The Ringer (website)
American sports and pop culture website From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ringer is a sports and pop culture website and podcast network, founded by sportswriter Bill Simmons in 2016 and acquired by Spotify in 2020.[1][2][3]
 | |
| |
Type of site | Sports, popular culture |
|---|---|
| Parent | Spotify |
| URL | theringer |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Launched | March 14, 2016 |
History
Summarize
Perspective
The Ringer was launched in March 2016 by Bill Simmons, who brought along several editors who had previously worked with him on Grantland, an ESPN-owned blog he operated from 2011 to 2015.[2] At launch, the Ringer had a staff of 43 and focused primarily on sports and pop culture as content areas, with a few writers also working on technology and politics.[2] HBO, the network on which Simmons hosted his weekly television program Any Given Wednesday one season in 2016, was an initial investor in the website.[2]
The website was previously published on the Medium platform.[4] In May 2017, The Ringer entered into an advertising and technology partnership with Vox Media (owner of SB Nation), under which Vox would handle advertising sales, and give the site access to its in-house publishing platform.[5]
Former Grantland writers who have since written for or worked for The Ringer include Mark Titus, Shea Serrano, Ben Lindbergh, Robert Mays, Andy Greenwald, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin, Juliet Litman, Craig Gaines, Bryan Curtis, David Shoemaker, Ryan O'Hanlon, Danny Chau, Jason Concepcion, Riley McAtee, Joe Fuentes, and Tate Frazier.[6]
In May 2018, The Ringer published a story by Ben Detrick about Bryan Colangelo,[7] then the GM of the Philadelphia 76ers, and his apparent use of various Twitter accounts to criticize players and defend himself. This led to Colangelo's resignation on June 7, 2018.[8]
In August 2019, The Ringer's editorial staff voted to unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East. The union was voluntarily recognized by the Ringer's management four days later.[9]
On February 5, 2020, subscription music streaming service Spotify announced it was acquiring The Ringer for an estimated $195 million and an additional $50 million in performance-driven incentives.[10][3][11]
In April 2021, writers and producers ratified their first collective agreement with Gimlet Media and The Ringer. It would last 3 years, with minimum base salary of $57,000 for The Ringer staff. Absent was any provision over worker ownership of content created.[12][13]
Content
Like the content on the website, The Ringer's podcast network covers both sports and pop culture.[14] The flagship podcast, The Bill Simmons Podcast, is an interview show hosted by Simmons, featuring other Ringer writers and podcast hosts as well as athletes, filmmakers, comedians, and pop culture figures.[14][non-primary source needed]
Former podcasts include Keepin' it 1600, a politics podcast featuring former Obama speechwriters Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer. After leaving The Ringer, the hosts of Keepin' it 1600 created a new podcast called Pod Save America as part of their own new media company, Crooked Media.[15]
In 2017, The Ringer began the video podcast series Talk the Thrones, an aftershow for Game of Thrones hosted by The Ringer staff writers and live streamed on Twitter.[16] Talk the Thrones is a continuation of After the Thrones, which aired on HBO.[17]
The Ringer premiered Binge Mode in 2017, a podcast that recapped Game of Thrones and the Harry Potter series.[18]
Personalities
Notable current employees include:
- Ryen Russillo, sports podcaster and former radio host and sports journalist
- Zach Lowe, NBA analyst and podcaster
- Juliet Litman, podcaster
- Mallory Rubin, host of Binge Mode
- Todd McShay, NFL draft analyst and podcaster
- Andy Greenwald, writer and pop-culture podcaster
- David Jacoby, podcaster and sports journalist
Notable former employees include:
- J.J. Redick, retired NBA player and current coach of the Los Angeles Lakers
- Mark Titus, podcaster and former college basketball player
- Shea Serrano, podcaster
- Jon Favreau, podcaster and former director of [[speechwriting] for President Barack Obama
- Dan Pfeiffer, podcaster and former adviser to President Barack Obama
- Michael Rapaport, actor and comedian
References
External links
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