Joe Kinsey
Videos by OutKick
A reader making a transition needs my advice
• Ryan Mc., who has been in the college basketball coaching world for the last decade, is looking to transition into the world of sports gambling and sports podcasting.
He writes:
1) What was your path that got you to where you are with OutKick today?
2) What advice do you have for someone trying to transition into the sports gambling and content creation industries?
3) Where do you see the industry going over the next 5-10 years?
I’ll keep this brief on these topics because we could be here all day on these questions.
- This has been one helluva road to where I’m at today. You could go all the way back to being a little kid and racing my parents to get the newspaper so I could see if the Mr. Red logo on the front of the Dayton Daily News had a smiley face, frown or a poker face (for those late west coast games). I lived and died by Reds baseball. I would pour over the sports section and it was a damn good sports section.
- Fast-forward to my post-college life working in the newspaper world designing advertisements when I came to the conclusion in 2006 that I had to teach myself how to build and maintain websites. It was then that I started writing. In 2007, I had my first success and by early 2008 I was paying all of my bills with Internet money via my site, Busted Coverage.
- By 2011, I was making plenty of money via that site and it was purchased by a New York-based company that allowed me to turn it into a full-time job. Then in 2016 at the Battle at Bristol, I was in charge of an 8-man tailgate trip with my neighbors sponsored by Natty Light when I met Clay. We stayed in touch and in early 2020 he said it was time to go into business together. I agreed. June 1, 2020 was my first day here and I’m still around.
- Create content, create more content, create even more content. Allow your personality to come out. Find angles that others won’t touch and hammer away. Just like any other industry, you have to be willing to work harder and smarter than your competition. And avoid group-think. Find your own lane and let the group-think folks do their thing. You’ll own your lane and they’ll be busy back-slapping each other with little success. Use your connections. Build new connections. Develop relationships with people who understand all sides of the Internet. Find a tech-savvy mentor.
- You need patience. Huge success isn’t happening overnight. I’m closing in on 15 years. Clay’s right there in that ballpark and he’s been working what seems like 7-days-a-week in some capacity for all those years. There are those I grew up with in this industry who long ago flamed out and have moved on with life and real jobs. If you’re in for the long haul, you have to buckle up and remain calm through the highs and lows.
- I’ve been saying for years that arenas and stadiums will be turned into casinos and now here we are where Wrigley Field will soon have a sportsbook inside the “Friendly Confines.”
- I don’t know if we’re going to see some sort of groundbreaking change in sports gambling over the next 5-10 years. We’re going to see more states come online (Ohio starts Jan. 1, 2013) and they’ll continue to look for new venues to attract that gambling money. Would a pop-up sportsbook at Ohio Stadium for Buckeyes games be out of the question? I don’t think so.
- As for content creation, there’s still plenty of room for the written word even though Google keeps tightening the advertising market by the year. A recession will 100% do damage to the advertising world, but I had amazing years from 2008-10 when the economy was a huge mess. It’s not like the money will completely dry up, you just have to get smarter.
- There is tremendous room right now for someone in his/her 20s to become the next big voice of the sports content world. Those of us who’ve been grinding away for a decade-plus will be slowing down in the next 5-10 years. It’s time for a young gun to decide he’s the next one in line.
- I’m actually surprised we’re not seeing more young people attempting to break out on their own.
Now, fire away with questions on things that I need to expand on.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
• Listen, as you guys know, I don’t exactly want Screencaps to be infiltrated by high levels of politics because a vast majority of political discussions infuriate me, but we have this thing called inflation that is ravaging this country and this bozo goes on CNN and can’t even spew a talking point that makes sense.
Hey toots, tell me how you’re going to lower gas prices. Nothing. Pure gibberish. And these are the politicians who never want to lose control of their power. Makes you wonder why, right?
SAY SOMETHING THAT MAKES SOME SENSE EVEN IF IT’S ‘F-YOU, WE WANT GAS PRICES HIGH AF SO YOU HAVE TO BUY AN ELECTRIC CAR.’
• Dana B. writes:
Joe, this is the best clip I’ve ever seen that encapsulates the very essence of the T-ball experience. It begins with the home plate guy getting a bat to the shins, and then escalates to complete bedlam from there. Dog piles, wrong-way running, coaches yelling and chasing, pouting, a kid getting drilled in the face (and going down like a pro soccer player), plus off-field shenanigans. I had to watch this about 10 times to catch everything that happens in less than a minute!! Please share with our fellow Screencappers, and WELCOME BACK!!
Thank you for sending this in, Dana. It reminds me of my 5-year-olds first game this season when he took off for third base before crossing the field and running to first base.
So pure.
Refinishing metal patio furniture
• Reagan B. writes:
I always enjoy the advice from real people on things I can easily do myself so I thought I would now try to give back. Refinishing most metal patio furniture is a breeze. We just did ours after replacing a few boards and staining the deck. (The lighter colored boards are the new and need to dry out before I stain). We pressure washed the furniture and then used a random orbit sander with 80 grit to knock the worst of the rust off, then sprayed them back off, allowed them to dry and spray painted with the Ace version of Rustoleum. For 8 chairs, the dining table and the end table, the prep time took no more than an hour and the spray time was half that. Used 5 cans before running out. Got the other end table in the photo and 2 more chairs to go.
Patio life drinks
• Beau in Toledo writes:
So my brother sent me this... would it qualify for #PatioLife? -1.5 Oz tequila -.5 orange liquor (use a good one) -Squeeze 2 limes and half an orange -.5oz agave nectar (Soda water if you wanna tame flavor) [Note the lack of sour mix] A shot of Disaronno amaretto never hurts... I may be late for work tomorrow...
Arkie phrase for Mississippi
• Bill H. writes:
There is a phrase often uttered here in Arkansas, “Thank God for Mississippi” because if it weren’t for them the dragging up last in categories like yearly income, reading comprehension, medical care, etc., then Arkansas would be last!Mississippi’s case before SCOTUS got the Roe invalidated and case tossed back to the states. “Thank God for Mississippi” takes on a different meaning in this case.Gee, with all of the howling, bleating and threats to peace by those opposing the SCOTUS ruling, you would think someone had died.
Sport with the worst replay
• Chad R. writes:
I hope you are doing well. I was just curious what sport do you think has the worst instant replay system? Given the amount it’s overused and usually followed by lengthy delays, I’d vote for NCAA College Basketball. (Note: I haven’t watched the NBA in over 25 years.) Thanks again.
This is the easiest question of the week. The answer is simple: MLB.
I absolutely hate it. The game slows to a crawl, the vibe in big situations is completely lost, and one day we’ll lose the fun of managers screaming at umpires and kicking dirt.
And that should be enough for this morning. We’re so close to those July 4th weekend burgers that I’m starting to taste them. Let’s finish the week strong and then get after it with some half-sticks of dynamite and roman candles.
Have a great day across this incredible country. Do your best to stay out of mindless arguments. Head down. Focus!
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
