As Tony Reali prepares to sign off the final edition of Around the Horn airing this Friday on ESPN, he has reflected back on his time hosting the program for the last 21 years while thinking about his future. Reali, who recently appeared on an episode of the Dan Patrick Show, outlined how he learned the news and proceeded to discuss potential solutions with management. One of these recommendations, he divulged, was in eliminating the gameshow element of the program and bringing in switchers and athletes on occasion. Even so, the show is still going to be cancelled, something that he believes is going to create a deficiency amid content offerings on television.
“The show is based and the bones of the show is journalism, and when this one goes away, there ain’t any more because I love Tony [Kornheiser] and Mike [Wilbon], they’re not writing in The Washington Post on deadline tomorrow,” Reali said. “Bill Plaschke is, Tim Cowlishaw is. Right now – Tim Cowlishaw is going to be working hard to be on the finale of Around the Horn, the show he gave his blood, sweat, tears and sobriety to. He went straight to sobriety while during the show, one of the most proud things I can say of our show [is] the growth that we’ve all been able to have through the support of each other.”
Reali explained that he reached out to people with whom he works, including executive producer Erik Rydholm and coordinating producer Aaron Solomon. In addition, he had the chance to convey his thoughts to other people and voiced that he wanted to have more of these conversations. Nonetheless, he discussed that he knows his television abilities span beyond a mute button and scoring system and knows he could host different shows for the network.
“I know 4,953 episodes doesn’t happen by accident, it doesn’t happen even when somebody’s also doing a podcast and a streaming show and covering games on the weekend,” Reali said. “I know what I needed to put to do that, so now I’m trying to imagine, ‘Well, what else could the network want?,’ and I would love to have that conversation still.”
Reali expressed his gratitude for everyone and talked about having an Italian-type of goodbye for the last six months, receiving notes, presents and well wishes from people. Earlier in the interview, Patrick asked Reali if he was staying at ESPN, to which he replied that he has a contract that spans through the end of August. Although the show signs off the air this Friday, he explained that he is “happy to have the next two months to talk to everybody and anybody in the world,” which includes ESPN as well, and that he could do a variation of the show.
“Absolutely,” Reali said. “I think there’s gas in the tank for this. This would have been the pitch if we were still having a conversation about extending.”
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