Outkick founder Clay Travis may have been motivated out of his comfort zone and into the limelight by a quarter-life crisis. On Monday, Travis joined Stephen A. Smith on his “Know Mercy” podcast to talk about his journey from St. Thomas to become a co-host on one of the biggest radio shows in the country.

Travis shared that while practicing law in St. Thomas and maintaining an online blog, he became increasingly paranoid about the possibility of remaining professionally stagnant while covering legal proceedings for his law firm.

“I made more than my parents made the first day I was practicing law; I didn’t grow up with money; it’s not like it was an ambition,” said Travis. “I knew if I was going to be successful, I had to be passionate; I had to want to get out of bed and go full speed every day. I didn’t have that with the practice of law.”  

According to Travis, he gradually shifted away from his career in law and towards writing. Initially, he wrote about Southern college football for CBS Sports without receiving any payment, all while continuing to practice law. As he began to earn money for his writing, he eventually transitioned into a career in radio.

“One of my early idols was Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon,” Travis stated. “I would read them; I went to college in DC, I would read them in the Washington Post, and when PTI started, I said I wanted to be like these guys. I wanted to be a triple threat. I wanted to be good at writing, radio, and TV. That was the aspiration I had as a young guy.” 

Travis expressed that Kornheiser and Wilbon significantly impacted him with their intelligence, creativity, humor, and authenticity. He believes incorporating these elements into radio, TV, and writing can lead to tremendous success.

“It’s hard to be all four things daily,” he said. “When I was a kid in college, and I would go get the Washington Post, every time I picked up the Washington Post and read a Mike Wilbon or a Tony Kornheiser column, that had all four of those things in them. That, to me, is the aspirational standard.”  

Travis informed Smith that an opinion widely accepted by everyone may not necessarily be valuable. He pointed out that in the realm of social media, there is often a tendency to prioritize conformity over critical thinking.

“Everybody has to have the same opinion, and to me, that’s the antithesis of the media environment, especially in sports,” he said. “When I was in college, they tried to get college kids to read, and my friends would make fun of me. I would read the USA Today, Washington Post, The New York Times, and Wall Street Journal daily, all four newspapers. I would devour all the opinion that was in there.” 

“I’m not a guy who has ever looked over his shoulder,” he added. “I tell you exactly what I think, and I don’t look to see who’s lining up behind me one way or the other.”