Grantland site killed by ESPN

In the business, the term for this is "suspending" Grantland. But it means there will be no more content added and it's effective immediately. ESPN had previously parted ways with Grantland creator Bill Simmons and this next move seemed only a matter of time. ESPN also had recently announced the layoffs of several hundred employees.

As ESPN exits the space where sports meets culture, the big winner might be Vice Sports, which has been growing and getting some hits lately.

Here's the statement from ESPN:

Effective immediately we are suspending the publication of Grantland. After careful consideration, we have decided to direct our time and energy going forward to projects that we believe will have a broader and more significant impact across our enterprise.

Grantland distinguished itself with quality writing, smart ideas, original thinking and fun. We are grateful to those who made it so. Bill Simmons was passionately committed to the site and proved to be an outstanding editor with a real eye for talent. Thanks to all the other writers, editors and staff who worked very hard to create content with an identifiable sensibility and consistent intelligence and quality. We also extend our thanks to Chris Connelly who stepped in to help us maintain the site these past five months as he returns to his prior role.

Despite this change, the legacy of smart long-form sports story-telling and innovative short form video content will continue, finding a home on many of our other ESPN platforms.

New York Times story. From ThinkProgress: The Tragedy Of ESPN Shutting Down Grantland, In 13 Articles

Some relevant tweets.

I loved everyone I worked with at G and loved what we built. Watching good/kind/talented people get treated so callously = simply appalling.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) October 30, 2015

ESPN to honor existing Grantland contracts, wants to use writers elsewhere. But a lot of good people caught up in mess not of their making

— Eric Fisher (@EricFisherSBJ) October 30, 2015

Well that's the first time I've ever found out I was laid off via Twitter

— Michael Baumann (@MJ_Baumann) October 30, 2015