Sellout Crowd, the Oklahoma sports network headlined by big local names like Berry Tramel and Jenni Carlson that counted the late country icon Toby Keith as an investor, shut down this week after less than a year.
Staffers from the short-lived, hyperlocal publication quickly took to X to share stories of chaos, financial instability, and lies.
Todd Lisenbee, a prominent local radio voice, wrote that founder Mike Koehler obfuscated the payment structure and investment model behind the publication since its launch last September. Lisenbee was originally offered a three-year advance to convince him to depart 107.7 The Franchise in Oklahoma City, but ultimately received only nine months’ pay guaranteed.
Staffers’ roles and responsibilities were jerked around, and a high premium was placed upon starry guests rather than the successful personalities Koehler hired to launch Sellout Crowd in the first place. Koehler left the company in January.
– I was contacted in March of 2023 about Sellout Crowd by Mike Koehler.
– In June 2023 it was dead. Couldn't find any funding.
– In July an "angel investor, Toby Keith, bought into the vision and was giving Sellout three years of funding." It was a go for September 1.
– I was…
— Todd Lisenbee (@ToddOnSports) May 15, 2024
Sellout Crowd laid off “a good portion” of its staff in early March, according to The Lost Ogle.
Lisenbee was among the layoffs in March and wrote that co-founder Kris Murray, who replaced Koehler as lead executive in January, “went dark” shortly after.
When Koehler, a digital marketing veteran, announced Sellout Crowd last spring, he wrote on the site’s About page that Sellout Crowd would exist “at the intersection of legacy media and influencer marketing. If a fashion creator can make five figures for a TikTok post, why can’t a sports media fanatic with an audience and expertise do the same thing?”
Koehler launched Sellout Crowd as a free, ad-supported website and digital content network built around Tramel and Carlson in particular.
“We had a blast, but a faulty financial structure from the start meant we had no chance at success,” Tramel wrote this week on X.
Sorry to say, Sellout Crowd is finished. We had a blast, but a faulty financial structure from the start meant we had no chance at success. Jenni Carlson, Mike Sherman, Michael Lane, Jacquelyn Musgrove, Jay Spear, Bobby Howard and Kris Murray gave it their best shot.
— Berry Tramel (@BerryTramel) May 15, 2024
Carlson wrote a note thanking Sellout Crowd’s readers, viewers and sponsors.
This has left me feeling lots of things, but as much as anything, I’m feeling grateful.
I’m grateful to anyone who read or listened, subscribed or responded to something on Sellout Crowd. If you did that over the past few months at Sellout Crowd, I appreciate you so much. (1/?) https://t.co/h5Ov3vmTaU
— Jenni Carlson (@JenniCarlson_OK) May 15, 2024
Sellout Crowd’s Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer Jon Hamm had even sharper criticism of Koehler, Murray and the failures behind the outlet.
“Damn good people had their lives seriously derailed by this act of foolishness,” Hamm wrote on X. “Many of us will tell our side of the story not because we seek sympathy (though we will probably accept it if offered) but because we will see it as a duty to explain the con. Stay tuned.”
Today’s news of Sellout Crowd’s closure brings me no joy. Quite the opposite. I’m still pretty irate that so many good people were treated so poorly. Contractors & employees. All misled by the guy who touted himself as the founder/savior of local sports journalism. It’s shameful.
— Jon Hamm (@JonMHamm) May 15, 2024
The Lost Ogle reported last August that country music icon Toby Keith was one of the outlet’s financial backers. Keith passed away in February from stomach cancer.
Beyond Keith, few details emerged about Sellout Crowd’s funding.
One could assume Koehler and the publication’s other founders truly believed influencer-style revenue generation could sustain a full-fledged sports media network. Even on the local level, that money doesn’t just materialize, no matter how good the content is. Influencers hustle constantly to put out content and partner with brands.
While certain hyperlocal sports outlets have succeeded in recent years, they mostly start small and build over time. At DK Sports Pittsburgh, DNVR or the Boston Sports Journal, gradual growth across multiple platforms allowed for broader investment over time. Independent NFL journalists like Paul Kuharsky and Nick Underhill started solo and built from there.
Sellout Crowd was met with excitement as a potential addition to this assortment of local sports outlets with promise, but fell victim to the same shortcomings and failures as so many big-new-things in media the past several decades.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.