Television Information
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Around the Horn
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''Around the Horn'' Logo
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Sports Talk and Debate
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30 minutes
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Dan Farmer ,<br> Aaron Solomon,<br> Bill Wolff
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James Cohen,<br> Erik Rydholm,<br> Mark Shapiro
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Tony Reali , Jay Mariotti , Woody Paige , and other sports writers ( See Below )
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Washington, DC
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ESPN
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November 4 , 2002
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present
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1,026 (as of August 22 , 2007 )ESPN: Around the Horn podcast listing
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http://sportsespngocom/espntv/espnShowshowID=TAAH
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0377139
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16845
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'' (sometimes abbreviated '''''ATH''''') is a daily, half-hour . ''Around the Horn'' premiered on November 4 , 2002 , replacing the interview show '' Unscripted With Chris Connelly ''. Its official title is ''Around the Horn presented by Nissan ''. It is produced by ESPN Original Entertainment . On July 10 , 2007 , the 1000th episode of the show aired, with Jay Mariotti winning the episode.
The ''Around the Horn'' set, in the same Atlantic Video complex as the set for '''', '' The Denver Post '', the '' Chicago Sun Times '', and '' The Dallas Morning News ''. '' The Boston Globe '' was once affiliated with the show, but when its affiliation was pulled, so was its masthead on the map. It was replaced with a simple "Boston". The '' Cold Pizza '' logo was also added near New York's place on the map when Woody Paige was based in New York, and it was subsequently removed when Paige returned to Denver.
Meanwhile, each panelist usually appears either within the offices of their respecitive newspaper, in front of a screen showing the city they're located in, or in another studio.
The current ''Around The Horn'' format consists of the following:
- : The show usually opens with Reali saying "Welcome back to banter", "Welcome back to the show of competitive banter", or "Welcome back to the show that scores the argument." The panelists are introduced and given time for an opening statement. Most of the panelists use this time for jokes or criticism of the host or other panelists, which can lead to points or mutes. Occasionally (usually on Fridays), there are "themed" introductions, including Karaoke , "big words", and movie lines. Reali often awards extra points for quotes from '' Goodfellas '' or '' Napoleon Dynamite '', and often subtracts points when any panelist makes a joke about his Italian heritage or his close relationship with his mother, or when Mariotti brings up "Michael Jeffrey Jordan" or bashes Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman. ( Tim Cowlishaw often makes gratuitous ''Goodfellas'' references in a blatant attempt to get extra points, but Reali rarely obliges him.)
- : Two current sports headlines are discussed. The panelists go into great detail and can also jump back in for rebuttals.
- : A rapid fire segment in which the panelists are asked to buy or sell (be for or against) three different concepts, also drawn from the relevant sports headlines.
- : The contestant with the lowest point total is eliminated. In the case of ties, Reali often breaks them by miscellaneous things, like whose hair is better combed. If the awarding of a point causes a tie for the two lowest panelists, Reali sometimes gives the same panelist a second point to break it.
- : This round is dedicated to talking about one story which is indirectly sports-related. Serious topics, in which no points are awarded, are usually discussed here.
- : The next contestant with the lowest point total is removed, leaving just two.
- : Mentioned above, the two remaining columnists take sides on any sports or cultural stories remaining. There are two or three questions, depending on the amount of time left. Usually, the western most panelist goes first for the first topic, with the other speaking for the second half. The panelists then alternate going first for the remaining topics. Each topic is timed between 20 and 40 seconds each depending on time remaining. Reali usually gives a panelist one point per topic, although he occasionally gives more than one point or deducts points depending on the strength or weakness of the argument.
- : The winner of the showdown and therefore winner of that particular episode gets 15 to 40 seconds (depending on remaining time) to talk about anything he/she wishes to discuss. Most of the time these are sports related, but often their own personal life or an issue in pop culture is discussed.
- : Reali says how long it will be until the next episode, for example, "we're on a 23-and-a-half hour break." On Friday's, he will sign off by saying a 71 and a half hour break. It there is an extended period until the show comes back on, Reali may simply say, "You do the math!"
- : Signature sign-off of the show, with Reali crumpling his notes and seemingly attempting to throw them at the camera (though he rarely comes close). As he does this, the panelists will often continue to chatter in the background as the show ends.
Before the show was retooled in early 2003 , the format was similar, wherein the first two rounds were pretty much the same but with different titles. There was a bigger difference after that. The show ran like so:
- : the two biggest headlines of the day.
- : a quick-moving round with four topics where players had to make their points quickly or risk getting muted by Max Kellerman , the former host.
- : one final topic, with the panelists trying to earn some last-second points, followed by a sports trivia question for each panelist, worth five points
- : the panelists earned facetime equal to their scores converted to seconds, in reverse order of their placing. The winner received a gold medal, second place received silver, third place got bronze, and the fourth place finisher was given a foil ball. More often than not, due to time restrictions, the panelists were given less time than they earned, or at least one panelist would not be given any time at all.
The show is unique as it "scores the argument". The awarding of points is done at the discretion of the host. The rewarding - and deduction - of points has changed throughout the series. Originally, being muted cost a panelist five points. Later, while Kellerman was still hosting the show, the scoring was at its most strict: "good" answers were awarded two points, "great" answers were given three, and a mute subtracted three points from a panelist's score. The host also gives multiple points for "inside information" that he deems correct. Around the time Reali took over the show, the host was allowed to give points at his own discretion (Reali may give a single point for a weak argument, or many points for a particularly strong case backed by statistical information), and the penalty for a mute was reduced to a single point.
Points are also taken away for self-promotion, such as bragging about a good column or a successful upset pick. On such occasions, Reali says, "Self-promotion is the mating call of the mute button!"
Jay Mariotti set the record for points before the showdown with 56 on August 31, 2007, the record previously being 52 by Bill Plaschke .
Reali also makes bets occasionally with the panelists on sporting events, with the panelist gaining or losing a large amount of points based on the outcome.
There have been some topics, most during the Out of Bounds segment, which have not been scored due to their sensitive nature. Such examples include Bob Ryan 's suspension for his comments towards Jason Kidd 's wife, the Duke Lacrosse Case , White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen making a homosexual slur towards Jay Mariotti, Ben Roethlisberger 's motorcycle accident, Michael Vick 's alleged dog killings, and discussions of deaths.
During the show's long run, it has developed certain comedic Long-running Gags , much like its sister show '' Pardon The Interruption '', that longtime viewers will recognize and casual viewers may be unable to easily comprehend. The gags revolve around the personalities of Reali and the columnists, along with their interactions.
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