One of the biggest sports podcasts in the country is taking its show directly to HBCU campuses this fall.
Nightcap, featuring Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Joe Johnson, has announced an HBCU tour beginning with a live show at Prairie View A&M University on Sept. 4.
The first stop will originate from Prairie View A&M’s William “Billy” J. Nicks Building, commonly known as the Baby Dome.
“OH YEAH! Nightcap is hitting the road and going on an HBCU Tour!” the show announced on social media. “We’re pulling up to Prairie View A&M first LIVE from the Baby Dome on September 4th. It’s about to go down!”
Additional stops on the HBCU tour have not yet been announced.
Nightcap brings massive audience to HBCU campus
The significance of the tour goes beyond another live podcast appearance.
Since launching its YouTube channel in October 2023, Nightcap has developed one of sports media’s largest digital audiences. The channel has grown to more than 2 million subscribers and surpassed 1 billion total views, with thousands of videos published across its various shows and segments.
That gives Prairie View A&M — and potentially other HBCUs included on the tour — exposure to an audience considerably larger than what typically follows an individual HBCU athletic event.
Reaction to the announcement quickly turned toward where Nightcap might go next. Fans on social media called for stops at Southern University and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, among other HBCUs.
Shannon Sharpe’s HBCU roots run deep
For Sharpe, taking Nightcap to HBCU campuses also brings his current media success back to where his own story began.
Sharpe starred at Savannah State University from 1986 through 1989, earning three consecutive first-team All-SIAC selections and helping the Tigers to an 8-1 record during his senior season. His No. 2 jersey was eventually retired by Savannah State.
The Denver Broncos selected Sharpe in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL Draft. He went on to become an eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl champion before becoming the first Savannah State football player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Sharpe was also inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
Those roots give the Nightcap tour an authentic connection to Black college athletics rather than simply using HBCU campuses as another backdrop for a live show.
Nightcap’s new ‘Big 3’ hits the road
The HBCU tour also comes during a new chapter for Nightcap itself.
Former NBA All-Star Joe Johnson became a permanent part of the show’s lineup this summer after making frequent appearances alongside Sharpe and Chad Johnson. The trio now gives Nightcap a three-man format as the show expands its footprint beyond its regular studio setting.
Prairie View A&M will get the first opportunity to host the group on Sept. 4.
And judging from the immediate reaction to the announcement, HBCU fans already have suggestions about where the tour should head next.
The remaining stops have yet to be revealed, making the next question a simple one:
Which HBCU will Unc and company pull up to next?