Twenty years has absolutely flown by. I remember watching the debut episode of Around the Horn in the bedroom of the house I lived in during my senior year of college. On Tuesday night, ESPN acknowledged the show’s history and influence with a primetime special.
As viewers, we all have our opinions. To some, the show is excellent, one of the standard bearers of debate television. To others, it is something they see but never hear as they sit in the airport bar waiting on their flight to board.
Last week, Tony Reali was at the center of a lovefest – an opus by The Athletic’s Stephen J. Nesbitt that just maybe you could finish in the 20 minutes it takes to play the final two minutes of an NCAA Tournament game. Today, I think it is important to put the panelists in the spotlight and let them share their thoughts and insight on the show. Although, to be fair, plenty of them say nice things about Tony.
Most of them have good things to say about the show. Some of them don’t. I’m including it all to paint a full picture of what the show is and what it is capable of.
These are their words, not mine. Enjoy.
J.A. ADANDE
It just hit me that I’ve spent almost twice as many years of my career doing work because of Around the Horn than I spent getting in position to be on Around the Horn. I’d been writing professionally for eight years — including five at the Los Angeles Times — when ATH started in 2002. That was back when you had to be at one of the five partner newspapers (the LA Times, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Dallas Morning News, the Boston Globe and the Denver Post) to be on the show. The show elevated my profile and there’s no question that without it I would not have been hired by ESPN in 2007 and Northwestern University in 2016.
Expanding the roster and constantly bringing in new and diverse talent has kept the show fresh — and added to the list of people who can thank the show for their current jobs. And the maestro, Tony Reali, has been holding it all together for almost the entire time, along with producer Aaron Solomon behind the scenes.
BOMANI JONES
I did my first episode of Around The Horn in October 2010. The year before, I’d been let go from hosting local radio. I’d just started doing “The Morning Jones,” a radio show on Sirius, where we were building our community largely through Twitter. I managed to tweet my way into Tony Reali’s orbit, which led to the most shocking e-mail of my career — one from Aaron Solomon, asking me to appear on Around The Horn. Seeing how I’d been let go from ESPN in 2007, there was no way I thought this would ever happen. In fact, much of my content was created to be an alternative to ESPN because my time there was done. Now, I had the chance to appear on a bedrock of their programming.
That day changed my life and career. It affirmed my confidence in what I had been doing, and encouraged me to double down on my approach, even while surrounded by people representative of the older guard. It made me both visible and credible, as no one could get on that show without being eminently respected in sports journalism. But it was also a lot of fun. It was fun to get to know all those people I’d only read and seen on TV. It was a treat to be on conference calls and realize those Bob Ryan outbursts happen in real life, too. It made me better as a presenter, learning just how much one can say in limited time.
And maybe the biggest thing was, for the first time in my career, I was really part of a team, even if I’ve still never met most of those teammates in person. Being a panelist on Around The Horn remains one of my greatest privileges in this business, and each of those 20 years the staff has earned has been well-deserved.
MINA KIMES
Like a lot of television folks who transitioned from writing to analysis, I got my start on Around the Horn. The show was an opportunity, but also an education–it’s where I learned how to develop and deliver opinions, how to listen to others instead of just waiting for my turn to talk, and how to have fun on camera. I think that sense of fun–and family dynamic–has played a big role in the show’s staying power, but I’d also attribute its success to its willingness to push the envelope on commentary. Don’t be fooled by the consistency of the look and feel of the show; Around the Horn has evolved at a rapid rate over the years, bringing in new voices and tackling topics that you rarely see explored on sports television. That’s a tribute to the creativity and open-mindedness of Tony Reali, but also a number of people behind the scenes, all of whom are the best of the best.
JAY MARIOTTI (From his Substack – used with permission)
No one out there cares about your pedigree or diploma. No one cares if you’re straight or gay. No one cares if you’re male or female. No one cares if you’re young or old. The viewers respond to panelists who alternately make them think, make them mad, make them laugh.
We did that on “Around The Horn” for a long time. That isn’t happening today, and the result is lost relevance.
Praise Reali, a good guy in a tough racket. But also acknowledge Reality.
When 331 million people live in America and fewer than 300,000 are watching the ESPN blowtorch on a given afternoon — and a lot of them are sitting in a bar or dentist’s office with the sound turned down — well, don’t tell me the show is better. The show is just sort of there, bro.
WOODY PAIGE
Being asked to do Around The Horn was a career- and life-changing experience. I actually turned it down twice. Shortly after starting the show I went into Patriots locker room for post-game interviews and the offensive linemen started yelling at me to come talk to them. I was amazed. As a journalist nobody ever wanted to talk to me. I realized this was a new world.
BILL PLASCHKE
For 20 years, Around the Horn has made me laugh and cry and most of all, think. My participation on the show has broadened my horizons by challenging me to think of the sports world in ways that impact all members of society, not only sports fans. It’s a silly game show that is really a sophisticated debate show. It’s a sports show that is really a life show.
BOB RYAN
“Around The Horn” was originally billed as “A show of competitive banter.” That it was in its debut in November of 2002, and so it remains in November of 2022.
I love matching wits with these clever panelists. And I believe anyone watching the show will invariably leave it much better informed than when he or she began viewing that afternoon.
SARAH SPAIN
What does Around The Horn mean to me? Quite simply, it’s my favorite job I’ve ever had. Not just because I love the format — part sports talk, part trash talk — but because the host, staff and panelists are like a giant (occasionally dysfunctional but more often than not loving) family. No matter what mood I’m in when I arrive, I am, without fail, all smiles when I leave. (Even when I lose!)
The show has lasted for decades because the scoring system is a compelling and entertaining mystery, the panelists all offer a different style and brand of takery, it’s a refreshing blend of informed discussion, authentic disagreement and good-hearted digs, and, most importantly, because of the star of the show, Stat Boy-turned Man In Black, Tony Reali. Reali’s sense of humor, heart, care for each panelist and ability to bring out the best in them is like a legendary coach calling up the right plays at the right time. May he lead us in points and mutes for another 20 years.
