Clay Travis is an American sports journalist, former lawyer, and conservative radio and television talk show host. Born on April 6, 1979, in Nashville, Tennessee, he is best known for founding the right-wing sports news website OutKick in 2011 and co-hosting the weekday radio program “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show” since 2021. Travis has an estimated net worth of $10 million.
What is Clay Travis’ Early Life and Education?
Richard Clay Travis grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and attended Martin Luther King Magnet at Pearl High School. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University and a law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School. His education laid a strong foundation for his diverse career path.
How Did Clay Travis Start His Career?
Travis began his professional journey as a lawyer, practicing in Tennessee and the Virgin Islands. During his time in the Virgin Islands, he gained media attention for a unique protest, the “pudding strike,” aimed at pressuring DirecTV to offer the NFL Sunday Ticket package. Although the strike didn’t achieve its goal, it marked the beginning of Travis’s shift towards a media career.
What Were Clay Travis’ Early Roles in Media?
In 2005, Clay Travis started writing online columns for CBS Sports. The following year, he left his law practice to focus on sports journalism full-time. He worked as a writer and editor for the sports blog Deadspin and later became a columnist for FanHouse. These early roles helped establish his reputation in the sports media industry.
What is OutKick and How Did it Begin?
In 2011, after FanHouse was acquired by the Sporting News, Travis founded OutKick the Coverage, a right-wing sports news website. He created OutKick as an alternative to mainstream sports media, which he perceived as too left-leaning. The website gained significant traction, especially in 2020 when ex-Fox Sports host Jason Whitlock joined as a columnist and co-owner. Despite Whitlock’s departure in 2021, OutKick continued to grow and was eventually sold to Fox Corporation, expanding its audience further.
What is Clay Travis’ Role at Fox Sports?
Clay Travis’s association with Fox Sports began in 2014 when he was hired for the weekly college football Saturday pregame show. In 2015, he signed a deal to license his entire sports media brand to Fox Sports, launching a national weekly television show. By 2016, he was hosting a national radio program on Fox Sports Radio, and in 2018, he began a daily sports gambling television show on Fox Sports and Fox Sports 1.
What Other Radio Programs Has Clay Travis Hosted?
Besides his work with Fox Sports, Travis co-hosted the daily sports radio talk show “3HL” on Nashville’s 104.5 The Zone from 2010 to 2014. He also hosted a national sports radio show on NBC Sports. In 2021, Travis began co-hosting “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show,” a syndicated right-wing program broadcast on over 400 talk radio stations, taking over the time slot previously held by “The Rush Limbaugh Show.”
What are Clay Travis’ Political Views?
Initially a lifelong Democrat, Clay Travis’s political views shifted over time. As an undergraduate, he interned for US Representative Bob Clement and worked on Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign. He voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections but switched to supporting Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson in 2016. His political stance has become more controversial, particularly with criticisms of his alma mater Vanderbilt University and his comments during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2020 presidential election, Travis announced he would vote for a Republican president for the first time.
What is Clay Travis’ Net Worth and Personal Life?
Clay Travis has an estimated net worth of $10 million, accumulated through his diverse career in law, sports journalism, and broadcasting. He lives in Nashville with his wife, Lara, a fellow Vanderbilt Law alum and former Tennessee Titans cheerleader. Together, they have three sons. Travis’s wealth and career achievements reflect his adaptability and influence in both sports media and conservative talk radio.
Conclusion
Clay Travis’s journey from law to sports journalism and conservative media highlights his dynamic career and adaptability. With a net worth of $10 million, he has successfully built a significant presence in the media landscape. His early life and education, career beginnings, establishment of OutKick, roles at Fox Sports, various radio programs, and evolving political views paint a comprehensive picture of his professional and personal life. As he continues to influence the media industry, Clay Travis remains a prominent figure in American sports journalism and conservative talk radio.
