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Bill Simmons: How Did NBC Mess Up Olympic Basketball?

Bill Simmons of The Ringer criticized Peacock’s coverage of the Summer Olympics, namely the accessibility of the content.

MIchael Quirk

Published

2 years ago

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The 2021 Summer Olympics came to a close on Sunday night. It was tumultuous from beginning to end for the event, as locals were vocal about their displeasure in the games continuing. There was even more disappointment at home as NBC had to deal with the face of the American team, Simon Biles, withdrawing from a few events due to mental fatigue. On top of it all, Peacock drew continuous ire for its serving as the vessel for the streaming options. Count Bill Simmons among those who were not happy.

“Peacock has been showing the basketball,” Simmons said. “They’re showing it at weird hours. After the games end, they don’t have replays of the game. You have to basically go on Twitter, search for the game and hope there’s a clip on there and then about seven hours later they’ll show a seven-minute recap of the game.”

Ratings for the Olympics were down between 30-50 percent depending on the night, with many obstacles coming into play. As Simmons mentioned, the time change caused for erratic start times compared with American sleep schedules.

Due to the rights of the games, other networks were unable to show highlights of the games for a given time, only pictures of the event. Results and winners were leaked across social media leading to a flurry of spoiler alerts. Simmons continued that he couldn’t fathom how even the Gold Medal-winning basketball teams could not find themselves in positions to be roundly watched back in the States.

“How can they f*** this up?” Simmons said. “How hard is this? There’s so many basketball fans, how do they mess this up?”

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Adam Silver Addresses Disney Rumors at NBA Board of Governors Meeting

“I have no intention of going anywhere.”
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3 hours ago

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March 30, 2023

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Adam Silver wants NBA team governors to know that he wants to keep working for them. The league commissioner addressed rumors that he is on a short list of potential successors for Bob Iger when he steps down from the CEO role at The Walt Disney Company in 2024.

Silver, whose contract with the NBA happens to expire in 2024, was asked directly if he had spoken with Iger or anyone else at Disney.

“I love my job at the NBA,” he reportedly said at a Board of Governors meeting. “I have no intention of going anywhere.”

The inclusion of Silver’s name on Iger’s list makes a lot of sense. The NBA and Disney have had a great relationship predating Silver taking over the commissioner’s role. ABC and ESPN are expected to renew their TV deal with the league this summer.

The two sides also partnered on a live entertainment complex at Disney Springs on Walt Disney World property in Florida called The NBA Experience. It closed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

At 60 years old, Adam Silver is likely in no hurry to retire. When his contract with the NBA expires, it will be up to him whether he wants to remain the commissioner of the league or not.

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NFL Network Cuts Continue With Willie McGinest

“McGinest is currently in the middle of a lawsuit resulting from an incident in a LA-area restaurant in December.”
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4 hours ago

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March 30, 2023

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Willie McGinest is the latest victim of cost reduction layoffs at NFL Media. The NFL Network analyst is out according to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports.

McGinest is currently in the middle of a lawsuit resulting from an incident in an LA-area restaurant in December. He is being sued and faces up to eight years in prison for allegedly attacking a fellow customer.

Since news of the investigation became public, NFL Network has kept Willie McGinest off the air.

McCarthy reached out to McGinest and NFL Network. Neither offered a comment at this time.

NFL Media has been busy this week as the company looks to reduce its expenses. Willie McGinest joins Jim Trotter and Rachel Bonnetta on the list of on-air talents that have lost their jobs at NFL Network.

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Holly Rowe Signs Long-Term Extension With ESPN

“I feel like I am living my best life and I am so grateful to ESPN for letting me keep doing this.”
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9 hours ago

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March 30, 2023

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ESPN reporter Holly Rowe has signed a multi-year extension to remain with the company.

Rowe works as a sideline reporter for ESPN/ABC’s coverage of college football — including the College Football Playoffs, the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and the Women’s College World Series, among other high-profile assignments.

“I feel like I am living my best life and I am so grateful to ESPN for letting me keep doing this,” Rowe told The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch.

Earlier this year, Rowe was named the 2023 Curt Gowdy Media Award winner from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for her electronic media work.

Rowe joined ESPN in 1998, and signed her last contract extension with the network in 2018 shortly before she announced she had undergone her final chemotherapy treatment in August of that year after a melanoma diagnosis in 2016.

According to Deitsch, Rowe’s contract was set to expire next month.

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