Sydney Thomas' Friend Regan Ward Is The Next Big Instagram Star, OutKick's Big Numbers & Jay Leno Intel
Thank you to those of you who are trusting OutKick on a daily basis to be your home for fun, transgenders in sports news, pop culture nonsense, digital content and more
I've told this story before, but it's worth repeating for those you who are new. On June 1, 2020, I was one of 7 or 8 who were on the call when Clay formally announced via FaceTime, I believe, we were about to relaunch OutKick and turn it into a behemoth.
Bobby Burack, Clay and myself are the last three standing.
Clay and I met for the first time at the Battle at Bristol in the fall of 2016. Clay sucked down a Mich Ultra. I was sucking down as many Natty Lights as humanly possible because Natty was sponsoring my RV trip to the game.
He enjoyed our tailgate for 15 minutes or so and moved on.
Later that year or in early 2017, he asked if I would be interested in doing a project with him. At the time, I was in a great spot with my baby Busted Coverage; Clay was just beginning to explore a business deal, but he wanted to gauge my interest.
I love money. Clay definitely loves money. There was a mutual understanding that we would talk down the road.
In early 2020, sometime around the beginning of COVID, Clay came calling. He was ready.
It was time to talk business.
I'm in.
Cool, let's do this.
A contract was written and here we are.
OutKick is now a huge operation since it was sold to Fox News Corp. There are multiple levels of executives. There are executives for executives. There are suits in charge of OutKick operations I never knew existed. There's now an actual digital television department that's pumping out content on Fox Nation on a daily basis.
Numbers like OutKick produced in October are a testament to the team that has been assembled. It's a testament to the readers who keep passing the word, sharing the posts, who keep engaging with the social media and watching the shows.
I'm honored to be anywhere near this operation.
Conclusion: Rarely does a day go by when I don't stop and think about how absurd it is that I get to do this for a living. I'm forever grateful.
OutKick is dominating in California; we're even reaching into San Francisco!
- Tiger Fan in SanFran Gary stops by with a few takes. I bumped him up the post today because he's in San Francisco. Imagine being an OutKick reader living there:
Thank you for your article! I found it about 6 months ago. It is helpful to know there are other sane and rational people in this world as I am surrounded by nonsense here in SF.
- Go Army (Grandfather and Great Uncle both fought in WWII)
- NIL has broken CFB. The kids should get paid but they shouldn't have more free agency rights than professionals. Hate that the district court out here ruined a sport that people out here don't care about. Add CFB to something the libs have ruined.
- The best hotel breakfast is the Courtyard at Marriotts
- I fear the media is already trying to set-up President Trump to fail. If they actually let him do his job, people might be surprised how much better this country will be.
- I have daughters and will fight for their right not to have boys in their locker room
Army-Notre Dame…make sure you're on the right side of history later tonight!
- Rob M. fires back at Beer Guy Neil in Cleveland:
Neil, congrats on the ND education, the school itself is a great educational institution, but we just have to address the truth, it is as follows.
-ND has benefited by having a contract with a TV network. In the days of three channels, it was like the Braves on TBS or the Cubs on WGN. We had no choice but to watch it.
-ND won its last National Title in 1988 ( 36 years ago ) that’s two full high school generations of college football fans that have never seen ND win a title. The last time ND was relevant was in 2012 when they were waxed by Alabama. More people remember that game than the title in ’88 because of Manti Te’o ( do we need to go there? I mean, who among us has not had an imaginary girlfriend)
-In summation, great fan base, great school, but if the definition of what makes the team is "eyeballs", then ND has lost it’s fastball. It is truly the middle age twice divorced former high school cheerleader sitting at the corner of the bar on a Thursday night desperate for attention. Mildly attractive, but peaked in high school. Never peak in high school, you only have one way to go after that.
Go Army.
- Vance and the Marines have arrived:
As a Marine Corps veteran, I totally get why people are rooting for Army. However, as a Notre Dame fan who follows the team closely, this game isn’t going close. Bank on that.
38-17 Notre Dame over Army
Semper Fi and Go Irish!
- Millennial Dalton D. from South of Crater Lake (MDDfSoCL) says he'll be on the right side of history tonight, but you already knew that!
I'm starting the install of the two Costco double vanities this weekend. God be with me.
Go Army! Can you imagine them crashing the playoffs and Trump showing up while Biden is asleep in Delaware. Gives me chills just thinking about it! USA! USA! USA! Im so fired up just making it up in my head.
Even better….Trump leads the Golden Knights out of the tunnel!!! The Auburn War Eagle is on loan flying the stadium (they wont need it…) and Trump plants the American Flag at mid field! Putin would make it happen but in America anything is possible! Red blooded American men run through their living room walls they are so fired up and the Chi Comms just give up.
It's not that far-fetched.
Kinsey:
I hope the Boomers were reading that entire email. Dalton D. could've sat home and spent the day watching football. Instead, he's going to get on that bathroom project his wife wanted done before the holidays.
I'm telling you, this guy is a rising Screencaps star.
Tell us about when you visited the Battle of the Bulge battlefields
- Mark in SE Missouri says:
You should post a question out to SC nation about anyone visiting the Battle of the Bulge area. I've been in the hills above Foy, Belgium where the 101st was dug-in during that battle in the Ardennes.
It's the most somber & eerily quiet place I've ever witnessed. I'm sure others here have had the same experience. You could have one hell of an edition of SC when you compile all those stories.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
Screencaps readers tell Cowboys fan Derek G. to go to the Thanksgiving game even though it's going to be a couple of backup QBs battling it out
Derek G. has never been to a Cowboys game. He was worried that his first game should be a legit game. Screencaps readers say that's rat poison.
- Kevin in Gibsonia, PA tells Derek:
This may sound simple, but the reason Derek should go to the Cowboys game is because he wants to and he can. I drove down to Tennessee to watch them beat Kent State by 70+. Horrible game, awesome time. Last black Friday, I drove to Detroit for the first time to watch PSU destroy MSU. Boring game, awesome time. On Saturday mornings in the summer, I will decide to drive to Cleveland or Baltimore just to watch a baseball game. Don't care who's playing, always a great time. The reason we bust our ass during the week (and mow on Thursdays) is so we can do these things. Live your life, enjoy it while you can. Have fun!!! It's that simple.
- Mark from SE Missouri adds:
Derek G should absolutely go to this game. It's a bucket list item for him, it's on Thanksgiving, & Jerry World is a must-see, even though the Cowboys themselves are not.
Personally, my brother & I skipped family Thanksgiving to attend the game at Arrowhead when he lived there in 2006. It's still brought up nearly 20 years later as 'that Thanksgiving' & it will live in infamy around our folks' dining room table for many years to come.
Best part is neither of us are KC fans, but we had the opportunity to do it & will die on the hill of it being one of our best decisions. Love Screencaps. Keep up the great work.
- Steve B., who wrote a Hallmark Christmas movie screenplay, writes to Derek:
Incredible work this week.
I was nine when my Broncos lost to the Cowboys in the 1978 Super Bowl - the first time I remember crying. So I cannot believe this Cowboy hater has to tell Cowboy fan Derek G in Dallas to GO TO THE GAME!
It's $20 for a ticket!
For reference, I paid $320 per seat for four of these nosebleeds in January of 2022. That was on top of the flights, hotel, restaurants, etc. And after somehow avoiding Covid for nearly two years, I even got the Wuhan virus from our trip to Jerry's World.
But it was totally worth it.
Incredible stadium and atmosphere. And hey, Derek, when you're on your death bed, you'll be glad you did things like this, (unless you die in a car wreck on the way to the stadium).
Last point: In August of 1964, my dad sold the concert ticket for which he had paid $6.60 for, because "something came up."
It was the Beetles concert at Red Rocks.
You don't think he regrets that? I'm not saying Cooper Rush vs. Tommy Devito equals the Fab Four, but bucket list items should be checked off before, you know, you kick the bucket.
Duck season
- Hunter emailed at 7:19 a.m. ET clearly knowing I'd be pumping out Saturday Screencaps:
NOT trying to start another sunrise run of content but I couldn’t not share this opening morning of duck season in Arkansas picture. Hard to top it.
Modified Pizza Huts
- Richard in SC emails:
Saw the post this morning about the former Pizza Hut in Dyrty Myrtle being arguably the "most beautiful" renovated former Pizza Hut...it's not even the most beautiful in the state. That honor belongs to NICO in Mount Pleasant, SC. It was two other restaurants between the Hut and now, but NICO did a really nice job updating it, which you can still tell it was a Hut. The place does really good business, and the food is very good, but pricey (welcome to Charleston).
https://lfkarchitect.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/com-nico-2-2400w.jpg
Shorty carts
- Tim C. checks in:
Reading the CAPS and Arthur in Atlanta asked what is a shorty cart…. Maybe they don’t have those down South.
Anywho, I have run across shorty carts at the state store.
So shorty cart at state store is OK. Full size cart and maybe AAA is in your future??
Kinsey:
I believe Arthur said his grocery store only believes in the full-sized SUV grocery carts. That makes me feel bad for the old timers who can't maneuver those beasts.
Friday night in Eagle, Idaho
- Mike T. had himself a beautiful 61-degree night:
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That's it for this Saturday. I'm officially off work for the weekend and it feels great. Now it's time to get stuff done around my own house, plus watch football.
Thank you for being so damn loyal to me and OutKick. I felt like this was one of my favorite weeks since June 2020. Between the digital shows I was on to the six editions of Screencaps, there's been a great flow.
Let's have a great weekend. Go enjoy life.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com