Tenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

Aided by an early obsession with the Boston Celtics and the sports narrative tradition of David Halberstam’s The Breaks of the Game, Bill Simmons has become the internet era’s Hunter S. Thompson, bringing gonzo to sports media and revitalizing the wider tradition of The New Journalism Movement laid out in Tom Wolfe’s 1972 New Journalism Manifesto. Simmons has embodied these writers’ style and celebrity since he was “The Boston Sports Guy” on AOL in 1997, even crediting Thompson with inspiring a running diary column recounting a trip to Las Vegas. His fandom-on-the-sleeves style has been particular pronounced – and impactful – in podcasting. On The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons avoids the Q&A routine of a traditional interview, opting for a fan-to-athlete discussion that even challenges mainstream media narratives about the interviewee and their career. Like the new journalists, this approach has allowed Simmons and other sports commentators to develop a more personal connection with their subjects and stay at the forefront of important social issues closely associated with athletes’ brands and personal media. Drawing on Simmons’ own works and secondary literature to place him in the new journalism context, this discossion will examine his unique relationship with athletes such as NBA star Kevin Durant and commentate on the wider evolution of sports media ethics and accessibility in podcasting.