Alabama, Show Pony Media, and the Reinvention I Never Saw Coming
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to join Paul Finebaum to discuss my recent article on ShowPonyMedia.com warning college sports not to become NASCAR Cup Series.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to join Paul Finebaum to discuss my recent article on ShowPonyMedia.com warning college sports not to become NASCAR Cup Series.
The most remarkable part of the story is how it happened.
A producer from The Paul Finebaum Show read the article right on Substack, liked it, and reached out to me directly through the platform.
Think about that for a moment.
After 20 years on SiriusXM, I’m building an entirely new identity as a writer and digital creator. Show Pony Media is opening doors I never expected. It is introducing my work to audiences far beyond satellite radio and proving that reinvention is possible, even after two decades in the same industry.
And none of this would have happened without The University of Alabama.
Thank you, Alabama.
Your affordable and world-class master’s program gave me the opportunity to modernize my skills and better understand the digital landscape. More importantly, it planted seeds I never knew existed.
You made me feel like family.
You even invited me to serve on the College of Communication and Information Sciences Board of Visitors. That honor means more to me than I can adequately express.
Which raises a question I’ve asked myself for years:
What is it about me and Alabama?
I moved south to attend Middle Tennessee State University in the fall of 2000, and ever since then Alabama has pulled me like a magnet.
I have never lived there, yet it has always felt like home.
My connection began during college when my fraternity brother Charlie convinced several of us at a Sigma Chi party to drive from Murfreesboro to Tuscaloosa for an 11 a.m. kickoff.
It was 10 p.m. when he suggested it.
We drove through the night, slept a few hours at the Alabama Sigma Chi house, grabbed breakfast, and then I walked into Bryant-Denny Stadium for the first time.
I was hooked.
Since then, Alabama has continued to draw me back.
Over the years, I’ve been invited to speak at touchdown clubs across the state: a University of Florida alumni event in Huntsville, regular appearances with the Gulf Shores Athletic Club, and gatherings hosted by Red Elephant Clubs in Mobile and Tuscaloosa.
For whatever reason, the people of Alabama have embraced me.
And the feeling is mutual.
No place captures that bond better than The Bright Star.
The Bright Star is more than a restaurant. It is my happy place.
Yes, the Greek-style sirloin is extraordinary. But what keeps me returning is the history.
Founded nearly 120 years ago by Greek immigrants to Bessemer, the restaurant is a living museum to the American dream.
It represents immigration, entrepreneurship, family, hospitality, and Alabama Crimson Tide football lore.
My favorite table is the legendary Bear Bryant booth.
Owner Andreas Anastassakis tells the wonderful story that after victories, Coach Bryant would enter through the front door and be greeted like royalty. After losses, the booth sat far enough in the back that he could quietly slip through the kitchen.
Another favorite story involves Andreas’s relative Jimmy, who once received a call from a man requesting a private booth and a television.
Jimmy thought the request was unusual.
The caller was Bear Bryant.
Jimmy promptly borrowed a television from his mother’s home and brought it to the restaurant.
That’s Alabama.
When Greg Byrne was hired as Alabama’s athletic director, one of his first stops was The Bright Star before he even reached campus.
That also feels very Alabama.
The people of Alabama have always made me feel welcomed and valued in a place where I technically don’t belong.
And yesterday, after my Finebaum appearance, one of the legendary Finebaum callers — Legend — followed me on X.
If you know Finebaum, you know that is a badge of honor.
What strikes me most about this journey is how much the media landscape has changed.
I may have spent 20 years on SiriusXM, but if someone isn’t a subscriber, there is a good chance they have never heard my work.
Digital media changes that.
With a podcast, a YouTube show, and a Substack, I can reach audiences I never imagined.
Recent analytics show readers from Japan and Sweden discovering my work.
As someone who has always considered himself a worldly man, that is incredibly exciting.
Who would have thought?
At this stage of my career, I feel like a beginner again.
And I mean that in the best possible way.
Thank you to Alabama.
Thank you to everyone who has subscribed to Show Pony Media.
And thank you for proving that it is never too late to reinvent yourself.
I do love all the good stuff about Alabama the state, specifically my hometown of Birmingham. I used to eat at the Bright Star once a week. I used to live in 5 Points South across the street from Highland Bar and grill. I bought my high school graduation ring from Bromberg’s. It does always feel like home…even 3000 miles away. I’m am glad you too discovered to good in that state because with its violent past , a lot of people never see it. They never see how over the years ALabama has struggled to reinvent itself much like you did, Chris, with the reinvention of your media career. I wish great success for both of you.
Love you on the radio and am enjoying your posts......