — especially since late 2017, when company leaders appeared to make podcasting a priority.” The same former employees would go on to claim that a popular Ringer podcast, “The Rewatchables,” was initially launched as a platform to “get the rest of you participating in podcasts,” but that it “very quickly became Sean (Fennessey), Bill, and Chris (Ryan),” all three of whom are white hosts who regularly appear across the network’s podcasts.
Responding to the Times in the same email, Bill Simmons would tell the newspaper that “It’s a business, this isn’t open mic night.” Twitter was quick to point out exactly how amateurish the Ringer Podcast Network truly is.
Lol. Bill Simmons:
– Gave his teenage daughter a podcast
– has his son on many podcasts
– employs his nephew as a producer
– gave two podcasts to a friend whose main personality is “I enjoy eating food”But yeah bro this isn’t open mic night. https://t.co/5r6C7KWLDL pic.twitter.com/Kh3XPHHbww
— Joseph / йосиф сташко🇺🇦 (@JosephStash) June 22, 2020
Bill Simmons does seem genuinely interested in fixing this issue, but he may not know how. The Ringer has added several new podcasts to the network in recent weeks, featuring a more diverse set of voices. However, they are now taking some flak for recruiting mostly known content creators, instead of seeking out new voices.
https://twitter.com/theleftbackkids/status/1275375368195760128?s=20
According to the New York Times article, The Ringer and The Ringer Union are expected to meet this week for the next round of bargaining. The Ringer Union has reportedly proposed that “half the candidates for open positions come from underrepresented groups like Black people and those who identify as LGBTQ.”
Here’s hoping Simmons and The Ringer get this right, for all the reasons.
Follow us on all of our social channels! Check out our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more great Awesemo content.
🔥 Hot from Side Action 🔥
- Lala Anthony Blames Knicks for the ‘Demise of their Relationship’
- Ja Morant Being Linked to Singer Lotto’s Sister Brooklyn
- Rumor: Instagram Model ‘Ayyyejae’ Connected to Phoenix Suns Is Now Pregnant by NBA Player
- Rumor: Jalen Rose Spotted With New Girlfriend Angela Rye
- Spurs Josh Richardson is Dating Former America’s Next Top Model Runner-Up Tatiana Elizabeth
