Here’s what he should be working on already:
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A “30 For 30” competitor. This, along with the stable of writers doing quality work at Grantland, is the main reason to think Simmons, tastemaker and talent developer, has at least as much to offer as Simmons, columnist and host. HBO documentaries were the template for the “30 For 30” series, anyway. If we’ve learned one thing with the latter, it’s that there’s no shortage of possible subjects; good filmmakers do good work. Period. Start with the DeAndre Jordan saga and work backwards.
John Oliver-style rip jobs on sports authority figures. One: It’d be even easier for sports sites to jump on the Monday morning “JOHN OLIVER EVISCERATES TOPIC X” gravy train. Two: Simmons clearly hates Roger Goodell, and his opinion minus ESPN handcuffs sounds like it’d be worth hearing. The NFL needs more mainstream voices going after it. Simmons, though, is as much a part of the sports power structure as some of the people he’d be theoretically criticizing, which would be both a drawback and an opportunity. Still, he could pick his spots.
Grantland-lite. The HBO release didn’t get too specific with regards to his future as it relates to actually writing and editing written stuff, but that was probably by design. If a web presence is secondary, that’s fine; it’d allow him to pick his spots more, both with content he creates himself and commissions from others. An HBO-backed longform playground sounds good.
Bill Simmons Theater 3000. This is a real suggestion. Having him and some of his famous friends sit around and record audio commentary about the movies he’s referenced in columns for the last 15 years. I’d watch him and Jimmy Kimmel make fun of “The Karate Kid.” Sorry ‘bout it.
A “White Shadow” reboot. This is also a real suggestion. Simmons has said tons of times that the 1978-81 CBS high-school basketball drama is the best sports TV show of all time, including here:
Cast Josh Brolin as the coach in an eight-episode season and move on.
“True Detective” Season 3, starring Simmons and House. They could drive around grimacing, glaring at stuff and saying things no real human being would actually say. It’d be at worst a lateral step from Season 2.
“Entourage,” except for sports media dudes. Maybe “Silicon Valley.” I’m available.
