Can Fox Sports withstand the chorus of criticism for Clay Travis and Outkick the Coverage?

It’s worth keeping in mind that Fox is not ESPN, NBC, or CBS. The network has a long history of going way outside the box and challenging the accepted standards and conventions, from its origins to the launch of Fox News to the launch of Fox Sports 1 itself (The 1 For Fun!). In some ways, that’s been very positive; for example, Nolan’s able to be much more critical of establishment figures than she likely would be at ESPN and even funny intracompany things like the Mike Francesca-Jay Onrait back-and-forth have been laughed off and not taken too seriously so far. This also means that Fox is willing to be more risqué than many of their competitors. For example, the adult-oriented content on the hilarious Jay and Dan Podcast is part of what makes it so funny, and it’s appropriately disclaimered at the start.

Travis’ particular brand is more troubling to many who have no issue with adult content, though, especially when it comes to his published views on some issues around women and sports (which many critics in this latest firestorm are citing). His content also certainly has the potential to impact how Fox is seen overall. Pieces like “How to Land a Husband at The Masters” or “The Ten Dumbest Fanbases in America” or “SEC Dominates Sluttiest State Rankings” do have an effect on how both readers and media members view Fox. And while OKTC may be a separate brand that’s licensing its content to Fox, that’s not a distinction that’s going to matter to most readers. Fox allowing OKTC content of this sort to appear on its site sends a message that they at least endorse spreading these views, even if they “don’t necessarily reflect the views of Fox Sports.”

It’s difficult to praise Fox for being one of the most progressive sports networks by giving Nolan a prominent commentary platform and free reign to go after tough targets when they’re also hosting Travis’ site and its articles about how women should go to Augusta to find husbands.

There are several different, but related factors that may play into Travis’ future with Fox. First, there’s the question of just what he wants. Keep in mind that he left the Nashville radio show he worked on last summer when they offered him a $5,000 raise that wasn’t “remotely competitive.” That suggests he may want a significant bump in pay, status or both to continue with Fox.

Travis may be interested in his own television show, too, but whether that idea has actual TV value is also inconclusive right now. Fox’s college football shows have struggled in the ratings as the network fails to gain traction with its studio shows overall. Interestingly enough, the success or failure of Travis critic Nolan’s show may play a role there. Although their voices and audience are very different, Garbage Time is currently the closest in-house thing to “give an internet personality a TV platform.” If it fails to produce viewership numbers, that may turn Fox away from giving a show to Travis.

Beyond that, there’s the question of Travis’ willingness to go back to independence or to go somewhere else, whether that’s just for his website or in total. He may be more willing to do that than, say, fellow expiring contract-holder Bill Simmons, as he’s already run an independent website and taken on publishing and ad-sales responsibilities, but there could be a more limited market for Travis than Simmons. While there could be demand for him as a TV or radio personality, other mainstream networks might be deterred from making an offer for his web content at this point given the perception of OKTC. He’s even had clashes at edgy sites like Deadspin in the past (he told Rau “A.J (Daulerio) and I didn’t get along so I left to write “On Rocky Top” in 09″). Travis is undeniably popular, and there’s an audience for him, but his OKTC content in particular carries some challenges.

The third factor, and potentially the most important, may be if Fox has any concerns about what Travis’ content does for their reputation and future plans. If they don’t, and if they endorse him continuing to do what he’s doing, then it just comes down to finances. If they do, though, and if they want more editorial control over him, that may be a sticking point. As for his own future, Travis told Awful Announcing, “I genuinely like everyone that I work with at Fox on the digital and TV side. We’ve got a great group of people in charge and I’m confident moving forward.”

Employing Travis and licensing OKTC certainly has benefits for Fox, given his audience. However, the current situation of often-problematic OKTC content running on FoxSports.com with little to no checks or balances from the network carries perils, especially from a perception standpoint. We’ll see if Fox Sports decides that the advantages of the current setup with Travis and OKTC outweigh the disadvantages come June, or if they elect to go in a new direction.

UPDATE: Nolan shared some more thoughts on Travis, her critique, and the article in question that are worth sharing in full.