OutKick 360 Rebrands As OutKick Hot Mic With Hutton & Withrow

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The online live radio show OutKick 360 has rebranded as Outkick Hot Mic with Hutton and Withrow. Jonathan Hutton and Chad Withrow will continue as the hosts of the show, which airs live Monday-Friday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. exclusively on OutKick.com and across all OutKick social platforms.

“Hot Mic will be the agenda-free sports talk show for true sports fans,” says Hutton. “No fake debates. Authentic reactions and analysis that everyone should expect from OutKick.”

Hot Mic will provide fans with smart sports talk that regularly questions the consensus while driving the conversation beyond the traditional sports show. Hutton and Withrow will also be exclusively interviewing high-profile athletes, sports executives and newsmakers across the sports and culture landscape.

“Our listeners can expect the same brand of honest, authentic and fearless sports talk we’ve always brought to the table,” says Withrow. “We are excited to get this new branding rolling as OutKick continues to grow and expand its audience.”

Hutton and Withrow have served as the co-hosts of OutKick 360 since it launched in 2021 with Paul Kuharskey, and have become well-known sports personalities not only locally in Tennessee but nationwide. They were previously co-hosts for Tennessee’s Midday 180.

Kuharsky, who runs paulkuharsky.com, joined the 440 Sports family a few weeks ago. His popular podcast, The Paul Kuharsky Podcast has been added to the 440 Sports lineup of shows.

Nashville Named 8th Best Sports Business City By ‘Sports Business Journal’

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Lowere Broadway during the 2019 NFL Draft. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp

It’s no secret that Nashville has been one of the hottest cities in America over the last decade between its growth, tourism scene as well as its economic boom. Now The Sports Business Journal has named Music City as the 8th best business city in America.

The SBJ released as list of the 50 Best Sports Business Cities in America where they went through the numbers the numbers over a seven months, analyzing nearly half a million bits of data across 377 markets that are the home of at least one professional or Division I college athletic program, or a permanent event. They created an algorithm that took into account quantitative and qualitative data, as well as interviews and sentiment analysis from nearly 100 industry veterans, according to the article.

Coming in at No. 1 was Dallas which also includes, Fort-Worth, Arlington and Frisco. They continue to have dedicated sports franchises that invest in both their stadiums, fans and cities. The rest of the list follows, New York City, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville, Chicago and Phoenix. All these cities are either mainstays with decades of sports history (NYC, LA Chicago) or have seen major growth by adding new teams, new stadiums or hosting world-class sports events (Nashville, Las Vegas, Charlotte).

There were a string of qualifications to make the list which includes “having to be home to multiple tenured franchises, events, modern venues, sponsors, agencies, media partners and other critical vendors, located within reasonable proximity of each other so they can visit and knock out meetings with multiple organizations without overspending on hotel and meals.” These cities have also, “foster a climate of support from their residents, businesses and local governments (22 states now have a fund or grant program designed to lure and/or help pay for recruited events).”

Nashville has grown into a major hockey city, has added an MLS team with a brand new stadium, have hosted the NHL All-Star Game and NFL Draft, host the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament annually and is just a few votes away from building a brand new football stadium for the Titans. All of these factors, including its population growth and local support are major reasons why Music City finds themselves in the top 10.

Nashville Sports Council & PNC Bank Collaborate On Women, HBCU Content Series

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The Nashville Sports Council and PNC Bank have come together to celebrate women in sports at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Nashville with content series “Through Her Eyes.”

“Through Her Eyes” will spotlight female athletes, coaches and administrators across the region over the next year, giving a first-person voice to local women.

The new content series aligns with PNC’s commitment to HBCUs and women in sports across the U.S. Last year, the Nashville Sports Council and PNC Bank hosted the first-ever Women in Motorsports panel in Nashville.

“As Chair of the Nashville Sports Council’s Women in Sports Committee, it is my pleasure to see this initiative relaunched with a focus on HBCUs,” says Sheila Gibson, Chair of the Women in Sports Committee. “We are grateful for yet another collaboration with PNC Bank as we reaffirm our initiative’s commitment to amplifying women’s voices in our community.”

“HBCUs play an integral role to creating a strong talent pipeline and driving economic competitiveness in our state,” says Mike Johnson, PNC Regional President for Tennessee. “We’re proud to support this important initiative, which also reflects our longstanding advocacy for women financial decision makers and our passion for celebrating student athlete success.”

In 2022, PNC announced its nationwide $88 billion Community Benefits Plan, which is inclusive of a previously announced $1.5 billion commitment to support the economic empowerment of Black Americans and low- and moderate-income communities.

The first “Through Her Eyes” feature will be released later this month during Women’s History Month, focusing on Fisk University Athletics Director and gymnastics coach Corrinne Tarver. She was the first Black gymnast to win an all-around NCAA Championship while a star athlete at the University of Georgia. After her collegiate and Team USA careers, Tarver went on to have a successful in college athletics departments across America.

Tarver now leads Fisk’s new gymnastics program, which made history earlier this year as the first HBCU program to compete at the NCAA level.

The content series will live on the Nashville Sports Council’s website throughout the year.

‘The Sports Credential Podcast’ Is Available Now On Apple, Spotify & YouTube

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We are so excited to announce the launch of The Sports Credential Podcast, where Nashville sports fans can get insight and learn more about the growing Nashville sports industry.

The new show is hosted by The Sports Credential Editor Steven Boero, who will discuss an array of current news stories involving the Titans, Predators, Nashville SC, NASCAR, the Music City Grand Prix, local college athletics and everything in between. He will also take deep dives into some of the hottest topics, including the new Titans stadium deal, the world of NIL, the growth of motorsports in Middle Tennessee and so much more!

Fans can also expect awesome guests as well as special edition episodes in the future.

Episode One is live and available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube! In this week’s show, Boero discusses Vanderbilt men’s basketball and their snub by the NCAA Tournament Committee as well as March Madness and the growth of sports betting on the tournament as a whole. He will even offer his picks for the first round of the NCAA Tournament!

New episodes will drop each Wednesday!

What To Know Ahead Of The 2023 St. Jude Rock ‘N’ Roll Running Series

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2017 St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon/Half Marathon. Photo: Courtesy of St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series.

The 2023 annual St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series is heading back to Nashville next month and there is still time to sign up and get in on the great charity event. The event will take place April 20-23 of this year throughout downtown Nashville.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series is the world’s largest running series, taking part in destination locations around the world every year. Established in 1998, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series simple idea of making running fun has transformed both the U.S. and global running landscape by infusing the course with live bands, cheer teams and entertaining water stations, creating a block-party atmosphere for participants and spectators alike. Focused on running, music and community, race weekend kicks off with a free Health & Fitness Expo showcasing the latest in running gear, sports apparel, health and nutritional information and much more.

“We are excited to be back for our 23rd running of the St Jude Rock’n’roll Running Series Nashville!” says Drew Wolff, Regional Director of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series. “The weekend is full of great music, and you don’t need to be a hardcore runner, we have distances of a mile up to a marathon, kids’ race and a doggie dash.  All the events are a unique and inspiring way to experience Music City Nashville.”

The race is set to start at 8th and Broadway with the finish line at Nissan Stadium. Participants will pass numerous landmarks including Broadway Honky Tonks, Music Row, 12 South and Bicentennial Capitol Mall. The course will lead participants past the Schermerhorn Symphony, Music City Center and the Musica Roundabout before finishing outside of Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans.

Leah Frazier Allen, the first woman to cross the marathon finish line during the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon/Half Marathon in 2019 . Photo: by Al Bello/Getty Images

There will be tons of live entertainment for participants their families as well as those in the community that want to join in on the fun and the charity. There will be live music at the Expo and during the race days there will be more than 25 bands along the course. There will be musical groups at the finish line each day with Runaway June as the Encore Entertainment Headliner.

“Congratulations to St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville for its many years of success in Music City,” says Deana Ivey, President, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “Visitors participating in the race get to see Nashville sights from a unique perspective as they make their way through city streets. We appreciate our many years of partnership with the race and the economic activity the event brings to the city and our local businesses.”

This event brings people from all over the country to Nashville. In 2021, 53 percent of participants were from outside the state of Tennessee. Women overwhelmingly took part in the race making up of 61 percent of participants. Nashville also saw a total economic impact of $45 million in 2021, according to the Rock ‘N’ Roll Running Series.

“I love this half marathon! The course is very challenging. However, what makes the race so special are the participants and the spectators. Everyone is so excited to be a part of this race. From the encouragement of your fellow runners, the bands and music playing while you’re running, and the spectators cheering for you, the city is so inviting and welcoming. On a personal note, this race holds a special place in my heart. I dedicated my first half marathon, the first time that I ran this race in 2003, to the memory of my mother who passed the year before. I will never forget that day – the emotions were overwhelming. I’ve run this race numerous times since then. Crossing the finish line at [the Titans’] stadium is one of the best, loudest finish lines in the country! Can’t wait to do it again!,” says James Crumlin.

Events for the 2023 St. Jude Rock ‘N’ Roll Running Series:

  • 26.2-mile Foot Race and Wheelchair Race
  • 13.1-mile Foot Race and Wheelchair Race
  • 10k Foot Race
  • 5k Foot Race
  • 1 Mile
  • KiDS Rock
  • Doggie Dash
  • Two-day Race Exhibition and Packet Pick Up

Schedule of Events:

The 2023 St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Rock Running Series Nashville Expo will be held at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum located at 417 4th Ave N. in Nashville, Tennessee.

  • Thursday, April 20 & Friday, April 21
    • Race Packet Pick Up, 12 p.m. –  7 p.m., Nashville Municipal Auditorium
    • Media Credential Pick Up, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m., Nashville Municipal Auditorium
    • Media Interviews Open (Please schedule with PR Team)
  • Friday, April 21
    • 6 p.m. – St. Jude Heroes Pasta Party – Open to those running for the benefiting charity.
    • St. Jude Heroes will be recognized for their fundraising achievements and treated to entertainment by singer-songwriters during this private event.
  • Saturday, April 22 – RACE DAY
    • 5k and 10k at 6:30 a.m. – 8th & Demonbreun
    • Marathon and Half Marathon at 7:20 a.m. – 8th & Broadway
  •  SUNDAY, April 23
    • KiDS Rock Race at Nissan Stadium
    • Distances:
    • 12 p.m. Doggie Dash
    • 12:30 p.m. 1 Mile (Adult)
    • 1 p.m. KiDS ROCK
    • DJ Pete Performance

The Sports Credential Essentials—March 2023

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March is here and that means Madness. College basketball tournaments are just days away and the local Nashville schools will be some of the best teams to watch throughout the month of tournaments.

Both the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) tournaments begin on March 1 and 2 with schools like Belmont (MVC) and Tennessee State (OVC) as teams with potential to make some noise on both the men’s and women’s side.

The week after starting March 8, the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament starts at Bridgestone Arena with a lot of questions surrounding the University of Tennessee and Kentucky. Alabama is the favorite but will have to go against teams with plenty of tournament experience. Vanderbilt will be a very fun team to watch as they are wrapping up their best regular season in quite a long time, finishing with nine SEC wins including buzzer beaters against ranked Tennessee and Auburn.

After the conference tournaments, Selection Sunday, ahead of the Men’s and Women’s March Madness, will be in March 12 with the tournaments starting on March 14 and 15 respectively. The entire month will be consumed with college hoops until the Final Four at the beginning of April.

March also means MLS is back in full swing. Nashville SC kicked off the season on Feb. 25, beating New York City FC 2-0. Next, they head to New Jersey to face the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, March 4. They have two home games this month, first against Montreal on March 11 at GEODIS Park and then against rival FC Cincinnati on March 25.

College baseball is back and the Vandy Boys have a handful of games including their face-offs against Belmont baseball and Lipscomb baseball at First Horizon Park on March 14 and March 21 respectively.

Finally, the month of March ends with the start of the Sounds 2023 season. Opening Day vs. the Louisville Bats is on Friday, March 31. The rest of the opening series will continue into the start of April.

For more events and games, head to The Sports Credential calendar.

MARCH 1-4
OVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament
Evansville, Indiana

MARCH 5
NTT IndyCar Series Begins at Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Florida

MARCH 8
Metro Nashville Sports Authority Board Call Special Meeting at Nissan Stadium
Nashville, Tennessee

MARCH 8-12
SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena
Nashville, Tennessee

MARCH 11
Nashville SC vs. CF Montreal at GEODIS Park
Nashville, Tennessee

MARCH 12
NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Selection Sunday

MARCH 14
Vanderbilt Baseball vs. Belmont at First Horizon Park
Nashville, Tennessee

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Begins
Dayton, Ohio

MARCH 15
NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Begins

MARCH 16-18
Vanderbilt Baseball vs. Ole Miss at Hawkins Field
Nashville, Tennessee

MARCH 21
Vanderbilt Baseball vs. Lipscomb at Hawkins Field
Nashville, Tennessee

MARCH 25
Nashville SC vs. FC Cincinnati at GEODIS Park
Nashville, Tennessee

MARCH 31
Nashville Sounds Opening Day vs. the Louisville Bats at First Horizon Park
Nashville, Tennessee

Milwaukee Brewers Announce Nashville Sounds 2023 Coaching Staff

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The Milwaukee Brewers have announced the Nashville Sounds coaching staff for the 2023 season. The staff will be led by Manager Rick Sweet, marking his fourth overall season (third consecutive) as skipper of the Sounds.

Sweet will be accompanied by Hitting Coach Al LeBoeuf, Pitching Coach Jeremy Accardo, Coach Ned Yost IV, Coach Liu Rodriguez, Bullpen Coach Patrick McGuff, Athletic Trainer Jeff Paxson, Assistant Athletic Trainer Jon Harris, Strength & Conditioning Specialist Andrew Emmick and Assistant Strength & Conditioning Specialist Jonathan Christensen.

Sweet, 70, returns to the Sounds after leading the team to 91 wins in 2022, the second-most in team history and the only team in Minor League Baseball to surpass 90 wins. The 2023 season represents his 10th year managing in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. In three seasons managing Nashville (2014, 2021-22), Sweet has compiled a 238-183 record. Following the 2022 season, he was honored with the Mike Coolbaugh Award and International League Manager of the Year.

Sweet has served as Milwaukee’s Triple-A Manager for the previous eight seasons. He has posted a 600-518 (.537) record during that timeframe. In 32 years as a minor league manager, he has a 2,192-2,038 (.518) record. His 2,192 wins are the fifth-most all time in Minor League Baseball history.

A former catcher, Sweet had a nine-year playing career (1975-83), including time in the big leagues with San Diego (1978), New York-NL (1982) and Seattle (1982-83). He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 31st round of the 1974 MLB Amateur Draft but did not sign, and by the San Diego Padres in the 3rd round of the 1975 MLB Amateur Draft. He attended and played college baseball at Gonzaga University from 1973-75.

LeBoeuf, who turns 64 on Saturday, returns to Nashville for the third consecutive season as the team’s hitting coach. He also held the same position with the Sounds for the 2012 campaign. Under LeBoeuf’s guidance, the Sounds set a franchise record with 809 runs scored in 2022.

Accardo, 41, returns to the Sounds as pitching coach after spending the 2022 season in the same capacity. The Sounds compiled a 4.02 ERA in 2022 – the second lowest in Triple-A Baseball. Prior to joining the Milwaukee organization, Accardo served as the assistant pitching coach for the New York Mets during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Yost IV, 40, returns for his third consecutive season as a coach for the Sounds. The 2023 season is his 16th year in the Brewers organization. He played in Milwaukee’s minor league system from 2005-07 and has held various coaching roles since 2008, including short-season Helena (2008-11), Advanced-A Brevard County (2012-16), Triple-A Colorado Springs (2017-18) and Triple-A San Antonio (2019).

Rodriguez, 46, joins the coaching staff after spending the 2022 season with Single-A Wisconsin. Entering his 10th year in the Brewers organization, Rodriguez has had coaching stops with the Arizona League Brewers (2014), Single-A Wisconsin (2015/22), short-season Helena (2016-18) and Low-A Carolina (2019). The Venezuela native managed Arizona League Brewers Gold in 2019 and was named the manager for short-season Rocky Mountain in 2020 before the season was cancelled.

McGuff, 28, joins the staff for the first time. In his second season with the Brewers organization, McGuff was a development coach with Single-A Wisconsin in 2022. He served as an assistant coach with USC Upstate from 2019-22. Paxson, 53, returns to the Sounds as the team’s athletic trainer after spending 2022 in the same role. He was also Nashville’s athletic trainer for five years from 2005-2009. This is his 29th season in the Brewers organization.

Harris, 26, comes to Nashville after serving as an associate athletic trainer with the Dominican Summer League Brewers in 2022. Emmick, 41, also returns to Nashville as the team’s strength and conditioning specialist for the third straight season. Emmick spent five seasons with the Sounds from 2010-14 during the previous Milwaukee affiliation. The Kentucky native enters his 15th year in the Brewers organization. Christensen, 27, joins the Sounds after spending 2022 with the Single-A Greenville in the Red Sox organization.

The Sounds season begins on Friday, March 31 when they kickoff a three-game series against the Louisville Bats at First Horizon Park.

The Sports Credential Essentials—February 2023

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We’re now through January and into February, which means a few things. College basketball regular seasons are coming to an end, things are starting to heat up in the NHL and the start of the MLS season.

Football is coming to a close and it all comes down to the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 12 for Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona.

College hoops in Nashville has been amazing so far this season between both men’s and women’s teams at Belmont, Vanderbilt MBB and the stellar season by No. 21 Lady Raiders from MTSU. There are a string of games Nashville college basketball fans can catch in town or on TV. The Lady Raiders host rival Western Kentucky on Feb. 9 for a highly anticipated conference rivalry matchup. The Vanderbilt men’s team is coming off a brutal loss to No. 4 Alabama but still has a full month to put themselves in a good spot for the SEC Tournament, which will be hosted at Bridgestone Arena in March.

Vandy will host No. 2 Tennessee at Memorial Gym on Feb. 8, which will most likely be a sold-out event. The Commodores will then host No. 25 Auburn on Feb. 18 in what could be a huge game with major tournament implications. The Vanderbilt women’s team will host the Lady Vols of Tennessee visit on Feb. 12.

February also means that the NHL season will start to heat up rapidly as the playoffs are only a month and a half away. The Predators are currently three points out of the second Wild Card spot and will play their next game against the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 7. That will be one of six home games the Preds will play this month. Nashville will also host Boston on Feb. 16 and the Florida Panthers on Feb. 18 as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 28.

MLS is back this month and Nashville SC will open to the 2023 MLS season on Feb. 25 when they host NYC FC at GEODIS Park. This will be the first full season NSC will plat at GEODIS Park after coming off of a historic season with Hany Mukhtar winning both the Golden Boot and league MVP.

For more events and games, head to The Sports Credential calendar.

FEB 4
2023 NHL All-Star Game at FLA Live Arena
Sunrise, Florida

FEB 7
Nashville Predators vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights at Bridgestone Arena
Nashville, Tennessee

FEB 9
No. 21 MTSU Women’s Basketball vs. Western Kentucky at Murphy Arena
Murfreesboro, Tennessee

FEB 8
Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball vs. No. 2 University of Tennessee at Memorial Gym
Nashville, Tennessee

FEB 12
Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium
Glendale, Arizona

Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball vs. Lady Vols at Memorial Gym
Nashville, Tennessee

FEB 16
Metro Sports Authority Board Meeting at Nissan Stadium
Nashville, Tennessee

FEB 17-19
Vanderbilt Baseball opens season opener at College Baseball Showdown Tournament
Arlington, Texas

FEB 18
Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball vs. No. 25 Auburn at Memorial Gym
Nashville, Tennessee

FEB 19
NASCAR season begins at Daytona 500
Daytona, Florida

Belmont Men’s Basketball at Drake
Des Moines, Iowa

FEB 23
Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball vs. No. 3 LSU at Memorial Gym
Nashville, Tennessee

FEB 24-26
Vanderbilt Basketball hosts three game series vs. UCLA at Hawkins Field
Nashville, Tennessee

FEB 25
Nashville SC open 2023 MLS season vs. New York City FC at GEODIS Park
Nashville, Tennessee

FEB 28
Nashville Predators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins at Bridgestone Arena
Nashville, Tennessee