Fox is Buying OutKick; Explosive Growth Ahead; I’ll Be Here

updated 250 Comments

Videos by OutKick

Just shy of 10 years ago in late July of 2011, OutKick was born at the Southeastern Conference Media Days in Birmingham, Alabama. That morning, I pounded out our first column in a Wynfrey hotel room and when I hit publish, I remember the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. And I also remember how quickly that feeling faded. At the end of that first day, I remember having a beer and thinking about all the days still to come, the absolute magnitude of the task I’d begun, a quest to build a sports media company from nothing but my own bare hands.

Since that time, we have published tens of millions of words by many talented writers on a wide variety of subjects, and OutKick has been my life’s work for the past decade. We’ve all poured countless amounts of energy into this site and this business with a goal of trying to be smart, original, funny and authentic on a daily basis. And every single day, whether you agree or disagree with me, I’ve put my heart and soul into OutKick, telling you exactly what I think as the world has moved increasingly in the direction where few individuals in this country feel completely comfortable saying what they truly believe.

If OutKick didn’t exist, our voice and perspective wouldn’t exist anywhere else in sports. That’s because the marketplace of ideas, at least in sports, which has been hijacked by identity politics and woke cancel culture, is nearly broken. So too are many of our big technology companies.

This past March, I testified in front of the House Judiciary Subcommittee about anti-trust and the power of big tech companies. If you haven’t watched my testimony, I’d encourage you to watch it now. Here’s a written copy of my testimony. 

Earlier today, Facebook upheld its ban of Donald Trump. Regardless of your political beliefs, the idea that Facebook — in conjunction with other big tech companies who all colluded to reach the same result in a matter of days — can ban the democratically-elected president of the United States should be chilling. If the president can be banned, it can happen to you or me as well.

As the big tech companies have grown, their power has become virtually unchecked. I’ve seen these big tech companies stifle OutKick articles and ideas they disagree with and seen how their actions have impacted our business in a major way. I’ve wrestled with the question of what’s the best path forward for OutKick in light of the looming power of big tech and its ability to cancel anyone. What would happen if suddenly all of OutKick’s social media outlets were shut down like happened to the New York Post this past fall? We’ve grown to have a large audience at OutKick, but how do we achieve the scale necessary to protect ourselves and ensure we can continue to advocate for the ideas we hold dear without the fear that our business can be canceled by the power of big tech?

I came to the conclusion this spring that we needed scale, a big partner who could take our video, radio, podcasts, gambling, and website content to the proverbial next level. Over the past several months, many companies put in bids to buy OutKick. That’s because our business is thriving, particularly our sports gambling business, where we are one of the largest affiliate sites in the country, signing up customers in all ten states where online gambling is legal. Sports gambling is poised to explode in the years ahead, and I wanted to make sure whichever partner we picked fit our company’s direction. Who could merge all the disparate pieces of daily OutKick: sports, politics, news, opinion, pop culture and sports gambling video, radio, podcast, and written content into one cohesive media experience?

The answer, after much debate, consultation and consideration, was Fox, the American leader in sports, politics, news and opinion. It’s also the media company, I believe, that is best positioned to win in the world of sports gambling in the future as well.

Which is why I’m excited to announce an important milestone that I believe will take OutKick to the next level. After ten years of being owned by me, OutKick is being purchased today by Fox. With Fox’s purchase will come a profoundly massive investment in new content creators and in our existing employees and infrastructure. OutKick is going to get much bigger and much better immediately.

If you already loved us, you should be thrilled. If you already hated us, you should be terrified. Because with the power of Fox’s distribution network and investments in our people and products, OutKick is poised to dominate like never before. Today, we begin our newest and best chapter.

For all the people who have worked at OutKick and all of you who have read me since I posted my first word on the internet back in 2004, I’m profoundly grateful. As a public school kid growing up in Nashville named after two grandfathers who spent their lives working in Southern factories, one of whom dropped out of school in the eighth grade, the other of whom dropped out of playing football for the University of Tennessee to feed his family during the Great Depression, and as the son of two parents who never made $50,000 in a year, I never expected to end up at this day.

Only in America, indeed.

I’m not going anywhere and our content won’t change. I will remain the president of OutKick, I will continue to produce the same shows I always have, and I’ll continue to oversee our editorial direction as I have for the past ten years. Sam Savage will continue to do a fantastic job driving our business expansion, and OutKick will grow bigger and faster than it ever has before in the years ahead, thanks to the leadership of Fox executives like Lachlan Murdoch, Suzanne Scott, Eric Shanks, Paul Cheesbrough and Edward Hartman, who have all been instrumental in getting this deal done.

(I’d also like to thank my Fox Bet Live TV crew, even though I sometimes drive them insane, Rachel Bonnetta, Todd Fuhrman, and Cousin Sal and our daily radio show crew Danny G., Eddie, Roberto, and Dub for all the fun we’ve had together on both shows the past several years. I love my media jobs, and they aren’t changing.)

I still believe that sports is the single most unifying thread in a country rife with division. There remains a great purity in sports, a competitive essence that rises above the fray and transcends our often discordant national conversation and brings us all together in shared joy. When your team scores a last-second touchdown, no one thinks about the race, religion, ethnicity or politics of the fans you are high-fiving in the stadium. Sports, quite simply, break the identity politics chains which threaten to divide us all and represent America at its best, its most inclusive, its most fair, its most honest; I believe sports can still bring us together when almost nothing else can, that Republicans really do buy sneakers too.

Today is a beginning, not an ending; thanks to all of you who have been with us for nearly a decade and welcome to all of you finding us anew. Regardless of how you came here, it’s important that you know this — we’re just getting started.

And one more time, thanks to all of you.

Written by Clay Travis

Clay Travis is the founder of the fastest growing national multimedia platform, OutKick, that produces and distributes engaging content across sports and pop culture to millions of fans across the country. OutKick was created by Travis in 2011 and sold to the Fox Corporation in 2021.

One of the most electrifying and outspoken personalities in the industry, Travis hosts OutKick The Show where he provides his unfiltered opinion on the most compelling headlines throughout sports, culture, and politics. He also makes regular appearances on FOX News Media as a contributor providing analysis on a variety of subjects ranging from sports news to the cultural landscape. Throughout the college football season, Travis is on Big Noon Kickoff for Fox Sports breaking down the game and the latest storylines.

Additionally, Travis serves as a co-host of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, a three-hour conservative radio talk program syndicated across Premiere Networks radio stations nationwide.

Previously, he launched OutKick The Coverage on Fox Sports Radio that included interviews and listener interactions and was on Fox Sports Bet for four years. Additionally, Travis started an iHeartRadio Original Podcast called Wins & Losses that featured in-depth conversations with the biggest names in sports.

Travis is a graduate of George Washington University as well as Vanderbilt Law School. Based in Nashville, he is the author of Dixieland Delight, On Rocky Top, and Republicans Buy Sneakers Too.

250 Comments

Leave a Reply

  1. Clay, I hope the essence of what you wrote is accurate. Outkick has been a shining beacon of light, truth and entertainment like no other the past 5 years or so. Much of that has been due to your unapologetic opinions that you can have without as much fear of getting fired because…..you were the freaking owner. Hope that same fire does not wane or get dimmed by this acquisition.

  2. Wow, congrats Clay!! It’s good to see that you can build something like this with a conservative viewpoint in sports media from scratch and have it take off .

    Job well done!

  3. Agree with Don. Reading this I am both happy for Outkick but nervous that it will change. As more details come out I hope my skepticism is proven wrong, but only time will tell.

  5. Excited for you but nervous (echoing prior commenters). You always had the full freedom of self-ownership to allow you to express your (and your fellow staff members’) opinions without fear of retribution. I hope that cavalier attitude that drew myself and many to Outkick isn’t diminished by corporate overlords. Fingers crossed.

    • Yep. I appreciate Clay’s intentions to keep Outkick pure but the reality is that Clay is the President, no longer the Totalitarian Dictator, of Outkick. He is an important contributor, but he doesn’t write the checks anymore. Big bank will take little bank.

  7. Fox sports is the beacon of darkness. A mega corp is bad news…it’s where real opinion goes to die. Your product to sell but I’m not excited by it. See how long I last as a paying member.

  10. Clay glad you and hopefully employees are getting paid,however very much doubt the soul of Outkick will remain the children of Murdoch seem to be woke leftist and awhile back started hacking at what their father built.

  15. wait,

    Isn’t Fox a “tech giant”??? And you are going to WORK for them as their EMPLOYEE?

    What about all that stuff you preached to us for years about being “the boss’s boss” and being in charge of your OWN company so no one could tell you what to do or say?

    What happens now when Fox doesn’t like one of their employees liking the “First Amendment and Boobs”?? Are you going to start telling us to wear our masks now?

    I’m sure this is great financial news for you but it’s hard to see this as a positive for those of us who signed up for VIP status because they believed in what you stood for and were saying.

    Please give us a detailed explanation. Maybe a press conference or something on Outkick the Show?

    Your fans

    • $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

    • What this guy said ☝🏼. On one side it sounds great that you are expanding, but the fact that you no longer own it is scary. What happens when you say something that goes against Fox, and they decide your views no longer align with them and you need to go? Is that not a realistic possibility?

      You have said for years that you are so glad you own Outkick so no one can tell you what you can’t say. How can anyone expect that is not about to change?

      I’m happy for you financially, butI am definitely concerned with the direction this may take Outkick.

  16. Explosive growth. HAHAHAHA because that always works really well, taking someone else’s money to grow on their terms.

    Clay, I do not blame you for taking the payday. You are looking at generational wealth as a result.

    What I do blame you for is spinning sunshine and bullshit, and pretending like it is anything other than giving total control to some media empire.

      • It probably depends on how Whitlock really is because some people have said he is about that money too, in which case he probly lost out on a lot of money. But I really do not think that he got anything out of it because he left and burned a few bridges on the way out. That’s not something you do if you still have stake in a company that you want to profit from. Plus I could be wrong, but I believe that name that Travis checked in his big spiel, Sam savage, was the silent partner Whitlock mentioned that he did not get along with.

        Even though he likely wont he definitely deserves a chunk of the revenue. I don’t think there’s any way Outkick would have blown up the way it did without his BLM 101 series or his Trump interview. Hell i all but stopped reading the website once he left because everything they say is pretty much on YouTube.

        • if whitlock is out, he may have a suit against outkick. if he is in, then maybe we sue outkick ourselves. what a scam. the more i think about it. last year was all a roos by Clay. and he took advantage of Whitlock.

          hope Will Cain is careful what he signs up for.

  17. Any entrepreneur’s dream is to sell what they built and this has obviously paid off incredibly for Clay. Congrats, you deserve it.

    But I have to echo what the previous post said. You wrote endlessly about being your own boss. That resonated with me. Will that change now? I hope not but I am not confident. Fox has changed dramatically since Rupert handed off to his sons. Logic says it will probably happen with Outkick as well. This also backs up Whitlock’s comments regarding Clay and Outkick. He saw the writing on the wall and left. None of this is a good sign for those of us who love what you do.

    Hope I’m wrong.

    • Steve Jobs (Apple)…David Neeleman (Jet Blue)…Martin Eberhard (co-founder of Tesla)…George Zimmer (Men’s Warehouse)…if it can happen to founders, it can happen to anyone.
      Clay will probably be a Division President, so no Board to worry about…and he’s got his payday…but down the road, those golden parachutes are nothing to sneeze at neither.

    • Clay, first congratulations on what you’ve created and the impact you’ve had personally to my sanity for the last 18 months specifically. I, as so many of your foundation VIP members, are obviously concerned that the very basis of your creation, a place to safely espouse and champion the viewpoints of the muzzled silent majority. To pushback against the very Un-American movements of the woke, socialist – “untrue” narratives of systemic racism, the blatant hypocrisy of those in power and those under their thumb, and the strangulation of any believing in the necessity of free speech, dissent and a market place of ideas so necessary to get this once great Nation, back to the very principled ideals it was founded on. I pray that your unfiltered voice and takes are not stifled and you’re able to avoid the type of interference that Joe Rogan has experienced since moving to Spotify.

      • i cant agree more! Outkick has changed my life for the better. The facts the facts the facts!! but the fact is you sold out and i hope itll be the same but it cant be..RIP outkick on to big media congrats

      • Clay, I join the congratulations of others. You’ve achieved what most entrepreneurs dream about, cashing in on your idea. You probably have some kind of non-compete clause in the buyout. Things will change and I wouldn’t trust Fox with anything with the sons taking over but they do like to make their money so they won’t mess with a cash cow for a while. I’m not into gambling much, especially on sports, and that’s one of the pearls in this transaction. I do want to thank you for bringing me back into the sports world. As a former avid almost-any-sport-will-do fan, the wokeness repulsed me and I stopped watching and caring, gave up my Sox season tickets and found other things to do with my time. You, along with Jason, exposed me to the realization that there are many others like me (although not so many in moonbat central) and it is all truly absurd. The role of sports as a positive unifying force in America is being destroyed by those within the sport themselves. I am now aware of much that is going on in the various sports’ worlds but still don’t care for most of it. Only watching golf, hockey and occasionally rugby and maybe college football in the fall. Good luck joining the 1%. I’ll stay and hope it doesn’t change much but hopefully you are a serial entrepreneur and will start up something else or be an angel investor for another.

  27. Congratulations, Clay! Hopeful that Outkick will continue to be what it’s always been since its inception. To go in any different direction will cause it to lose value to its new owners. Wishing it to be a successful endeavor.

  29. Does Fox have a Diversity and Inclusion division? As others have noted Joe Rogan did not vet that particular item in negotiations with Spotify and has paid for it with censorship by his own company, deleted podcasts, and little coverage on Youtube. He, of course, was paid handsomely with $$.

    That said, congrats Clay, on the windfall.

  30. Good for Clay. Bad for the rest of us. If anyone thinks that woke cancer will not intrude in this space, they are sadly mistaken. All one has to do is look at Fox’s NFL coverage, or their NASCAR coverage, or their MLB coverage.

    It’s impossible to be owned by woke corporate America retain independence.

    Yet another independent light snuffed out much too soon.

  31. At some point the selling out has got to stop if this country is ever going to survive. That goes for Clay Travis selling out to Fox as much as it does for Joe Schmoe selling out every single time he PAYS to put his face flag of submission on to attend an anti American professional sporting event, or just buying a Coca Cola product. The lack of resolve in my fellow American has been a bitterly disappointing and discouraging realization over the last year +. For the same reason I took my money away from Netflix and gave to OutKick, I will be taking away from OutKick to give to an independent entity that loves the USA. The corporate machine must be defunded.

  32. I am sincerely happy for you Clay and I hope the deal makes you filthy rich. You earned it.

    I am concerned, however, you have sold the very independence you cited in the past allowing your out of the mainstream content.

  33. Clay,
    I know a lot of very wealthy people. and a few super wealthy people. and one mega wealthy person. they all have one thing in common. they spend their days protecting that wealth. essentially thats all they do. like protecting the golden handcuffs. and thats what they become. thats all they become.

    congrats on the cash. its generational money.

    no way outkick stays the same. i think my annual is up in June.

  36. I finally got my signed book after 6 months, and then this. Fox is just another devil, just wearing a little more camouflage than the other wokesters.

    That’s what I love about Trump. Lost money, lost valuable time he could’ve been spending with friends and family, but earned any sane person’s respect with his refusal to compromise, let alone sell out.

    This is literally the opposite of that. Thanks for the memories.

    • Agreed. I logged in this morning just to read the comments. I won’t be checking in much. I hope Clay reads these but he’s probably too busy taking his onboarding diversity training.

    • Same. I will also miss reading your comments, Chris Redskins, and a few others. Whitlock’s bold takes last year encouraged me to post things I wouldn’t or couldn’t have on social media or other boards. I will miss y’all.

  41. You’ve sold your independence and invited censorship into your content. The reasons I joined were 1) Jason Whitlock’s refreshing take on the world 2) this wasn’t ( up until now) a rubber stamp version of the corporate controlled information networks. I’m a capitalist, so good for you. You get what you can get but on some level it is a bit like the NBA selling out to China – always follow the money. Might drop in for a look on occasion but won’t spend any money on it anymore.

  42. Everyone calm down!

    Time will tell how this turns out. I hope the current writers and contributors are on board. What is going to be interesting is the new writers and new content is coming down the line. The Whitlock void has yet to be filled (and probably can’t be). This may also free up Clay to focus more on the content and less of the business side. If this site keeps it’s efforts to stand for truth and honesty, I’ll continue to view and listen.

    Remember, ultimately, this is a sports site. The politics and pop culture stuff is only a topping.

    I will be cancelling my subscription but not out of disappointment or anger. I loved supporting this site because of it’s independence. I would rather not support a company as large as Fox when I could look for more independents that need support.

  44. Lot of negative comments here but let’s be real, this is capitalism 101. Build a company/brand and sell it for a lot of $$. This is the natural evolution of things. Nothing is supposed to remain the same forever but I’m a lot more optimistic about the future direction of OK than all y’all. Congrats.

  45. Money wins every time. Plain and simple. With that being said I can’t blame Clay at all. Now he sold out, he by all means did. In fact he did the very definition of selling out, and any and everyone can say what they would or wouldn’t do in his situation. Life changing money makes a man make difficult decisions…or maybe not so difficult.

  52. also why is this article tied to three outkick dudes talking draft stuff, i click, then the default is OK draft, i thought i would get Clay talking decisions, but no, its draft coverage on the page

  55. Congratulations to Clay. I’m with most that I I’m sorry OK is losing its independence (and its viewpoints coming out of Nashville instead of Manhattan). If woke articles become the norm, I’ll unsubscribe really fast. I’m also wondering if Clay has a non-compete clause, whereas if OK goes off the rails, and he leaves (or is replaced), will he be prohibited from forming an Outkick 2.0 under a different name?

    I do understand the risk of OK in its present form being cancelled or deplatformed, so in that regard, this gives the site better footing. At the same time, what happens if a Fox partner i.e. MLB or NFL (or God forbid, in the future, the NBA) doesn’t like things that are said? Will Fox suits tamp down the content, or add content inconsistent with its original mission, in order to appease advertisers.

    On the plus side, Fox has allowed Tucker Carlson to say what he wants, which has severely limited advertisers on his show. Will they have the same tolerance with OK? Time will tell.

    • We’re hanging by a thread with Tucker Carlson. If Fox doesn’t stomp him before the 2024 election, he might just say FTS and exit himself. We’ll never see anything close to his skills and guts on network TV again.

      It would be nice to think that Clay would bolt if his big-bucks overlords alter OK, say, stripping or censoring the comments and ruling various sacred cows off-limits. After whatever duration of a non-compete, he could start over with way more seed money, confident that his old creation would be no factor in that marketplace.

      But I’m mostly thinking that much of the sports and social criticism will diminish on this site, and it will become primarily a sports betting place. Doubt OK will carry stories about families gone homeless because Mom or Dad bet the mortgage on a few silly games.

  56. Congrats!

    No need to rush to a judgement here. This will play out for us all to see.

    Clay already has a working business relationship with Fox, so he knows what he’s getting into and should have a pretty good idea of what expectations will be going forward. If Fox is smart and wants to get the biggest return on their investment, they’ll empower Outkick to be bolder, more aggressive and expand quickly before another sports outlet comes in and tries to claim the non-woke sports audience at the national level. Should be great for the Outkick360 guys as well as they’ll have a direct pipeline and better access to Fox Sports properties and partners.

    Hoping for the best –

  57. I hope that Fox ownership doesn’t force a change in viewpoint at Outkick. I know that, at some point, many of the current staff will walk away, including Clay, but I hope that the viewpoint is not limited by Fox.

    Whatever the hell happens, please don’t let that arrogant ass Joe Buck to appear at this site. Please no.

  58. I’ll agree with the majority of commenters here. Good for you Clay on hitting it big. It must be satisfying to have built something up from nothing then sold it for what I can only imagine is a kingly sum. But I do fear for the future of the site. What attracted me to Outkick was the open “wild west” vibe of free opinion. The suits at Fox Corporate are very unlikely to be down with that. Outkick is yours to do with as you wish, but I don’t want to see it become a watered down parody of itself. Here’s hoping for the best. I’m good for one renewal, but we’ll have to see after that.

  59. The Mafia used to try to bribe you and then, if that didn’t work, they’d crush you.
    The left tries to crush you and then, if that doesn’t work, they buy you.
    Outkick letting Fox put a leash on it is just the first step. A muzzle could be next.
    Damn shame.

  64. Wow, Clay puts hard and soul into his passion, sets his goals, absolutely stays consistent with morals and values, and achieves his dream. All of his supporters believe in him because of the high bar that he sets and doesn’t waver from it. He achieves the ultimate and his supporters without even seeing what’s next starts the gloom narrative. WTF, Clay has yet to let us down and honestly the one hallmark of his character is consistency. I say YAHOO!! Congratulations, you’ve hit big time and let’s spread his positive attitude and love of America all around.

    • I’m glad for Clay. I am. (Really) He put in thousands and thousands of hours into this since 2011.

      it just seems like a 0% chance that the commenting board will survive this. It will instead will become moderated by NYC-Manhattan corporate values instead of an actual haven of free speech.

  65. Will Outkick write an article a week from now; outlining the numbers of VIPs who canceled and set up not to renew. Transparent and frank; regarding the impact of this announcement.

    If they do not, it will be patently obvious the incoming censorship and lack of honesty, that will come down the pipeline of the heavy handed FOX corporate stewardship.

    Where looking bad is not allowed, and the truth as well as facts are only permitted under carefully curated articles approved by a big media editor to ensure the corporate spin and agenda is strictly adhered to.

    Congrats for you and your family, best wishes and hope you have a bright future.

    I am just going to assume Clay deep down knows the original Outkick officially died today, and send my condolences. I do not think Clay is a “sell out”, but I also am not so naive to think things will ever be the same.

    Take care.

    • I’d say give it a chance. Clay didn’t need the crazy money he got for this. He was going to eventually make it anyway with the sheer growth of Outkick. I’m hoping he was sincere in his beliefs and entered into this with complete editorial control. If not, we’ll know immediately and I’ll be out too

    • This exactly. We get it, most of us would have done the same thing. But most of us have more meager lifestyles than Clay already enjoyed. He has swapped out his daily existence as a pirate, a gadfly, a renegade and a pea under Big Media’s mattress for a life built solely around more cash. If he doesn’t miss the freedom he enjoyed and threat he posed to the fat cats of sports, media and politics, he’s got less soul than we imagined. And if I’m wrong on all this, then he should be up front addressing — in his network interviews and right here on this site — the concerns of the folks on whom his empire has been built. How will the comments change, Clay? Will you still publish takedowns of LeBron James and other big shots? What happens the day some suit at Fox says, “Less of this, more of that?”

      Without answers to those questions, we’re all justified in assuming the worst. Whether we would have done the same thing or not.

  67. To all the people who are crying about Clay cashing in I have one question. Would you take the money? Damn right you would. Having said that,I wouldn’t trust Lachlan Murdoch as far as I can throw him. Hopefully epic scumbag Paul Ryan doesn’t come sniffing around. Murdoch put Ryan on the Fox News board of directors. What more does anyone need to know about the people who bought this sight. Congrats Clay on the jackpot,now you better watch your six.

    • I get up every morning and go to work. I work long hours at a job not many people can do or want to do. I’ve quit jobs where I thought the people that I worked for were diametrically opposed to my beliefs.

      I have not sold out to anyone. I will not allow myself to be “bought” by anyone. I have had MANY opportunities to do so, I can assure you.

      I don’t make tons of money but I can sleep at night.

    • No one is crying about Clay cashing in. We are however criticizing that the man who got us to believe that he was fighting the good fight for freedom from censorship and from big media controlling the narrative had no problem climbing in bed with the very enemy he kept warning us (and Congress) about. Let’s face it. Clay has to do a 180 when talking about “the media.” He can no longer act holier-than-thou now that he is part and parcel with them.

  68. Congratulations, inspiring words about the purity of sports! That said, if Fox in any way censors the messages we’ve been hearing for years, I’ll turn it off! I trust Clay has enough fortitude to not allow that to happen. Looking forward to the show tomorrow

  71. Settle down, children. How about we use the old rule of “we see what happens and then make a judgement?” *If* episodes of the podcast or articles start disappearing a la Joe Rogan, we can whinge then.

  74. Clay. Nice Work. Congratulations. Good for you. As you say only in America. When the ducks quack, you have to feed them. Hopefully Biden doesn’t push his capital gains tax through for 2021. You did the right thing for your family. Much of life is trying to determine who you are and are not going to disappoint. You did the right thing for your family. You know you did.

  78. RIP Outkick. Fox is garbage, they will cuck Outkick just like any other major media outlet. Maybe they will keep a couple “Tuckers” around (ie Clay) for a few years to maintain some semblance of continuity for appearances sake. But def not renewing my Sub.

  79. Too much of an optimist to not think this could be a huge leap forward. Ideas plus investment is how we got most of our best things.

    Too many years in a corporation to not feel like Uma just hit Outkick with with the Kill Bill move and it’s a matter of time until collapse.

  83. Totally understand the move, I would have done the same thing. No hypocrite here.

    But I also understand that OK will never be the same, it is what it is.

    I’ll stay on as a listener so long as it’s free and see where it goes.

    However, I’ll not be renewing VIP or however they structure that package in the future. Nothing against Fox or Clay or the OK team. I just want to support independent voices who are speaking truth. As hard as they try, OK will not be independent enough to speak such truth and I’m sure their expansion plans will include new people speaking the opposite of the truth.

    • John, you took the words right out of my mouth. I have to seriously consider continuing my VIP status. I happily gave money when it went to Clay and Jason. I’m not sure I want to give my money to Rupert Murdoch.

      Oh well, nature abhors a vacuum. There will be a new Clay Travis on the horizon.

  85. btw:

    WHERE is Clay?

    NOT on the radio show this am. (geoff schwartz blah blah blah NFLPA blah blah draft blah blah)

    The last Outkick the SHOW podcast that I have is from April 27. That’s a week.

    If a major sports figure or political leader announced a huge sea change like this, i.e., being BOUGHT by a massive media corporation, then went “dark” from his fans (and VIP’s!?!) – Clay would be tearing the guy to pieces for failure to do appropriate “damage control.”

    Clay you are hemorrhaging fans by the minute. Please talk to us. And NOT on Twitter or Facebook. I never understood how someone can complain about Twitter/facebook/google/IG constantly, about how they are a “funhouse mirror” (your quote, and an excellent one at that) and restrict free speech, but then use these same platforms to make yourself rich???

    I guess we have all been sold down the river. Yeah, lots of baggage in that phrase, but not entirely inaccurate, since it seems we are all just slaves to giant tech corporations now.

  87. Disney now owns Clay’s operation.
    Disney bought the FOX entertainment division a few years ago and the name FOX is no more listed as one of their entities. Disney also owns ESPN.
    I will now view Clay more closely as change can be very subtle.
    When I opted to join in VIP, I chose on a monthly basis instead of yearly.

  88. Clay, Congratulations. It is interesting that you are banned from CNN and ESPN. If this site continues as it has been, you will be banned from here shortly as well.

    I have been where you are. The $$ always win…and they should. We do live, after all, in a capitalist society…at least for a couple more weeks until they tax it all away.

    Having been here, I know you have the best intentions and have been promised that you can continue to do what you like. I assure you, and I am confident you know, that this just cannot be true. Most of us will stay here until we see the erosion begin (a week? a month? certainly a year) and then we will be gone.

    I hope your non-compete is only one year after you quit so you can do this again. If I were you I would be planning now for leaving (whether on good terms or not) and beginning the next venture if you want to continue making the kind of impact you have. Serial entrepreneurs are rare, but you have a unique voice and could now pull it off on your own nickel — always a better place.

    As with everyone else, watching with care and fear. But still sincerely glad that you can now leave in a huff and still have a few $$ to show for it. Too bad Biden wants to make the absurd CG tax increase (let’s punish those who are creating wealth) retroactive.

  89. The Claytocracy is dead. The joke is on us VIPs that funded and believed in Clay’s vision for a fearless sports media company. The Jason Whitlock departure was the beginning of the end….RIP Outkick.

  90. It will take time but the content will slide. Clay, you will find out as soon as the honeymoon boner wears off that you are too small to matter when it comes to fighting the Fox machine. I hear they have a great dental plan, though. I’ll have to make sure my subscription is not auto-renew.

  93. Will now see if Clay really has the balls he purports to own. If Fox tries to fuck with the content and he backs down, I’m out. Murdoch and Paul Ryan…I don’t trust them. Ryan especially is a wimpy conservative.

  97. i think outkick was declining and not rising. i rarely listen to Clay anyway as his radio show has less callers and fewer good guests. i never tuned in to hear clay speak. i wanted him to set the table and let others speak. freely.

    i enjoyed reading the sports/politics angle in the writing on the site, but none of it was like Whitlock or other professional writing. the writers are good, but barely above twitter style commentary.

    it still was an alternate place to see sports and media and politics intersect. thats over now.

    clay is married to a liberal. he comes from a democrat family. and he has 3 young boys to impress. none of that will enable him to keep the brand he built. or speak freely about woke ism.

    bad move clay. really bad move.

  98. I was going to read all the comments before commenting and then I realized there were a hundred of them.

    I recently subscribed. I don’t really utilize any subscription benefits other than commenting. The absolute only reason I subscribed was to support an anti woke business, same as I do the Daily Wire. Basically just giving you money so you can continue to do what you do

    That being said, OK doesn’t need my money anymore. I’ll ride out the year I just paid for and see how it goes, but the formula for what’s about to happen to this site is pretty well established.

  101. Happy for Clay and his family. Not so happy for us members. I’m afraid the days of clay being about to speak freely and say things like he believes “in only two things completely: the First Amendment and boobs” are over. Fox like all woke Corporations will censor him whether he likes it or not. Don’t believe me? Just look at how many times they have suspended or fired opinion hosts on Fox News. And it’s only going to get worse with Rupert’s far left sons taking over.

  102. C’mon, it’s over. Totally fucking over. Howard Stern, Bruce Springsteen ring a bell? Can’t blame Clay for taking the money, but he knows this is pure bullshit. Did he thank Jason in his statement? Says it all. Fun while it lasted. Now Jason can start the replacement.

  103. Sold or Sold Out? That is the question I will be monitoring as this unfolds. Congrats on the Pay Day, but I like many of the other VIP’s am certainly dubious of it maintaining it’s honest edgy content.

  104. In defense of Clay Travis – given the political climate, there is coming a day in the not so distant future where you simply won’t be able to make money AT ALL.

    Importing half of Central America and the socialist block voter constituency that will come from that will ended any capitalist endeavors useless.

    There was a pot of gold and he seized on it while it was there. I won’t be renewing. Really wish he would’ve merged with the daily wire. I guess FOX just offered a bunch more $$

  105. There are sites and businesses that build their own platforms and stay independent. It’s difficult and stifles growth, but ensures independence. Clay HAS to have seen every other instance of corporate ownership work out badly. So he’s either not as smart as I thought he was, or valued cash above independence. It’s as simple as that.

  106. Fantastic for Clay! Indeed an American success story and now he’s sold and I’m sure for big $!
    Love Clay and what he’s built without outkick but let’s be clear – he is a capitalist at all costs and unfortunately I see this as a sellout to what is truly a unique and needed niche; what we hoped or thought was a “calling”
    I cannot imagine the reasons we’ve all loved Outkick will remain when it goes to Fox… I fear what Outkick has become over the last 18 months will not be seen in the future

  107. I mean I understand why Clay is doing what he’s doing, but I loved and was willing to throw money at Outkick because they were separate from your typical media conglomerates. Granted Clay has his morning radio show on FoxSports Radio, and the FoxBet Live show, but Outkick was it’s own beast. I believe Clay has the best intentions and he will still be himself, but Fox is still run by a lot of liberal elites. I hope Outkick grows from this, but I feel the thrill is gone…

  108. I’m not real happy about this move. I have not watched fox since the election. The company has clearly moved left in recent years. I am very concerned this site will be pulled left. Over time you may look like ESPN. Not sure how much control you actually have now that you are not the owner anymore.

  109. Did Jason Whitlock own any part of Outkick? I have not heard anything from him since he left. This has been the goal of Clay Travis from day one. Create a start up company and either take it public or be bought out by a larger company. Same goal as most tech start ups, just don’t insult your audience by claiming Fox can better serve us as the reason you sold out.

  110. Congratulations Clay. Hope you are very happy, as you deserve to be.

    However, I have to call BS on Lachlan Murdock sharing your vision for Outkick. Lachlan Murdock is a woke POS whose wife shares his anti-Trump, anti-free speech, pro-progressive views.

  111. Clay – excellent news for you and your estate. You went from writing weekly DDT articles on CBSSportsline to owning your own media platform; hard work pays off!

    I’ve been with you every step of the way and a few authored books to boot. I hope the free flow of ideas and opinions in the VIP section doesn’t get sunsetted…here’s to your continued success.

    Keep achieving!

  113. Congrats Big Time! You did it. What an accomplishment. When you left 104.5 I thought “Wow what is he thinking?” My hope and the hope of many others is that when we look back 5 years from now, we still see the same dedicated aggressiveness to challenge the woke cancel culture if it still exists. We just don’t want what usually happens in large company takeovers which are to slowly become absorbed into a new culture and lose the original vision. Here is to maintaining the vision!

  118. Congrats dude.
    1. Hope you made some good $.
    2. Hope you kept some % ownership, unlike the owner of Dogecoin who sold all of his ownership (now worth billions) for a Honda Civic.
    3. It’d be cool if you kept with your usual policy of openness and told everyone the terms of the deal (although I’m guessing may be confidential). Still, I’m sure everyone on here is as curious as I am to see what the terms were in upfront payments, continued salary, and % ownership. Certainly a % ownership component would alleviate many of the concerns of the commenters above, so win/win.

  119. Agree with the vast majority of the comments here. Happy for Clay, but worried where this will go from here.

    Anyone know where you go to keep your subscription from renewing automatically? Prepaid for a whole year and not doing that again till we see where this goes.

  120. RIP-DBAP & SBAP

    Happy for Clay as we are about the same age and entrepreneurial and financially speaking he needed to take advantage of a lower capital gains tax instead of paying the government 50% of what he built from scratch. I applaud Clay and advise my clients to sell now instead of waiting to pay the government for nothing (this comment will be removed in the future).

    On my financial interest note, don’t think I need to support Fox with my funds, but happy to hopefully see Clay more on TV and get a larger audience.

  123. Good for you for reaping the rewards of all your work. But you also have to understand that this dramatically changes the value profile for your subscribers. You can’t seriously expect the public to believe this sale will not change the bias and sacred cows for the site. Outkick has spent a fair amount of time covering Joe Rogan and how his pod has been censored by Spotify, why would we believe this to be any different? The fact is that Fox simply cannot allow you to say anything you want, the price of being that big is limitations. So while good for you, bummer for us. I just cancelled my subscription, I’m happy to pay you but won’t pay Fox. Sincerely, good luck to you.

  125. Three times the top number of comments ever and this isn’t the lead story? Say it ain’t so Clay.

    This was the only safe and relevant place left on the Internet. Here’s hoping it stays that way but I doubt it.

    Clay I don’t begrudge you this success at all. I just kinda think Fox is a bit of a dinosaur – their TV a s their flagship – their other media has always been just ok at best.

  126. Glad Clay can take care of his family and I respect his decision.

    HOWEVER, we all know the editorial decisions and content will be controlled by FOX. The Golden Rule always applies. He who has the gold, makes the rules.

    RIP OUTKICK.

  127. Welp….can’t say it was fun finding out the “Main Street” business I was supporting was actually “Wall Street” all along. Kudos for getting paid and supporting your family. I’ll believe what you say when I see it. We should start a pool for how long before Outkick becomes just another page on FoxSports. Not all that glitters is gold.

    It would be nice to see Clay address some of our posts, but I guess multi-millionaires have better things to do. RIP Outkick, it was fun while it lasted.

  128. I am going to give this a shot to see how it works out. I gravitated to Outkick for a reason. If they sway off point and dilute the message we’ve all been here for, I’m out.

    “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”

    – Mark Twain

  129. Some of you commenters should be ashamed of yourselves. Clay is already on Fox Sports Radio, and for him to secure something like this is admirable. This is what being in America and pursuing your dreams is all about. The sale to Fox was a logical way to grow his business, and if you want to make him a sellout without knowing the conditions of the sale, then you’re obviously much smarter or more superior than all of us who are genuinely happy for his success. It also makes Jason Whitlock’s departure look more and more like a bad decision on his part, and I like Jason. You can vote with your feet, of course, like a bandwagon jumper and run somewhere else. Way to go, Clay. I’ll still be a VIP.

  130. Congrats to you and your family Clay. I became a VIP to support you and this platform. Not sure you need my support any longer. BTW, I never received my signed book!!

    Best of luck. I hope there continues to be a reason to login and absorb the Outkick content as this thing plays out.

  131. As many have stated we wish Clay and his family nothing but the best. However, if someone here is saying “let’s wait and see” must have missed Disney’s approach with Gina Carano. Disney owns Fox and now OutKick. I doubt comments will be enabled. Still searching for alternative sites.

Leave a Reply