Ranking the 10 most powerful people in sports media

In my short write-up about Mr. Russell's House, I noted that I was amazed at the media empire that Bill Simmons is building. Sports Illustrated has ranked Simmons as the most powerful figure in the sports media today!

Ranking the 10 most powerful people in sports media

1. Bill Simmons, ESPN

He leveraged his immense popularity as a writer to start the high-minded Grantland.com, extending his brand beyond himself to bring in talented voices such as Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Wesley Morris. Simmons is the rare person in the sports media with revenue power on multiple platforms -- his podcasts get significant traffic, he's a major player in the "30 for 30" initiative, and this year he added a regular television presence with a position on ESPN's NBA Countdown show. Most importantly, Simmons has the ear of ESPN president John Skipper. He's No. 1 on this list by a wide margin.