Grantland site killed by ESPN

ESPN is thought to be under orders by parent company Disney to rein in spending this year, as the sports media company has seen the cord-cutting trend in cable television sap its subscriber base. As Vanity Fair put it, Skipper told anxious Grantland staff that money was no issue, "what ESPN needed was "soul, ' along with 'other things that matter, ' apart from 'scores" and 'statistics.'" The final weeks, in other words, have been a nightmare for the beleaguered staff. However, when author Jim Miller reported that four editors were leaving the site to work for Simmons, and that a fifth was leaving for MTV, the was really on the wall.

But the days when blogs morphed into something much bigger seem to be over, and the real sad thing is Grantland was the fruition of betting on a forceful personality, as opposed to something tested by focus groups, which led to a great site.

The network also said that the sorts of in-depth storytelling that found a home on Grantland will continue to on other ESPN platforms.

Effective immediately, ESPN is shutting down the Grantland website. "Watching good/kind/talented people get treated so callously = simply appalling".

The future of the division was undoubtedly in flux following the departure of the site's creator, Simmons, who left ESPN back on May 15. However, it all began to unravel over the past year, with Simmons being let go from ESPN in May-an acrimonious split between two parties that had always been contentious with each other.

From Zach Lowe to Jonah Keri to Andy Greenwald to Rembert Browne, Grantland had a writer dedicated to crafting masterful publications for those who craved a little more out of their pastimes.

"I loved everyone I worked with at G and loved what we built". Each staffer was to meet with ESPN brass Friday to discuss and negotiate obligations and their individual roles.

The 46-year-old journalist has butted heads with ESPN many times over the course of his career.

Grantland, ESPN's sports and pop culture outlet founded by Bill Simmons in 2011, has been shut down.

Simmons himself also delivered his verdict on ESPN's decision.

Grantland was the best venture ESPN has done, or may ever do.

A few of the most prominent writers for Grantland included authors Chuck Klosterman, Jonah Keri and Malcolm Gladwell; former Michigan basketball star Jalen Rose; and writers Zach Lowe, Bill Barnwell and Wesley Morris, among many others.