ESPN’s “Around the Horn” is going on a permanent break. The longtime debate show, which first aired in 2002 and centered around some of the more well-known sports writers in the country, will officially wrap up on Friday, May 23, per ESPN’s Bill Hofheimer.
With unique and eye-catching graphics, strong opinions and a wise-cracking host, the long-running program has been an ESPN staple and a key part of sports fans’ daily routine. It took the more dignified set-up of “The Sports Reporters” and added a tone of irreverence and humor to the mix.
Tony Reali, who burst on the scene as “Stat Boy” on fellow ESPN mainstay “Pardon the Interruption,” hosted ATH for most of its run (Max Kellerman served the role for the first year-plus) and ensured that the analysis would be interspersed with old-school movie and television references. And plenty of shenanigans.
He moderates the half-hour debate format and awards and deducts points based on how cogent he deems the arguments to be. When Reali takes particular umbrage with an opinion, he utilizes the mute button.
The panel varies from day to day but has famously featured Tim Cowlishaw, Woody Paige, Bill Plaschke, Bob Ryan, the retired Jackie MacMullan, Bomani Jones, Israel Gutierrez, Frank Isola, Mina Kimes and Kevin Blackistone, among others. Serious discussions take place when the news cycle dictates it, but silliness frequently ensues.
How will Around the Horn go out?
Panelists dress up for Halloween– Paige’s Taylor Swift costume was absolutely horrifying and likely cost some people a good night of sleep– and they also frequently make bold or outrageous takes while engaging in playful barbs with their colleagues and friends. Reali oversees it all and gives the winner of the four-person sparring match 30 seconds of “FaceTime,” which they can use to highlight any sports topic they wish.
Around the Horn once seemed destined to continue as long as ESPN stays in operation, given the number of reporters and personalities at its disposal, but its dissolution could appropriately reflect the network’s increasingly polarizing nature. It will be interesting to see how ESPN chooses to fill the 5 p.m. ET slot on weekdays moving forward.
But before that decision is made, the higher-ups are properly commemorating the show, which has produced almost 5,000 episodes.
“Around the Horn has had a remarkable run of more than two decades. That kind of longevity in media is incredibly rare, and we look forward to celebrating the show’s many accomplishments before the final sign-off in May,” Executive Vice President, Executive Editor, Sports News and Entertainment David Roberts said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Beyond Tony and the ensemble of on-air contributors, we are particularly grateful to the production team led by Erik Rydholm and Aaron Solomon, who have been instrumental in ATH’s consistent success since the very beginning.”
Nostalgia is sure to hit the public hard in the next couple of months, before Tony Reali crumples up his piece of paper one final time.
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