If You Don't Listen To Bill Simmons, Can You Even Call Yourself A Boston fan?

(Oct. 6, 2015 - Source: Mike Windle/Getty Images North America)

We all know Bill Simmons. If not, maybe you know him by his other name: the Boston Sports Guy. 

You may already know his career story, but I'll go over it briefly. Simmons is your typical Boston sports homer. He covered Boston sports independently, with basketball being his expertise. Simmons became very popular due largely in part to his unique style of writing and extensive knowledge of each sport and league.

Simmons found his way to ESPN, and took off from there. He became their featured columnist, put out one of the most popular sports podcasts we've ever seen, and was a major force behind the creation of ESPN's famed "30 for 30" films series, just to name a few. 

Simmons then started a website that would come to be known as "Grantland", a site that was part of the ESPN family. The site exploded, and Simmons continued to be Boston's favorite national personality.

Then came ''deflategate", and Simmons' employer became a direct pipeline for anti-Patriot propaganda in an attempt to protect their relationship with the NFL. 

Simmons wasn't having it, and he ripped into Roger Goodell, the league, and ESPN on multiple occasions in his podcast. ESPN then "opted not to extend the contract" of their most famous analyst, all to protect their brand. 

ESPN attempted to the destroy the reputation of our beloved Patriots, and it was well received when Simmons ripped them apart on his way out the door. 

If you did not already know, Simmons signed on with HBO and launched his new podcast last week. I, along with many other Boston fans, could not be more excited. Simmons has been my favorite author and analyst for as long as I can remember, and it's great to be able to listen to him again, especially with the fact that he can now say whatever he'd like. And he has certainly exercised that right. 

Enough about that, though, I'd like to see what you, the reader, thinks. Simmons is one of the few Boston fans in the national media, so I find it hard to imagine that most hardcore Boston sports fans aren't at least occasional listeners. Maybe I'm wrong, who knows? 

What do you think? If you don't listen to Bill Simmons, at least every now and then, can you even call yourself a true Boston sports fan? Answer in the poll below.

By Jacob Young, @Jacob_BBS