The Big Lead

ESPN to end 'Around the Horn': Report

By J.P. Hoornstra

Jan. 4, 2011; New Orleans, LA, USA; ESPN logo prior to the 2011 Sugar Bowl between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Louisiana Superdome.
Jan. 4, 2011; New Orleans, LA, USA; ESPN logo prior to the 2011 Sugar Bowl between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Louisiana Superdome. / Andrew Weber-Imagn Images
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The concept behind "Around the Horn" was simple but durable. It proved successful enough for ESPN to "embrace debate" in more formats than it could have imagined when the show first launched in 2002.

For 22 years, talented regional sports columnists like Woody Paige, Bill Plaschke and Tim Cowlishaw became household names, setting the tone for the sort of conversations that were once exclusively the domain of sports-talk radio. None of it would have been possible without "Around the Horn," whose long run will end next year, according to a new report.

Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post cited unnamed sources who confirmed the "Summer of 2025" as the last gasp for the venerable program hosted by Tony Reali. ESPN has not offered official confirmation, but the report cites a source who said the network and executive producer Erik Rydholm’s team will discuss new concepts to replace “Around the Horn” in the same time slot. 

"Around the Horn" has been a part of ESPN's hour-long block with “Pardon the Interruption” from 5-6 p.m. ET daily since Max Kellerman hosted the first show in 2002. Reali took over for Kellerman two years later and has hosted the show ever since.

With "Around the Horn" carrying the mantle, ESPN elevated water cooler sports debate-style shows to an art form — though not without inviting criticism. Writing in 2018, former ESPN public editor Jim Brady said of the format that "these shows, despite the enmity some have for them, aren’t going anywhere. They attract viewers. The simple solution for those who detest ESPN’s talk shows is not to watch them. But clearly millions do, and so the roots these shows have are only growing stronger."

What changed? Besides an overall decline in television ratings, the answer isn't obvious. Regardless, someone in Bristol apparently believes it is time for "Around the Horn" to be uprooted.

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