Bill Simmons owns ESPN.com. Each of his columns generates somewhere in the neighborhood of one and a half million page views. In 2007, he was ranked as the 12th-most influential person in sports. Since that time, he's published a #1 NYT best seller, produced ESPN's award-winning 30 for 30 series, and launched his own satellite web site, Grantland.com, off ESPN.com's main site. His influence has not shrunk since 2007.
I ask myself what's the big deal with Simmons. He's not exceptionally intelligent, by traditional metrics. He overvalues his own experience horribly. He has such a Boston-based bias that he's frequently intolerable, but his bias toward his own experience extends much farther. For example, he recently argued that Anderson Varejao, who is averaging 10 points, 11 rebounds, and fewer than 1 block per game, should be an all star in 2012. Why, despite mediocre statistics, should Varejao be an all star?
"Varejao was never getting Carmelo's starting spot, but he deserves it. And if you don't believe me, you didn't watch the Cavs beat the Clippers without Kyrie Irving on Wednesday night."
This article was published February 10th. Presumably, Mr. Simmons wrote the article on the 8th or the 9th. And on the 7th he watched Varejao play an excellent game while he watched the Cavs beat his new adopted team, the Los Angeles Clippers. Therefore, Varejao should be an all star.
Q.E.D.
Inane, irrational comments like these are common in Bill Simmons's writing. So why is he so popular?
I think the answer is "readable relevant content in volume." And by that, I mean, his writing, his style, and his voice, are eminently engaging and readable. And then there's so much of it. And he gets it out right away. Nobody provides more relevant contemporaneous commentary, on any subject, than Bill Simmons. He chucks out engaging 3000-word columns on hours-old topics with greater frequency and aplomb than anyone. Whether it's Michael Jackson or the lockout or the Super Bowl or the NBA draft, he writes thousands of words and he gets it out there before the traditional columnists write and publish 300.
Bill Simmons produces lot of good content fast. That's it.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
100% wrong, 100% of the time
Felix Salmon tweeted a quote from this article today, which included this doozy of a quote:
"100% of the time it is better to rent, rather than own"
Like Felix, I was a skeptic on housing for a long time. I whined non-stop about housing prices between 2005 and 2009. Unlike Felix (I'm assuming), I purchased a house last year. I did it because, over a long enough period of time, I believe it's always better to buy than to rent. The question is how long it will take you to break even on your investment. If you buy during the worst of bubbles, it might take you 150 years to make the purchase worth your while. If you buy when rents are high and house values are low, or when house prices are going up, you can make your money back very quickly. Most of the time, the question is more complicated, and whether it is better to buy or rent depends on supply-demand questions that are very specific to each location, inflation rates, and the opportunity costs associated with alternative investment opportunities.
There are plenty of calculators that allow you to play with the variables, but, over time, paper money will lose value, rents will increase, and a house that is well maintained and in a decent location will be an excellent store of wealth, relative to other investment opportunities for most people.
"100% of the time it is better to rent, rather than own"
Like Felix, I was a skeptic on housing for a long time. I whined non-stop about housing prices between 2005 and 2009. Unlike Felix (I'm assuming), I purchased a house last year. I did it because, over a long enough period of time, I believe it's always better to buy than to rent. The question is how long it will take you to break even on your investment. If you buy during the worst of bubbles, it might take you 150 years to make the purchase worth your while. If you buy when rents are high and house values are low, or when house prices are going up, you can make your money back very quickly. Most of the time, the question is more complicated, and whether it is better to buy or rent depends on supply-demand questions that are very specific to each location, inflation rates, and the opportunity costs associated with alternative investment opportunities.
There are plenty of calculators that allow you to play with the variables, but, over time, paper money will lose value, rents will increase, and a house that is well maintained and in a decent location will be an excellent store of wealth, relative to other investment opportunities for most people.
Words with no content
I'm going to try to start writing again. This is a goal I have had a few times over the past couple of years. The only difference is that now I'm likely to have the time to write to do it, not just now but in the coming months.
I've been disappointed with myself lately about not doing more. I want to write and play music and produce something professionally. But the reality is that I haven't been doing much of anything lately. For the first time in a long time, I feel as if I don't have much to say. But I think that such a conclusion is overly simplistic. We all have stuff to say, and our ability to communicate our ideas in a compelling way is likely commensurate with the amount of time we spend practicing our craft. Sadly, as I haven't been practicing much lately, I doubt I'm very good.
I've been disappointed with myself lately about not doing more. I want to write and play music and produce something professionally. But the reality is that I haven't been doing much of anything lately. For the first time in a long time, I feel as if I don't have much to say. But I think that such a conclusion is overly simplistic. We all have stuff to say, and our ability to communicate our ideas in a compelling way is likely commensurate with the amount of time we spend practicing our craft. Sadly, as I haven't been practicing much lately, I doubt I'm very good.
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