The Bill Simmons Podcast A Radical NBA Idea, Wemby’s Musical Comp, Despising Duke, and Baseball’s ABS Revolution With Chuck Klosterman
134 snips
Mar 31, 2026 
Chuck Klosterman, author and cultural critic known for writing on sports, music, and pop culture. He debates radical fixes for NBA tanking and proposals to make losing games entertaining. They explore college sports going pro, Wemby’s measured development and cultural rise, and the pros and cons of ABS and tech in baseball.
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Design Rewards Around Player Priorities Not Leverage
- If leagues add in-season rewards, prioritize player-centric incentives like money or reduced travel, not abstract team perks.
- Bill warns players won't care about draft position rewards; real incentives must affect players' personal costs and comforts.
Make Future Home Games Contingent On Competitiveness
- Tie future schedule/home-game allotments to season performance to create real franchise-level incentives.
- Bill suggests taking home games away from teams that deliberately tank, making losing materially costly to ownership.
NIL And The Portal Made College Basketball More Pro
- College superconferences and NIL/portal consolidation concentrate top talent at ~20–30 schools, raising the national level but hollowing out mid-majors.
- Chuck argues this makes college hoops feel more pro and reduces the chances of surprise programs like Kansas State drawing Beasley today.
