After many years as a reporter, columnist, and sports talk radio host in the Birmingham area, Finebaum was hired by ESPN in 2013 for its new SEC Network.

Finebaum joined the Mobile Press Register in 2001, where he wrote a twice-weekly (later weekly) column that was syndicated to other newspapers.

[3] In 2011, the poisoning of the trees on Toomer's Corner at Auburn University led a man, Harvey Updyke, to call the Finebaum show about the story.

Finebaum was featured on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and appeared on CNN, ESPN, MSNBC, and several other networks.

"[4] On April 21, Updyke appeared again on the Finebaum show, speaking publicly for the first time since the incident.

The New Yorker reported he "had talks with ESPN and CBS, about joining their national radio networks, and with SiriusXM, about moving permanently to satellite.

"[5] In May 2013, Finebaum signed with ESPN to appear on its new SEC Network beginning in 2014 and also host a daily radio show based out of Charlotte.

[6] As an extension of the radio show, Finebaum has also hosted special broadcasts on SEC Network as part of ESPN Megacasts involving SEC teams—the Finebaum Film Room—particularly during College Football Playoff National Championship games.

[8][9] The book, which was excerpted in the Wall Street Journal on the same day, made The New York Times best-seller list for five months, once landing at No.