ESPN Bids Farewell to its (Un)popular Affiliate Site

There's a lot of introspective questions you ask when you're in a time of crisis. Right now, I'm in a time of crisis, because I've lost the goal I was chasing. Better put the goal I was chasing was taken from me. The popular website Grantland apparently wasn't popular enough and was closed immediately on October 30, 2015.

This website launched in 2011 under the guidance of Bill Simmons. Simmons is a bit of sports writing god to young up and comers. His unique voice, writing style, and ability to incorporate comedy is a thing of genius in his 10,000 word articles. Unfortunately for his fans, his eagerness to keep growing and trying new things ruffled a couple of feathers at ESPN. To be fair to ESPN, this situation is all he said, she said. Although with the information Simmons and company have provided since his departure, there seems to be a bit of validity to it. These ruffled feathers eventually led to his release in late 2014. That may have been the writing on the wall that Grantland’s demise was coming, but I refused to even think of conceiving that thought.

Grantland's site proclaims the end. http://grantland.com

The website was ESPNs version of covering pop culture. Instead of being their second rate journalism company the site became the beacon of fine sports writing. This site didn't recap sports and analytics. Instead they gave you context and insider info. Quite frankly they were better at sports than ESPN. Actually they were better at sports than anyone. They still fulfilled their obligations as a pop culture site covering movies, television, and music at the highest of quality. To give context to the popularity of their television reviews, a writer from one of HBO’s shows was quoted as saying he listens to what they say every week and incorporates it into their writing room. Whether the writer was doing it out of spite or glee isn't the point. The point is that their podcast and writings reached everyone, from college students to Hollywood elites.

Grantland didn't just bring you articles and blogs. They brought their perspectives and insight to the audio world in the form of Podcast. Every week you received a steady stream of content that included inside NBA talk with Zach Lowe, movie discussion with a slew of talent, and in-depth interviews with Hollywood A-listers from any and everyone on their qualified staff.

I don't know the reason for this article. I can only guess that I felt that journalism as fine as the staff of Grantland’s couldn't go unnoticed. Maybe this is an obituary for Grantland, but it's not the end for their writers. Some have already found new homes at the New York Times and HBO. Some will continue their success at ESPN. I just want to say thank you to Grantland for giving all young journalists a standard to strive for. The humanoids say GOOD JOB, BARANSKI!