Bill Simmons brought back one of his signature segments on Tuesday.
The Columbus Blue Jackets probably wish he hadn’t.
In what marked the return of his mailbag format, the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast exclusively featured The Ringer founder answering questions written by his listeners. And at one point in the episode, someone named Jesse asked Simmons which team deserves the label of the “most irrelevant franchise in professional sports,” based on the following criteria:
They’re too bad to make the playoffs, but not so bad they’re top in the news with their total dysfunction. It’s a team that’s usually in a small market, bonus points if their location name is generic: Indiana, Golden State, New England. It’s a team that makes you say, ‘oh yeah, they still exist’ when they’re picking eighth in the draft.
Before Simmons could answer, Jesse suggested his own beloved Blue Jackets. And after doing some research into Ohio’s only NHL franchise, the Sports Guy couldn’t disagree.
“Columbus’s case is incredible,” Simmons conceded.
The Boston native proceeded to examine a list of the Blue Jackets’ lowlights, including a largely unimpressive list of team captains and a resume that includes just six playoff appearances and two series victories in their first 25 years in existence. Granted, Simmons’ rundown of Columbus’s resume included a few factual errors and superfluously mentioned the tragic deaths of Johnny Gaudreau and backup goalie Matiss Kivlenieks. But his overall point regarding the Blue Jackets’ history was a solid one.
“I’ve never heard a single conversation about the Blue Jackets. Now granted, I don’t have a a ton of hockey fans in my life, but I have never heard a single convo about them,” he said, before later confirming that Jesse’s answer o his own question was correct.
I didn’t expect the return of Bill Simmons’ mailbag to include a history lesson about the Columbus Blue Jackets. pic.twitter.com/CbJeawjzcO
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) November 19, 2025
Full disclosure: the author of this story is a Columbus native, but labeling any NHL team as “the most irrelevant franchise in professional sports” feels a little bit like cheating. Considering the lack of mainstream coverage the sport receives as a whole in the United States, you could argue that most teams in the league qualify as “irrelevant” based on Jesse’s criteria.
Frankly, the same case about the Blue Jackets’ lack of relevance could be made for several teams across MLB. When was the last time you had a conversation about the Baltimore Orioles or contemplated the future of the Minnesota Twins?
Ultimately, “irrelevant” is in the eye of the beholder.
