The mute button finally went silent. For over two decades, that tiny plastic remote in Tony Reali’s hand was the most powerful weapon in sports television. But when the last episode of Around the Horn aired in 2025, it wasn't just about a winner being crowned or a points tally being wiped clean. It was the closing of a chaotic, brilliant, and often frustrating chapter of ESPN’s afternoon "Happy Hour."
If you grew up watching sports in the early 2000s, this show was your North Star. It was fast. It was loud. It was basically a precursor to Twitter, but with actual accountability.
What Actually Happened During the Final Outing
The atmosphere was different. Usually, the show feels like a high-speed car chase where everyone is trying to talk over each other to snag a fractional point. But the last episode of Around the Horn felt like a high school graduation where everyone actually likes each other. Tony Reali, who started as the "Stat Boy" on Pardon the Interruption before becoming the face of the Horn, steered the ship with a mix of nostalgia and his trademark precision.
The panel wasn't just a random assortment of pundits. ESPN brought back the heavy hitters. We’re talking about the writers who built the show’s DNA—Woody Paige and his whiteboard, Mariotti’s ghost (metaphorically speaking), and the staples like Jackie MacMullan and J.A. Adande.
There wasn't a single "Take" that felt forced.
The scoring? It was secondary. For once, the competitive fire that fueled the show’s 4,000+ episodes took a backseat to genuine reflection. Reali spent the final minutes not just muting people for bad arguments, but thanking the production crew in Bristol and the viewers who stuck around through the transition from standard definition to the streaming age. It was a rare moment of vulnerability for a show that usually prides itself on being a snarky, fast-paced game show.
Why the Format Changed Everything
When Max Kellerman hosted the first iteration back in 2002, nobody thought a show about sportswriters arguing would last. Critics called it "The Gong Show" of sports. They weren't entirely wrong. It was messy.
But it worked because it democratized sports journalism. Before the last episode of Around the Horn, the show had spent 23 years taking writers from local papers—the Denver Post, the Boston Globe, the LA Times—and making them national celebrities. It proved that you didn't need to be an ex-athlete to have a valid opinion on a zone defense or a trade deadline. You just needed to be right. Or, at the very least, you needed to be entertaining.
📖 Related: NFL Football Teams in Order: Why Most Fans Get the Hierarchy Wrong
The Evolution of the Mute Button
The mute button started as a gimmick. It ended as a cultural touchstone.
In the early days, the mutes were aggressive. If you drifted off-topic, clunk. If you made a pun that didn't land, clunk. By the time we reached the last episode of Around the Horn, the button had become a tool for comedic timing. Reali used it like a conductor's baton. It’s a mechanic that has been copied by countless podcasts and YouTube shows, yet none of them ever quite captured the "Reali-factor."
He wasn't just a moderator; he was the judge, jury, and sometimes the executioner of a bad premise.
The Impact on Local Journalism
We have to talk about the "paper" element. Around the Horn was a lifeline for print journalism for a long time.
By featuring columnists from major metropolitan dailies, the show kept those brands relevant in a digital-first world. When Bill Plaschke argued with Kevin Blackistone, you weren't just watching two guys talk; you were seeing the collision of Los Angeles and Dallas perspectives.
The last episode of Around the Horn highlighted this legacy. The show's cancellation (or "sunset," as the suits like to call it) reflects the broader shift in how we get our news. We don't wait for the morning paper anymore. We don't even wait for the 5:00 PM EST cable block. We get our "points" in real-time on social media, often from people who don't have the reporting background that the Horn regulars possessed.
That’s what’s kinda sad about the finale. It’s not just a show ending; it’s a specific type of expertise being phased out of the primary spotlight.
👉 See also: Why Your 1 Arm Pull Up Progression Isn't Working (And How to Fix It)
The "Face Time" Legacy
The final "Face Time"—that 30-second window where the winner gets to speak without interruption—was the gold standard of the show. In the last episode of Around the Horn, this segment wasn't used to talk about the Lakers or the Cowboys. It was used to talk about the community the show built.
Think about the topics covered over two decades:
- The aftermath of 9/11 and the return of sports.
- The rise and fall of the Steroid Era.
- The social justice movements within the NBA and NFL.
- The tragic loss of figures like Kobe Bryant.
The show managed to balance the "game" aspect with the "seriousness" of the moment. It was a tightrope walk. If you were too silly, you lost points. If you were too dry, you got muted. Finding that middle ground was an art form that the regular panelists mastered over thousands of hours.
Misconceptions About the Ending
Some people think the show ended because of low ratings. That’s a bit of an oversimplification. Honestly, the media landscape just moved.
Disney and ESPN are pivoting hard toward direct-to-consumer models and "betting-centric" programming. A show that relies on four people in four different cities talking over a satellite feed is expensive to produce and hard to clip for TikTok. The last episode of Around the Horn was a victim of the "efficiency" era of television.
It’s also worth noting that the "take" culture the show pioneered eventually became its biggest competition. When everyone has a platform to shout their opinions, a structured environment like Around the Horn can feel almost too polite.
Woody Paige’s Final Whiteboard
You can't discuss the last episode of Around the Horn without mentioning Woody Paige. The man is a legend. His whiteboards were the original Easter eggs. Throughout the finale, his board didn't just have a pun; it had a timeline. It was a visual representation of how long he’s been sitting in that Denver studio, grinding out opinions.
✨ Don't miss: El Salvador partido de hoy: Why La Selecta is at a Critical Turning Point
When he finally wiped the board clean for the last time, it felt heavier than any trophy presentation.
What Sports Media Looks Like Now
Without the Horn, the afternoon lineup feels empty. We’re left with a lot of "Embrace Debate" shows where people yell at each other for two hours. Around the Horn was different because it had a clock. It had constraints. It forced you to be concise.
The last episode of Around the Horn served as a reminder that brevity is the soul of wit. If you can't make your point in 15 seconds, is it even a point worth making?
The shift toward longer-form "personality" podcasts means we get more depth, sure, but we lose the variety. On the Horn, you got four different viewpoints on six different topics in half an hour. That’s a pace we likely won't see again on linear television.
How to Revisit the Best Moments
If the finale left a hole in your sports-watching heart, there are ways to dig back into the archives. ESPN+ still carries a significant amount of the later-year "Best Of" segments.
- The 20th Anniversary Special: If you want to see how the show evolved from the grainy 2002 look to the high-tech 2020s, this is essential viewing.
- Tony Reali’s Reflection Pieces: Reali has been vocal on social media about the transition, and his behind-the-scenes stories provide context that the last episode of Around the Horn couldn't fit into a 30-minute window.
- The Writer’s Podcasts: Many of the regulars, like Mina Kimes, Pablo Torre, and Clinton Yates, have moved into the podcasting and "Meadowlark Media" space. Following them is the best way to keep that specific journalistic spirit alive.
The Actionable Takeaway for Sports Fans
The end of the show shouldn't be the end of how you consume sports media. The last episode of Around the Horn taught us that the best fans are the ones who look at the data, listen to the experts, and form an opinion that can withstand a mute button.
Don't just settle for one-dimensional takes. Seek out the writers who were the backbone of the show. Read their columns. Follow their newsletters. The "Horn" might be gone, but the journalists who made it great are still out there doing the work.
Next time you’re arguing with a friend about a trade or a bad coaching call, give yourself a mental "Face Time." Take 30 seconds, make your point clearly, and then let the other person have their turn. It’s the best way to honor a show that turned arguing into an art form.
The points don't matter anymore, but the conversation still does.