OutKick 2023 victory lap: Best stories from a year of being fearless and having all the fun
Review OutKick's wins for 2023
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It’s been quite the year for OutKick. And the end of 2023 is a perfect time to look back at what our fearless site did well.
Call it a victory lap of sorts.
From Clay Travis’ home-and-home interviews with Stephen A. Smith to Bobby Burack pointing out the lies of Deadspin, 2023 was a year of keeping an open mind and holding people accountable, two trademark traits of OutKick.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Here in no particular order are a handful of our favorite stories from the past 12 months, and you can bet that the majority are stories you would only find on OutKick Dot Com:
Dodgers Were Second To Nun
Jun 16, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Gerald Garth, LA Pride Board president applauds as sister Unity and sister Dominia of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are given the Community Hero Award on Pride Night prior to the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
OutKick’s Ian Miller filmed the Dodgers’ sad attempt to hide a shameful presentation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Calling Out Eventbrite
Riley Gaines gives a speech at Penn State. (Riley Gaines)
OutKick’s Bobby Burack helped get a wrong righted here, even if it wasn’t acknowledged.
Can’t We All Just Get Along? Yes, Actually
OutKick founder and all-around badass Clay Travis did a home-and-home interview series with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, first on Smith’s "Know Mercy" podcast and later on Clay’s OutKick The Show. We want to hear ALL sides at OutKick.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Deadspin Lied, And We Called Them On It
Accusing a kid of wearing blackface was a new low, even for Deadspin.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gotta Hand It To Harvard
OutKick’s Dan Zaksheske went to Cambridge and documented the lunacy he encountered.
Catch A Tiger By The Tail
LSU head coach Kim Mulkey, second from right, is held back by LSU forward Angel Reese, second from left, after being ejected while arguing a call against her team in the fourth period of an NCAA college basketball game against Northwestern State, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Baton Rouge, La. (Michael Johnson/The Advocate via AP)
OutKick’s Glenn Guilbeau pulled back the curtain on an odd saga with LSU women’s basketball team.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ESPN Hides Race-Baiting Doc
Who else in sports media would shine the spotlight on this? Only OutKick.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Fight To Save Women’s Sports
OutKick’s Joe Kinsey went to Roanoke, Va., to see the latest twist in the story of transgenders competing in women’s sports. Special shoutout to OutKick’s own Riley Gaines for her leadership on this issue.
Bad Year For Bud Light
America’s former best-selling beer lost its crown thanks to its puzzling decision to partner with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Alejandro Avila was one of many OutKick writers who helped chronicle the madness.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NHL Pride Debate Makes Everyone Mad
Vancouver Canucks Pride Night jerseys hang in their dressing room before their NHL game against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena March 31, 2023 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
It was not all lollipops and rainbows in hockey in 2023, especially when OutKick’s Matt Reigle wrote about the NHL Network’s questionable decisions in on-air commentary.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}OutKick Goes To Boulder To See Deion Frenzy
OutKick’s Trey Wallace found all kinds of interesting stories when he went to Colorado in the fall.
Clay Vs. The WNBA
OutKick’s Amber Harding led the charge on the battle between the OutKick founder and the WNBA.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mother Knows Best
A football coach posed for a picture with college dancers in bikinis, and some folks lost their minds. OutKick’s David Hookstead pointed out the craziness, with the help of a level-headed mom.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Armando Was There For Damar Hamlin
Damar Hamlin #3 of the Buffalo Bills stands near the sidelines during introductions prior to an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on January 2, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
OutKick’s Armando Salguero was in the press box at Cincy’s Paycor Stadium when Damar Hamlin had a medical episode on the field during Bills-Bengals in early January. Armando stayed in Cincy for several more days to report on the story that brought together the NFL and beyond.
We Tried To Help Ja Morant
Memphis native Mark Harris wrote about the immature NBA star in March, asking Morant to drop the tough-guy act. Two months later, after another gun incident, the NBA dropped the hammer.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Debut Of Nightcaps
Building on the dominant success of Joe Kinsey’s Morning Screencaps, OutKick introduced its mid-afternoon cousin column, Nightcaps. Zach Dean, Anthony Farris and Amber Harding do a bangup job getting the weekday evenings started for OutKick readers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dana Dominates, What Else Is New?
UFC President Dana White attends the UFC 290 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 08, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
OutKick’s Mike Gunzelman helped cover Dana White, the UFC leader who is never afraid to tell it like it is. (We love that.)
This Was A Big Gamble That Paid Off
Betting guru Geoff Clark called Viktor Hovland winning the BMW Championship, and he beat the stacked field by 5 strokes
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}OutKick Readers Love All Kinds Of Stories
The OutKick Culture Department has an all-star in Sean Joseph, who always finds unique stories that do MEGA traffic. Like this one.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}We Watch It All
There are no day off at OutKick, with our team of writers and editors keeping an eye on all games big and small, watching for the moments we know our readers love. This from John Simmons, our latest addition, is a good example of that.