Sports. Hollywood. Gladwell. Why you should be reading Grantland.com.

While he is known primarily as one of the most prolific writers in sports journalism today, Bill Simmons reputation as a keen observer of the circus of popular culture is nearly as well established.

Last summer, the EPSN alum launched Grantland.com, a grab-bag collection of journalism which features writing on everything from the volatile racial politics of the Trayvon Martin case to a hilarious list of classic board game commercials on YouTube. While topics range from the sobering to the absurd, one constant of Grantland is that the calibre of writing on display is absolutely top-shelf.  The site is regularly updated with some of the funniest and best informed analysis available online, whether it be Simmons' meticulous writing on NBA stars, equally detailed analysis of plot threads and characters on Mad Men, or a remarkable story about an all-boys baseball team who were scared of losing to a girl.

For those looking for informed discussion on the complex intersection of business and sports, Grantland is a godsend. Best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell has written several essays for the site regarding the economics of owning a professional sports franchise, and the ongoing discussion of the long-term ramifications of violence in sport has been though-provoking as well. There is a disturbing piece on the consequences of head trauma in youths, particularly football players, which qualifies as an absolute must read as well.

Those articles which discuss topics in pop culture often have tongue in cheek reference towards the sporting roots of the site; Hollywood Prospectus tips its hat to the popular baseball statistics site and during the 2012 NCAA basketball tournament in March, Grantland published an ongoing "smacketology" series which played upon the intimidating nature of characters on HBO's series The Wire. Despite the disdain which Wire creator David Simon appears to hold for such endeavours, these goofy pieces are written by informed and talented writers, who demonstrate an appreciation for their work not generally found on most "review" sites.

All told, while Grantland is certainly heavy on sports writing, there is such a broad range of  content from witty writers (Chuck Klosterman, David Eggers) that even non-sports fans should find something worth reading.