David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Bill Simmons managed to ruffle some feathers in Columbus when he pointed to the Blue Jackets when asked to pick the professional sports franchise that deserves the “Most Irrelevant” label. The team tried to fire back on social media, but it sort of proved his point with a major swing and a miss while attempting to diss the man who’s built a media empire.
It’s been close to 30 years since Bill Simmons started making a name for himself online with the “Boston Sports Guy” columns that eventually landed him a job at ESPN.
He subsequently emerged as one of the most influential voices in sports media during his time with The Worldwide Leader thanks to the popularity of his “Page 2” column, which was defined by the signature blend of sports talk and pop culture references that helped him amass a massive following.
That mix served as the foundation for Grantland, the spinoff website he oversaw between 2011 and 2015 before going independent and launching The Ringer, the spiritual successor that he’s still involved with to this day.
Simmons is primarily an NBA Guy, but he’s never hesitated to chime in on a wide variety of topics over the course of his career. That includes a question concerning which Big Four franchise he’d consider the most irrelevant as things currently stand, and the Blue Jackets botched the landing while attempting to throw some shade after he pointed his finger in their direction..
The Blue Jackets sent a baffling tweet after Bill Simmons called them the most irrelevant franchise in pro sports
During the most recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, the eponymous host revived the listener mailbag while fielding a question from someone who asked him to name the “most irrelevant franchise in professional sports” (summing up the essence of “irrelevant” as “A team that makes you say ‘Oh yeah, they exist’ when they’re picking eighth in the draft”).
The question in question was submitted by a fan of the Blue Jackets, who nominated the team due in part to the lack of playoff success that Simmons took into consideration while doing the research that led him to determine Columbus has a pretty solid claim to that fairly dubious crown, saying:
“I’ve never heard a single conversation about the Blue Jackets. Now granted, I don’t have a ton of hockey fans in my life, but I have never heard a single convo about them.”
It wasn’t the most flattering assessment, but I don’t think it was a particularly unfair one.
I’d argue that conversation can be immediately narrowed down to NHL and MLB teams given the relatively lack of interest in those two leagues compared to the NBA and NFL, and the Blue Jackets have not really done much to make a name for themselves while playing in one of America’s tiniest sports markets.
That segment did not go unignored in Columbus, and while the team attempted to clap back at Simmons with a tweet, it opted for a fairly nonsensical Grantland reference that ignores the fact he’s spent close to a decade running what is seemingly a very successful company and shows no signs of slowing down.
tried to go to grantland to read the full article but got a 404 🤔
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 19, 2025
Good job, good effort.