Tony Reali will host Around the Horn, a one-hour special with a 20-person panel featuring Bomani Jones, Mina Kimes, Woody Paige, Sarah Spain, Pablo Torre, and more.
What's Happening:
- ESPN will celebrate two decades of scoring – and muting – sports debates with a one-hour Around The Horn – 20th Anniversary Special hosted by Tony Reali on Tuesday, December 13 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
- The special will feature a super-sized 20-person panel of guests discussing the history of the show and everything from the scoring system to best/worst takes.
- Past clips, feature elements and behind-the-scenes footage of a day-in-the-life of the show will also be part of the presentation.
- Around the Horn premiered November 4, 2002 on ESPN in its familiar 5 p.m. ET lead-in spot before Pardon the Interruption (which celebrated its own 20th anniversary last fall).
- Originally hosted by Max Kellerman, ATH became a destination for many of the nation’s leading sports columnists to share their thoughts and opinions on daily sports topics, while having their arguments scored.
- Panelists appeared from remote sites in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and New York, giving the show different perspectives from all regions of the country.
- As Around the Horn evolved through the years, so did the group of regular panelists.
- The show has provided opportunities to many talented and diverse new voices who continue to be seen and heard across ESPN platforms and throughout the media industry today. In all, 54 different panelists have appeared on the show throughout its 20 years.
- Over the past two decades, Around the Horn has produced more than 4,500 shows.
- Reali, who took over the scoring controls and mute button from Kellerman in February 2004, has been the face of the program for 18 years, hosting more than 4,200 episodes.
Panelists:
- JA Adande
- Kevin Blackistone
- Tim Cowlishaw
- Courtney Cronin
- David Dennis Jr.
- Elle Duncan
- Israel Gutierrez
- Frank Isola
- Bomani Jones
- Emily Kaplan
- Mina Kimes
- Joon Lee
- Harry Lyles Jr.
- Jackie MacMullan
- Monica McNutt
- Woody Paige
- Bill Plaschke
- Bob Ryan
- Jorge Sedano
- Ramona Shelburne
- Michael Smith
- Sarah Spain
- Justin Tinsley
- Pablo Torre
- Clinton Yates
ESPN Daily podcast to highlight Around the Horn’s 20 years on Tuesday, December 13
- In addition to the one-hour Around the Horn television program, the ESPN Daily podcast will highlight ATH’s anniversary with a special episode on Tuesday, December 13.
- Host Pablo Torre – a veteran panelist himself – will welcome Tony Reali for a conversation where the longtime host will finally explain how the show’s scoring works.
- The ESPN Audio team will also incorporate some of the interviews that ATH‘s producers have collected for the TV special.
What They're Saying:
- “It’s overwhelming to think we have influenced the sports debate landscape now for 20 years. Along with PTI, I’m proud of how we have set the bar for how these shows are done, and we’re still here,” said Aaron Solomon, Around the Horn’s coordinating producer since 2003 and part of the show staff since its inception. “It’s a testament to the people who work here – to the passion they have to come into the office and do this every day, and to that new life and freshness they bring to every show.”
- “I hope viewers can see themselves in Around the Horn – in one of the four panelists or myself,” said Reali. “I think we’re relatable, having that conversation you’re having at home with your friends. I know we’re unpredictable. I don’t even know the banned word list. But most of all I think we feel. So people may forget what we say or what stories we debated over 4,500 episodes, but I think they will always remember how we feel and how we make them feel.”
- Added Erik Rydholm, Around the Horn’s longtime executive producer: “Around The Horn is a daily collaboration of some of the most thoughtful people in sports journalism. I’m so proud of this milestone, and I can’t wait to watch the special to finally learn how the scoring works.”