What makes Bill Simmons Bill Simmons?

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.