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ESPN has set the final show date for its long-running Around the Horn debate show.
The weekday staple will air its final episode May 23, the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. Once the show’s run has concluded, ESPN will air a 30-minute SportsCenter in its 5 p.m. ET time slot until a permanent replacement is found for the key window before Pardon the Interruption.
This year marks the sports discussion and debate show’s 23rd year on ESPN. Produced by the legendary Erik Rydholm, ATH has aired more than 4,900 episodes since its debut on Nov. 4, 2002. It introduced generations of TV viewers to top sports journalists around the country; a list that includes but is not limited to JA Adande, Kevin Blackistone, Tim Cowlishaw, Jemele Hill, Frank Isola, Bomani Jones, Mina Kimes, Jackie MacMullan, Woody Paige, Bill Plaschke, Bob Ryan, Ramona Shelburne, Sarah Spain, Pablo Torre, and Clinton Yates,
After initially debuting with Max Kellerman, Tony Reali has hosted ATH since February 2004. My colleague Ryan Glasspiegel broke the news that ESPN planned to cancel ATH back in November.
“Around the Horn has had a remarkable run of more than two decades. That kind of longevity in media is incredibly rare, and we look forward to celebrating the show’s many accomplishments before the final sign-off in May,” said David Roberts, ESPN’s executive vice president, executive editor, sports news and entertainment, in a statement. “Beyond Tony and the ensemble of on-air contributors, we are particularly grateful to the production team led by Erik Rydholm and Aaron Solomon, who have been instrumental in ATH’s consistent success since the very beginning.”
