Alex Morgan scored just 2 goals in her last 17 World Cup games — yet the US kept starting her as striker right up to their shocking Round of 16 exit.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Alex Morgan scored just 2 goals in her last 17 World Cup games — yet the US kept starting her as striker right up to their shocking Round of 16 exit.
TL;DR
Bill Simmons returns from a three-week break to open a six-pack of hot takes: the US women's soccer team's World Cup collapse, Jaylen Brown's $304M Celtics deal, the NFL running back pity party, Jets optimism vs. reality, the Pac-12's implosion, and ESPN's subscriber crisis [1] — Bill Simmons "The US women's team lost to Sweden on penalties, scoreless in their last two games. Bill Simmons argues the warning signs were everywhere —…" 05:45 . G-League guard Gabe York — one of the stars of the new Prime Video doc "Destination NBA" — then shares his decade-long fight to reach the NBA at age 30, shooting 40% from three but still unsigned [2] — Bill Simmons "ESPN had 100 million cable subscribers at peak. Now they're at 76 million and falling, with ESPN+ at a stunning 5.5 million standalone user…" 39:10 . Bill closes with daughter Zoe Simmons breaking down why The OC, 20 years later, crushes modern teen TV [3] — Zoe Simmons "Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson, who played Seth and Summer, were dating in real life during production — and it shows. Zoe Simmons argues tha…" 1:15:50 . Key takeaway: staying in the G League beats going overseas if your goal is an NBA shot.
Part 1 of a two-part podcast. Bill Simmons opens with a six-pack of sports topics including the US women's soccer World Cup exit, then interviews G League guard Gabe York about the new Prime Video documentary 'Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey,' and closes with daughter Zoe Simmons on The OC's 20th anniversary.
With the anger still fresh, Bill dissects a USWNT disaster that he insists was entirely predictable. The team opened the World Cup beating Vietnam by only 3-0 in a bracket where goal differential mattered enormously — a massive red flag. He traces a pattern of institutional denial around Alex Morgan: she scored just 2 goals in 17 World Cup appearances outside the Thailand blowout [1] — Bill Simmons "Take away the 13-0 Thailand thrashing and Alex Morgan scored 2 goals in 17 World Cup games. Yet she played 95 minutes in the Sweden match. …" 07:10 , yet she started every minute of every game. Megan Rapinoe, at 37, came on for the final 25 minutes and missed the decisive penalty. Carli Lloyd, serving as a Fox studio analyst, had been calling these problems all summer and was dismissed as unpatriotic [2] — Bill Simmons "Carly Lloyd was like the one person in the horror movie who knows the house is haunted and everybody's like, shut up. You're not patriotic.…" 06:01 — Bill says history has fully vindicated her. He also points to the team's identity confusion: they had real speed in Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and teenage prodigy Alyssa Thompson but inexplicably chose not to use it. The broader lesson, he argues, applies to sports and life: loyalty to past performance — not current form — is a losing strategy. He closes by comparing the team's generational in-between moment to the 2004 USA Olympic basketball squad.
Bill introduces Gabe York with genuine warmth — he's been watching the documentary cuts and thinks York is the player who will make viewers reach for their phones to Google his name. York explains he was never originally planned as a documentary subject; a filmmaker approached him before warmups and was won over after a 10-minute conversation. The interview opens out into something much richer: York turning 30 the day before the recording, entering his 9th professional year without a guaranteed NBA spot despite being one of the G League's best offensive players [1] — Gabe York "G-League guard Gabe York has been one of the best offensive players in the league, shoots 40% from three, and has a 40-inch vertical at age…" 51:00 . He shot 40% from three on 11 attempts last season [2] — Gabe York "Gabe York: 40% from 3 in G League: Gabe York shot 40% from three-point range on 11 attempts per game in the G League last season, yet remai…" 1:01:07 . His peak vertical was 43 inches at Arizona — he still jumps 40. His Slam Magazine top-10 all-time high school mixtape made him a prospect with enormous hype before a family-friend agent — someone he'd known since age 14 — apparently failed to return calls from interested teams for months [3] — Gabe York "G League: more NBA visibility than overseas: Gabe York averaged 16-17 points per game overseas for 2-3 consecutive seasons with zero NBA in…" 58:15 . The conversation is emotionally honest: York admits the 'why not me?' questions creep in even when he's mentally trained himself to stop asking them, and Bill responds by comparing his own 'should I quit?' crisis at 30 to York's current moment. The G League vs. overseas debate is resolved cleanly: three seasons averaging 16-17 points overseas produced zero NBA invitations; two G League seasons produced two two-way contracts and summer league spots because NBA executives simply don't watch overseas leagues.
The episode's warmest segment is also its sharpest piece of TV criticism. Zoe Simmons, born a year and a half after The OC premiered, watched Season 1 as the family rewatched for a Prestige TV podcast project and immediately loved it [1] — Zoe Simmons "Bill Simmons' daughter Zoe watched The OC for the first time at 18 and immediately preferred it to every current teen drama. Her diagnosis:…" 1:08:00 . Her diagnostic on why: modern TV tries too hard. It shoves in too many plot lines, too many types of characters, too many elements because executives don't trust audiences to stay engaged with a simple, well-executed premise. The OC had a simple premise — outsider boy moves into rich neighborhood, falls for girl next door — and it trusted that premise completely [2] — Zoe Simmons "TV back then, it was so organic. It's like everything was so true to life and it was easy and no one was trying too hard. In all these show…" 1:21:10 . Zoe's character rankings are definitive: Seth is everyone's favorite, Summer had the best arc from villain to scene-stealer, Ryan and Marissa are both terrible actors though Marissa's obliviousness is the show's most reliable source of anger. They discuss the Oliver plotline (infuriating but effective), the pregnancy arc (a creative mistake but one that produced the Jeff Buckley finale montage), Adam Brody's squandered post-OC film career due to the season's 27-episode schedule, and the pre-smartphone world the show captures that Zoe finds genuinely wistful — a time before plans were over-organized and social life had mystery. The conversation closes on Zoe's current TV landscape: Euphoria (which she distinguishes as a different category), Stranger Things (stalled by the writers' strike), and a landscape that leaves her hungry for exactly the kind of show she's been binge-watching from 2003.
Chapter 1 · 04:30
With the anger still fresh, Bill dissects a USWNT disaster that he insists was entirely predictable. The team opened the World Cup beating Vietnam by only 3-0 in a bracket where goal differential mattered enormously — a massive red flag. He traces a pattern of institutional denial around Alex Morgan: she scored just 2 goals in 17 World Cup appearances outside the Thailand blowout [1] — Bill Simmons "Take away the 13-0 Thailand thrashing and Alex Morgan scored 2 goals in 17 World Cup games. Yet she played 95 minutes in the Sweden match. …" 07:10 , yet she started every minute of every game. Megan Rapinoe, at 37, came on for the final 25 minutes and missed the decisive penalty. Carli Lloyd, serving as a Fox studio analyst, had been calling these problems all summer and was dismissed as unpatriotic [2] — Bill Simmons "Carly Lloyd was like the one person in the horror movie who knows the house is haunted and everybody's like, shut up. You're not patriotic.…" 06:01 — Bill says history has fully vindicated her. He also points to the team's identity confusion: they had real speed in Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and teenage prodigy Alyssa Thompson but inexplicably chose not to use it. The broader lesson, he argues, applies to sports and life: loyalty to past performance — not current form — is a losing strategy. He closes by comparing the team's generational in-between moment to the 2004 USA Olympic basketball squad.
The US women's team lost to Sweden on penalties, scoreless in their last two games. Bill Simmons argues the warning signs were everywhere — aging stars, wrong lineup choices, a coach who won't be seen again — and only Carli Lloyd was brave enough to say it out loud.
Take away the 13-0 Thailand thrashing and Alex Morgan scored 2 goals in 17 World Cup games. Yet she played 95 minutes in the Sweden match. Bill Simmons draws a direct line from that refusal to confront declining performance to the team's shocking early exit.
Excluding the 13-0 Thailand game, Alex Morgan scored only 2 goals in her last 17 World Cup matches, yet remained the starting striker.
Rapinoe, at 37, came on in the last 25 minutes of the Sweden game and missed the deciding penalty kick.
Jaylen Brown's $304 million extension is simultaneously the only logical move and a potential franchise-killer. The Celtics are title favorites with their Brown-Tatum core intact, but if Brown decides Boston isn't where he wants to be, the salary makes a fair trade nearly impossible.
Jaylen Brown signed a $304 million supermax extension with the Celtics, making him one of the highest-paid players in NBA history.
The Boston Celtics reached 5 Conference Finals in the last 7 years, justifying their decision to commit to the Brown-Tatum core.
Running backs went on a collective pity party this offseason, but the market is speaking clearly. Damien Harris signed for $2M, Pacheco won a Super Bowl on a 7th-round deal, and no salary-cap-smart team is paying $30M for a running back. The position is devalued and the CBA won't fix it.
Damien Harris, considered a solid NFL running back, signed with the Bills for just 1 year and $2 million, illustrating the devaluation of the position.
Jets fans — historically the most miserable in football — have gone full Super Bowl believers after landing Aaron Rodgers. Bill Simmons pumps the brakes: Rodgers was bad last year, the offensive line is terrible, the schedule is brutal, and the Hard Knocks curse is real.
While everyone obsesses over the Jets and Lions, Bill Simmons identifies the Browns as the real sleeper: talented roster top to bottom, a winnable division, Burrow already hurt, and Deshaun Watson as a massive X factor who was once a top-5 QB.
Bill Simmons identified the Cleveland Browns, at +380 to win the AFC North and 9.5 win total, as the most compelling tortured-franchise sleeper for 2023.
The Pac-12 conference is falling apart, Stanford has no home, and there is no governing body with the authority or will to impose order. Bill Simmons has been calling for a sports czar for 20 years — the college sports implosion is Exhibit A for why one is desperately needed.
ESPN had 100 million cable subscribers at peak. Now they're at 76 million and falling, with ESPN+ at a stunning 5.5 million standalone users. Bill Simmons breaks down how the network that once outbid everyone for everything is now cutting talent and scrambling for a new business model.
ESPN's cable subscriber count fell from a peak of 100 million to around 76 million, with ESPN+ at only 5.5 million standalone subscribers.
ESPN+ has only 5.5 million standalone subscribers — far fewer than expected — revealing a major vulnerability in Disney's streaming strategy.
Chapter 2 · 45:15
Bill introduces Gabe York with genuine warmth — he's been watching the documentary cuts and thinks York is the player who will make viewers reach for their phones to Google his name. York explains he was never originally planned as a documentary subject; a filmmaker approached him before warmups and was won over after a 10-minute conversation. The interview opens out into something much richer: York turning 30 the day before the recording, entering his 9th professional year without a guaranteed NBA spot despite being one of the G League's best offensive players [1] — Gabe York "G-League guard Gabe York has been one of the best offensive players in the league, shoots 40% from three, and has a 40-inch vertical at age…" 51:00 . He shot 40% from three on 11 attempts last season [2] — Gabe York "Gabe York: 40% from 3 in G League: Gabe York shot 40% from three-point range on 11 attempts per game in the G League last season, yet remai…" 1:01:07 . His peak vertical was 43 inches at Arizona — he still jumps 40. His Slam Magazine top-10 all-time high school mixtape made him a prospect with enormous hype before a family-friend agent — someone he'd known since age 14 — apparently failed to return calls from interested teams for months [3] — Gabe York "G League: more NBA visibility than overseas: Gabe York averaged 16-17 points per game overseas for 2-3 consecutive seasons with zero NBA in…" 58:15 . The conversation is emotionally honest: York admits the 'why not me?' questions creep in even when he's mentally trained himself to stop asking them, and Bill responds by comparing his own 'should I quit?' crisis at 30 to York's current moment. The G League vs. overseas debate is resolved cleanly: three seasons averaging 16-17 points overseas produced zero NBA invitations; two G League seasons produced two two-way contracts and summer league spots because NBA executives simply don't watch overseas leagues.
G-League guard Gabe York has been one of the best offensive players in the league, shoots 40% from three, and has a 40-inch vertical at age 30 — and he still has no NBA offers. His story is the rawest account of what it means to fight for a dream that keeps slipping just out of reach.
Gabe York is entering his 9th professional season at age 30, having never received a guaranteed NBA roster spot despite consistent elite G League performance.
Gabe York averaged 16-17 points overseas for three consecutive seasons and never got a training camp call. He joined the G League and landed two two-way contracts and summer league invites. The message is clear: if you want the NBA, stay where they can see you.
Gabe York averaged 16-17 points per game overseas for 2-3 consecutive seasons with zero NBA invites; switching to the G League yielded two two-way contracts and summer league invites.
Gabe York's path to the NBA was derailed partly by an agent who was also a family friend — one who had big-name clients and allegedly went months without returning calls from interested teams. It's a cautionary tale about loyalty in a business that can't afford sentiment.
Gabe York shot 40% from three-point range on 11 attempts per game in the G League last season, yet remained unsigned by an NBA team.
Heat culture isn't mystical — Miami finds players who fell through the cracks, who carry chips on their shoulders and refuse to waste an opportunity. Bill Simmons argues this formula should be obvious to every GM, yet most teams still chase projects and upside over proven hunger.
Gabe York recorded a 43-inch vertical jump at the University of Arizona, and still measured a 40-inch vertical at age 30.
Slam Magazine ranked Gabe York's high school mixtape in the top 10 of all time, and Ball Is Life named him top 3 in high school dunks.
Chapter 3 · 1:04:07
The episode's warmest segment is also its sharpest piece of TV criticism. Zoe Simmons, born a year and a half after The OC premiered, watched Season 1 as the family rewatched for a Prestige TV podcast project and immediately loved it [1] — Zoe Simmons "Bill Simmons' daughter Zoe watched The OC for the first time at 18 and immediately preferred it to every current teen drama. Her diagnosis:…" 1:08:00 . Her diagnostic on why: modern TV tries too hard. It shoves in too many plot lines, too many types of characters, too many elements because executives don't trust audiences to stay engaged with a simple, well-executed premise. The OC had a simple premise — outsider boy moves into rich neighborhood, falls for girl next door — and it trusted that premise completely [2] — Zoe Simmons "TV back then, it was so organic. It's like everything was so true to life and it was easy and no one was trying too hard. In all these show…" 1:21:10 . Zoe's character rankings are definitive: Seth is everyone's favorite, Summer had the best arc from villain to scene-stealer, Ryan and Marissa are both terrible actors though Marissa's obliviousness is the show's most reliable source of anger. They discuss the Oliver plotline (infuriating but effective), the pregnancy arc (a creative mistake but one that produced the Jeff Buckley finale montage), Adam Brody's squandered post-OC film career due to the season's 27-episode schedule, and the pre-smartphone world the show captures that Zoe finds genuinely wistful — a time before plans were over-organized and social life had mystery. The conversation closes on Zoe's current TV landscape: Euphoria (which she distinguishes as a different category), Stranger Things (stalled by the writers' strike), and a landscape that leaves her hungry for exactly the kind of show she's been binge-watching from 2003.
Bill Simmons' daughter Zoe watched The OC for the first time at 18 and immediately preferred it to every current teen drama. Her diagnosis: modern TV tries too hard, shoves in too many characters and plotlines, and forgets to make you actually care about anyone.
Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson, who played Seth and Summer, were dating in real life during production — and it shows. Zoe Simmons argues that modern TV's lack of genuine character chemistry is one of its biggest failures, and The OC's secret weapon was something you simply can't manufacture.
The OC's first season had 27 episodes. By the time Adam Brody became a phenomenon as Seth Cohen, he was already locked into Season 2 with no window to leverage his fame in film. A TV calendar mismatch, not a talent gap, cost him his shot at movie stardom.
The OC's first season ran 27 episodes, each roughly an hour long, far more than modern prestige TV seasons.
No indexed bits in this chapter.
G-League guard Gabe York has been one of the best offensive players in the league, shoots 40% from three, and has a 40-inch vertical at age 30 — and he still has no NBA offers. His story is the rawest account of what it means to fight for a dream that keeps slipping just out of reach.
ESPN had 100 million cable subscribers at peak. Now they're at 76 million and falling, with ESPN+ at a stunning 5.5 million standalone users. Bill Simmons breaks down how the network that once outbid everyone for everything is now cutting talent and scrambling for a new business model.
This episode
Factual claims made this episode, and whether a source was named.
The US women's soccer team scored 0 goals in their last 2 World Cup games and 1 goal in their last 3 games, and that goal came from a corner kick.
Alex Morgan scored 5 of her 6 goals in the 2019 World Cup against Thailand in a 13-0 game, and scored nothing in 4 games at the 2023 World Cup.
Excluding the Thailand game, Alex Morgan scored only 2 goals in her last 17 World Cup matches.
Jaylen Brown signed a $304 million contract extension with the Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics have made 5 Conference Finals in the last 7 years.
The Celtics are listed at +470 odds to win the NBA championship on FanDuel.
Damien Harris, a solid NFL running back, signed with the Buffalo Bills for just 1 year and $2 million.
ESPN once had 100 million cable subscribers at its peak; by 2023 that number had dropped to approximately 76 million, a loss of millions including 3-4 million in the most recent reporting period.
ESPN+ has only 5.5 million standalone subscribers, far lower than expected for a major sports streaming platform.
The Cleveland Browns' over/under win total for the 2023 NFL season is 9.5 wins, and they are +380 to win the AFC North on FanDuel.
Gabe York shot 40% from three-point range on 11 attempts per game in the G League last season.
Gabe York's peak recorded vertical jump was 43 inches at the University of Arizona at the end of his junior year.
Slam Magazine ranked Gabe York's high school mixtape in the top 10 of all time, and he is top 3 in high school dunks of all time according to Ball Is Life.
Taylor Swift played approximately 45 songs per show, each show running over 3 hours, on her Eras Tour.
The OC premiered on August 6, 2003 — 20 years before the recording of this podcast — and its first season contained 27 episodes.
This episode
Boston Celtics star who signed a $304 million supermax extension, discussed as both necessary and potentially franchise-altering.
Discussed as an overvalued aging striker who scored just 2 goals in 17 World Cup games outside of the Thailand blowout yet kept starting.
Discussed as the Jets' new quarterback with questions about whether he can return to elite form at his age after a down 2022 season.
37-year-old legend who missed the decisive penalty kick against Sweden in what was likely her final World Cup match.
Portland Trail Blazers star whose trade demand saga is used as a cautionary tale for what could happen to the Celtics if Jaylen Brown grows unhappy.
Discussed in the context of her record-breaking Eras Tour, described by Bill Simmons as the biggest concert phenomenon he has witnessed in his lifetime.
Actor who played Seth Cohen on The OC; discussed as someone whose film career never took off because the 27-episode season left no window to leverage his fame.
Fox studio analyst who repeatedly warned about the USWNT's problems before the World Cup; Bill Simmons says she was vindicated.
Boston Celtics star and Jaylen Brown's running mate; discussed as the more popular half of the Celtics' core duo.
Discussed as a media giant in crisis, having fallen from 100M cable subscribers to 76M with only 5.5M standalone ESPN+ subscribers.
The USWNT lost to Sweden on penalties in the Round of 16 of the 2023 World Cup, scoring 0 goals in their last 2 games.
Discussed in context of Jaylen Brown's $304M supermax extension and their title contender status.
Discussed as an over-hyped Super Bowl contender following Aaron Rodgers' arrival, with Bill Simmons skeptical of the offensive line and coaching.
Referenced as the model NBA franchise for finding overlooked G League talent and building winning culture on the margins.
Bill Simmons identifies the Browns as his preferred tortured-franchise sleeper pick for 2023, citing Deshaun Watson as a high-upside X factor.
Major college athletic conference that collapsed in 2023 as member schools defected, used as a symbol of college sports' fundamental corruption.
Teen drama that premiered August 6, 2003 — Bill Simmons and daughter Zoe discuss its 20th anniversary and why it still resonates with Gen Z.
Documentary produced by Ringer Films and Religion of Sports, premiering on Prime Video August 8 2023, following five G League players including Gabe York.
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