ESPN's Around the Horn ended today after 22 years on the air.......

[Special K]

I for one am sad to see it end.

 

I think most of what they put out on ESPN is unwatchable, but I have always been a loyal fan of ATH and PTI. The show definitely leaned more towards "Sports-Entertainment than Sports news, but I always enjoyed hearing the opinions of sports journalists around the country on the Sports stories of the day. I might not have agreed with all of their opinions, or liked every one of the panelists they had over the years, but it was always a fun watch, and Tony Reali really seemed to be the perfect host for this show.

 

They actually said that Reali hosted more episodes of his show than Oprah or David Letterman hosted theirs!

 

I wish the best of luck to Tony Reali and all the people involved with Around the Horn in their future endeavors, and thanks for 22 years of entertaining TV.

[PetermansRedemption]

I saw this show on the TV’s at the gym sometimes and my first thought was “I can’t believe this show is still on”. I don’t like any ESPN programming though. 

[Herc11]

Couldn't stand that show and however they decided to award points for whatever dumb reason. Surprised it lasted this long.

[DapperCam]

Enjoyed this show circa 2006-2009 when I had significantly less responsibility. Watched PTI during that era as well. Also enjoyed “Cold Pizza” around that time as well. ESPN used to be pretty good.

[K D]

Don't worry, the columnists have the safety of their day jobs to fall back on. Newspaper reporters are here to stay!

[Mike in Horseheads]

The last few shows with a lot of the contributors were sad. It was like a wake. Good luck to Tony R !

[paulmm3]

Around the Horn was good 15 years ago. Not a fan of the selection of talking heads they had on more recently. 

[Doc Brown]

I always thought PTI carried Around The Horn since its inception even before alternative/social media gave it more competition.  I do give the show credit for trying to combine a debate show and game show into one which was unique.  However, there was too much stimuli at once for my taste with the point system, the time limit, the elimination, and the revolving panelists.  I'm very curious to how they're going to replace that time slot.

[strive_for_five_guy]

Funny, I was thinking this week I can’t believe how long PTI has been on the air.  ATH crossed my mind as well, although didn’t realize it’d been 22 years for that show too.

[Chandler#81]

Way past time to kill this show. Good riddance 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

The host always reminded me of Jerry Seinfeld. Otherwise, I never really watched it. PTI was better. 

[Mister Defense]

I have watched 30 or so episodes and found it okay sometimes, overall. But mainly liked it only when the Bills or something related was a topic.

 

But I did not understand an integral aspect of the show, the points awarded, and did not have any idea who the host was, what his expertise was as far as sports.

 

I  really disliked that they never explained the points thing, what that meant, how/what the criteria were etcetera, in all of the shows I watched.  Not once. Seems like a really bad thing to do, a way to turn off viewers, especially new ones giving the show a shot for the first time. Need to be aware of the audience and attempt to make things clear for them.

 

That really diminished the show for me, not having any real understanding what was actually going on. If you don't have basic clarity, you will not be able to build or maintain your audience--and so are on borrowed time.

 

Now that it is over, can someone explain that if they know?  I assume they had a point system/criteria of some kind and that the host had extensive background in sports, other than as the host of this show-?

 

 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by Mister Defense

[Dr. Who]

9 minutes ago, Mister Defense said:

I have watched 30 or so episodes and found it okay sometimes, overall. But mainly liked it only when the Bills or something related was a topic.

 

But I did not understand an integral aspect of the show, the points awarded, and did not have any idea who the host was, what his expertise was as far as sports.

 

I  really disliked that they never explained the points thing, what that meant, how/what the criteria were etcetera, in all of the shows I watched.  Not once. Seems like a really bad thing to do, a way to turn off viewers, especially new ones giving the show a shot for the first time. Need to be aware of the audience and attempt to make things clear for them.

 

That really diminished the show for me, not having any real understanding what was actually going on. If you don't have basic clarity, you will not be able to build or maintain your audience--and so are on borrowed time.

 

Now that it is over, can someone explain that if they know?  I assume they had a point system/criteria of some kind and that the host had extensive background in sports, other than as the host of this show-?

 

 

 

The points were arbitrary and subjective. It was just an excuse for the sake of conversation on the topic. It was not a real game. I was a casual viewer, but liked some of the panelists, particularly in earlier versions of the show. However, if one was looking for rationale behind the scoring, I can see how that would be frustrating.

[Augie]

ESPN occasionally has a game that I can only watch there. For that reason only I’m glad I have it, though I can watch a few minutes of PTI if they have good topics. I used to listen to Tony Kornheiser on the radio when my job involved a lot of driving around, and I’m a bit nostalgic for those days. 

[BarleyNY]

8 hours ago, PetermansRedemption said:

I saw this show on the TV’s at the gym sometimes and my first thought was “I can’t believe this show is still on”. I don’t like any ESPN programming though. 

 

Coincidentally I was at a place that had it on just yesterday afternoon and much the same thought. 

[May Day 10]

Never liked the show.  Had no idea it still existed

[EasternOHBillsFan]

It was cool in the beginning when they had a finite number of participants and you knew them, but it ended up to be an endless lineup of participants and it completely lost my interest. Seeing the ancient Woody Paige on there is a reminder that the show jumped the shark a long time ago...

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

[davefan66]

Liked it when it first aired. Different, and enjoyed seeing the differing opinions in the format it was shot in.  Then it became a bunch of people barking and I didn’t watch it again. Do like Tony Reali, but unsure what format he could continue in with ESPN.

 

 

3 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

I always thought PTI carried Around The Horn since its inception even before alternative/social media gave it more competition.  I do give the show credit for trying to combine a debate show and game show into one which was unique.  However, there was too much stimuli at once for my taste with the point system, the time limit, the elimination, and the revolving panelists.  I'm very curious to how they're going to replace that time slot.

 

Reports are there was consideration of Shannon Sharpe hosting a show as part of a “Stephen A. Smith project”…whatever that means. If Stephen A is attached, count me out.  Because of Shannon’s current hiatus, not in the plans any longer.

[The Cincinnati Kid]