Grant Wahl fired from SI

5,433 Views | 30 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by Carnwellag2
fig96
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AG
Shared by a fellow soccer board poster on twitter:





We'll never get the full story, but that publisher is DUMB for putting that memo out for so many reasons.
Mathguy64
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First rule of firing someone: don't say anything to anyone other than "no comment".
fig96
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The Pilot
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https://frntofficesport.com/grant-wahl-sports-illustrated-the-maven/
oragator
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As managers we've all been there. The discussion probably got contentious, and the manager wrote the note before they cooled down. Bet they are regretting it now, if not, that's not a place I would ever want to work.

As for Grant, not the smartest decision either. Good luck finding another job at 350k to write about soccer in a world where soccer may not be played for 6 months in the US, ad revenues are declining and other known online figures are getting laid off saturating the market. At worst, take the pay cut and start looking around. Of course it's possible he has something else lined up, but I would be surprised. My bet is that there was some acrimony there already and this was just the final straw.
littlebitofhifi
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I'm sure neither side is completely innocent but just wanted to clarify the $350k comment. Grant has publicly said his salary was well below that. He got bonuses last year which raised his overall comp (which makes sense due to a World Cup, the legal battles, and overall a pretty strong football year). He agreed to take a temporary cut, just didn't feel it should automatically be permanent.

He wasn't going to make $350k at SI or anywhere else this year, but seems fair IMO to expect your base comp to go back to normal at some point in the future and not be reset permanently due to the current crisis.

Either way, I think he'll land somewhere. Solid writer but probably needs to keep his nose down and let this blow over. Even if he was 100% in the right (which I doubt), publicly fighting with your employer on Twitter is never a good look.
fig96
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I figure Wahl will be at The Athletic inside a few weeks.
jeffk
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He'll be somewhere soon for sure, but I'd be it's for nowhere near $350k.

He's a great writer and I love his stuff, but I don't know that print media (even with digital) can support that sort of paycheck for a single content-generator.
Carnwellag2
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He shouldn't have dove into political commentary. He was losing half his readership do to his political attacks on republicans
PatAg
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Grant made the mistake of making it public that there was no reason (which was not true), and then the management company made the mistake of making it public (and pretty clearly not the whole truth).
PatAg
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Plus, I've never really felt I gained anything from reading what he wrote, but he writes for the super casual fan (which there are a lot of)
who?mikejones
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Sub par commentator. Too political.
fig96
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I'd bet most people didn't really care.
PatAg
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fig96 said:

I'd bet most people didn't really care.
the kind of people the frequent a political forum do, good thing their opinions don't matter
jeffk
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I don't think his political interjections affected his readership to a large degree. It might have annoyed some people, but it wasn't turning viewers or readers away.
who?mikejones
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anecdotal, but, i stopped following wahl because of his propensity to wade too far into politics
Carnwellag2
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who?mikejones said:

anecdotal, but, i stopped following wahl because of his propensity to wade too far into politics
i did as well.....much like i stopped watching certain people on ESPN when they became political. I read/ watch them for the sports not their political opinion. I watch other things for that.
jeffk
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Interesting. Did you stop your SI subscription or drop your TV membership (for ESPN)?

EDIT - I'm not asking this to be a pain. There's not always a direct relationship with most people being annoyed by something/someone and them actually doing something that hurts the bottom line of the overseeing corporation.
PatAg
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I actually didn't appreciate his involving it in his articles either, but that's because he wasn't capable of writing well thought out opinions in that subject. I stopped reading most of his articles because he stopped writing anything interesting or insightful about soccer for the most part.
who?mikejones
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I just didnt read anything he put out, stopped following him on social media, etc. I dont have any paid subscriptions to any site so all they lost from me were clicks.

I used to read his stuff but he wasnt good enough to overcome his mostly subtle but annoying political inputs

I cut the cord years ago...not for political reasons though.

If any sports journalist veers too far into politics, i typically stop reading their stuff. Doesnt matter which side they take, i just do not care to to read about a journo's political opinions when i am reading about sports.
aggiesoccer#1fan
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As a sports reporter, he veered into politics. But these political reporters best not veer into science/medicine. Only other journalists must stay in their lane.


akm91
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He has a pretty biased opinion on that topic based on the fact his wife is a doctor and medical journalist specializing in infectious disease.
"And liberals, being liberals, will double down on failure." - dedgod
PatAg
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who?mikejones said:

I just didnt read anything he put out, stopped following him on social media, etc. I dont have any paid subscriptions to any site so all they lost from me were clicks.

I used to read his stuff but he wasnt good enough to overcome his mostly subtle but annoying political inputs

I cut the cord years ago...not for political reasons though.

If any sports journalist veers too far into politics, i typically stop reading their stuff. Doesnt matter which side they take, i just do not care to to read about a journo's political opinions when i am reading about sports.
I agree with this 100%. They got to the spot they did doing one thing, writing about sports in a way that people enjoyed. They are doing it what is essentially a professional level. I don't want to hear their opinions on religion or politics...play Freebird.
fig96
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I mean, there's just a bit of difference between offering a political opinion and offering medical advice.

Hate on the political posts all you want, but he's got a valid point on this one.
aggiesoccer#1fan
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I'm well aware of his wife. And Grant has a degree in political science, not soccer.

I think you missed my point. People can have expertise in multiple disciplines, but he is suggesting a political reporter is somehow ineligible from comprehending science/medicine, asking appropriate questions on such topics, and reporting accurately on these crucial issues. His ego purports that he is multitalented enough to accomplish such a feat but is somehow unwilling to believe others may be as adept.
jeffk
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In his defense, these covid pressers have been ****shows.
fig96
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Not to overly defend the guy as he does come off arrogant at times, but you're kinda projecting here. He clearly says "mostly" and doesn't say a thing about himself asking questions (though I don't think it's unreasonable to think that he actually would be better equipped that most journalists in this particular area). And there's a pretty obvious difference between stating a political opinion (which pretty much everyone does) and understanding the specifics of a pandemic.

I also don't think most of us would argue that the reporting on this is far too political from everyone involved.
aggiesoccer#1fan
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Even in a time of crisis, our tribalism prevails.
TXAggie2011
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Yeah, I wouldn't equate the two.

The consequences of Grant Wahl adding some political commentary to his sports writing are a helluva less serious than the consequences of what's taking place in the White House briefing room these days.
TXAggie2011
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Quote:

And Grant has a degree in political science, not soccer.
BA in politics. From Princeton.

For better or worse, right or wrong, politics entering his writings to some degree was probably inevitable.
TXAggie2011
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He trolled and pissed FIFA off back when he tried to run for FIFA president.

We can all get behind that, right?
Carnwellag2
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TXAggie2011 said:

Yeah, I wouldn't equate the two.

The consequences of Grant Wahl adding some political commentary to his sports writing are a helluva less serious than the consequences of what's taking place in the White House briefing room these days.
agreed! The "press" has been utterly disgusting!
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