If anything’s to blame for Around the Horn ending in 2025, it’s probably not what Jay Mariotti claims.
Mariotti, who left the show long ago for many reasons, insists “woke” culture killed the 23-year run. He isn’t the only one. And with ESPN pulling the plug on the sports media institution, which will officially air its final episode this Friday, May 23, everyone has theories about why the show is no more after an unparalleled run.
Was it ratings? The “woke mind virus”? That’s become a right-wing talking point, especially after Kate Fagan dared to use her final appearance on ATH to talk about trans kids deserving to play sports. But the answer is probably more straightforward.
ESPN executive David Roberts told New York Magazine’s The Intelligencer that it wasn’t ratings or wokeness that ended the show. The network just had to evolve, which meant leaving ATH behind.
Longtime host Tony Reali will be damned if you think the show’s being canceled because of “woke.”
“The ‘woke’ has, it’s a fine headline to write,” Reali told Dan Patrick on The Dan Patrick Show. “I don’t believe what that is. I honestly think we did 50,000 topics over 23 years. You’re going to tell me 10 or 15 drew an eyebrow up? I’ll be like, ‘Yeah, we were doing some complex topics from time to time.’ I don’t mute people in Face Time, so maybe there’s two or three there that didn’t have the back-and-forth that you’d want. Maybe there’s one or two I’d take back if you ask me; those aren’t my regrets. Not at all.
“So the reality of the show being the most eclectic — and it’s not a negative word for me — diverse show in the history of the television medium. We’ve got people 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, all on a level playing field. We have men, we have women, all on a level playing field… That’s never going to be a negative to me, even though times have changed and things are viewed differently now.”
At the end of the day, this feels more like a natural expiration than some “woke” conspiracy. Around the Horn had a great run, over two decades, which is a lifetime in sports media. Audiences change, platforms evolve, and even ESPN needs to pivot to stay relevant. Sure, some moments sparked controversy, but that’s true of any long-running show willing to tackle complex issues.
The “woke” explanation is an easy scapegoat for those looking to pin the blame on culture wars. But this isn’t a story about cancel culture or political correctness; it’s about a network making a business decision and a show running its course.
And Reali’s interview with Patrick should underscore that the people behind the scenes are still valued, even if the format isn’t.
“I know the people who were part of the show are getting other jobs at our network,” Reali continues. “Front-facing jobs, wonderful jobs, that are at our highest properties.”
If anything, the end of Around the Horn signals a shift in how we consume sports talk, which is now a little more digital, more integrated, and maybe a little less traditional. The question now is what replaces it, and if it can capture the same spark for a new generation of sports fans.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.