Social media in meltdown as legendary ESPN show 'Around the Horn' ends after 23 years
By JAKE FENNER
It's a show that's been around longer than Oprah, David Letterman's run on The Late Show, and Sesame Street. Now, after 4,953 episodes, 'Around the Horn' signed off the airwaves of ESPN for the last time.
It's a decision that's indicative of its time - even though it helped to spark the very movement that may have led to its axing.
Around the Horn allowed sports journalists around the country to use their knowledge in a head-to-head debate format - which grew the profile of the very journalists on said show.
Nowadays, sports journalists are just as much 'personalities' as they are people who research and write stories. In an era where sports networks, newspapers, and online publications are driven more by revenue than anything else, a show which runs for 23 years is unheard of.
And so, the 'mute button' came for Around the Horn, which signed off for an 'infinity-and-a-half-hour break' on Friday. In its final episode, host Tony Reali invoked his favorite movie 'Goodfellas' with a montage thanking the crew behind the scenes to open the show.
The final 'panel' on the show was the most decorated roster in the broadcast's history: Woody Paige, formerly of the Denver Post, Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times, Kevin Blackistone of the Washington Post, Frank Isola of ESPN, Bob Ryan and Jackie MacMullin of the Boston Globe, and J.A. Adandae - the Director of Sports Journalism at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
After 23 years on the air, Around the Horn has signed off for the final time from ESPN as longtime host Tony Reali ended the show which produced 4,953 episodes
The final episode featured two panels: the first featured Bill Plaschke, Woody Paige, JA Adande, and Bob Ryan
The final panel included Tim Cowlishaw, Kevin Blackistone, Frank Isola, and Jackie MacMullan
Reali signed off by placing the show's infamous 'mute button' on the floor of the network's studio's in New York as they faded to black.
Plaudits for the show came in quick and heavy throughout its final half hour - with many mourning the program which inspired so many to become sports journalists (including this writer, who is convinced he would have killed it on ATH).
Paige, the show's winningest panelist with an official 700 victories, became known for his chalkboard which displayed humorous messages. This time, he simply posted, 'See you around...' on X, formerly Twitter.
Ryan, who won 224 times on the show, posted, 'The final Around The Horn today after 22 1/2 years. I want to salute first Max Kellerman and especially Tony Reali for their fantastic work handling the hardest hosting job in all of television. It’s been my honor and privilege to be there since Day 1.'
Clinton Yates, who won 135 episodes, said, 'goddamit I didnt want to cry AGAIN this week, @AroundtheHorn. What a show. What a run. What a joy.'
Mina Kimes, who won 89 editions of the show, paid tribute saying, 'God that @AroundtheHorn panel. Tim, KB, Frank...some of the coolest humans I've ever met. And Jackie...went from being a personal hero (I was so intimidated by her!) to a pal; sent me one of the first gifts I received my son was born. She means so much to women in our industry.'
Kevin Clark, who leaves the show with the highest win percentage at 29 wins in 92 appearances, posted, 'Around The Horn changed my life and I know that’s true of every panelist. They let me be myself on TV (for better or worse) and that’s what everyone in this business dreams of. Tony is a genuinely amazing person as are [producer Aaron Solomon], [Josh Bard] and the whole crew. Damn I’ll miss it.'
Multiple former panelists on the show paid tribute after it went off the air the final time
Countless other sports writers, creatives, and fans posted their tributes as well.
Kris Pursiainen of Clutch Points posted, 'Goodbye, Around the Horn. You were everything right with sports talk. And that’s why you’re leaving us. The indomitable @TonyReali is a force. And he was kind enough to give a few Rams a peek behind the curtain in May ‘23. Don’t take any sports coverage you love for granted.'
'Sad to see Around The Horn end,' wrote soccer podcaster Ben Cork. 'Sad that even the most lowbrow sports media of my childhood is too dense and inaccessible for the current mode of regurgitating roster scoops and parroting league/team/agent PR.'
'Around the Horn has been on the air since I was 2 and I started watching it religiously as soon as I was old enough to care about sports,' posted Emily Adams of the Hartford Courant. 'Truly believe this show planted the seed that made me want to be a journalist. A huge and heartbreaking loss for sports media & fans.'
Sports content creator Kofie Yeboah remembered the show as 'the perfect place for ESPN to introduce new TV talent' while US Weekly's Russ Steinberg posted, 'I'm not ready for this' before the final episode began.
One fan of the show wrote, 'the youth coming home from school and watching twitch streamers instead of kornheiser/wilbon on pti or the guys on around the horn is a big problem with modern society.'
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