The Ringer founder Bill Simmons reflects on his early career on ESPN's Page 2 and his disagreement with the detached objectivity of traditional sports beat reporters.
0:00 / 0:14exact quote · 14.2s
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“I never understood why somebody would be covering sports if they didn't love sports, and if you love sports, you have to have a favorite something. You can't just be an atheist, a sports atheist, basically. You have to have a player you love, or a team, or whatever”
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