FACE TIME: What Around the Horn meant to me

When I was just a little nine-year old kid in 2004 from an even smaller town of Eubank, Ky, I happened to stumble upon Around the Horn one evening after getting home from school. Little did the kid version of me know what a profound impact that show would have on both my life and career.

Around the Horn was the beginning of my sports fandom. What began as just a program that I sometimes flipped the channel in the evenings became a daily view for me. Seeing all these varying personalities, from different corners of the country, debating about sports, younger me was constantly dreaming what it would be like to be on that show.

Getting older, I began to be drawn to sports television and sports in general, knowing that in one shape or fashion that is what I wanted my career to be when I was an adult. Seeing these sports journalists from different places and backgrounds, I had hope that one day I would have a platform as big as ESPN to discuss sports, and not just the games themselves, but the stories behind the games, behind the athletes.

I would begin to record shows and pause it at certain points and debate the panelists myself. As someone who is, to this day, awkward in public situations, this began to help me break out my shell. I dreamt about being on the show one day, about meeting the great Tony Reali. I knew it was a bit of a pipe dream, but that didn't stop me from dreaming.

Fast forward to today, with over 4,000 episodes of the show having aired, some 60 people having the honor of being panelists, a ton of mutes and even more face times, Around the Horn is coming to an end at ESPN. While my dream of being on the show may have never came true, it was pushing for that dream that led me to be in the sports journalism field today. If I had ever appeared on the show, and won a face time, I'd like to think this is how it would have gone.

"I owe my career to this show. Through several tough times in my life, this show has been there, pushing me along. When I wasn't sure I wanted to do with my life, Around the Horn was there. When I dropped out of college and again, didn't know what was next, Around the Horn was there. When the pandemic hit and I wasn't sure I was in love with sports anymore, Around the Horn was there. Around the Horn gave me a sense of confidence that allowed me to go for a job opening, and now as a sports editor at my local newspaper and someone who is also building an independent sports journalism brand, I will never be able to thank Around the Horn and Tony Reali enough. Not only for building my love for sports journalism, but for simply being there. Mr. Reali always said at the end of the Friday edition of Around the Horn, "70 and a half hour break." I always loathed that, because it meant no new Around the Horn until Monday. There's now an indefinite break, but this show will always be around, because it will always be in my heart. Thank you Around the Horn, Tony Reali, and all panelists who were on the show. I am eternally in your debt, as is the entire sports journalism industry."