Bloomberg: Bill Simmons’ departure from ESPN sets the stage for a bidding war for the popular sports personality that may include traditional and emerging media, digital entities and even venture capitalists. ESPN said it couldn’t reach an agreement with Simmons on terms for a new contract. Simmons “could replicate what he had at ESPN with another large media company. Another interesting option is the go-it-alone strategy, where he goes direct to his followers. The capital and technology are there.”