ESPN’s SportsCenter has been a foundation piece for the network since ESPN signed onto the air in 1979; I read somewhere that there have been more than 60,000 “episodes” of SportsCenter in ESPN’s history. About 15 years ago, the network decided to move the operation completely to Los Angeles and to end the idea of an “Eastern” version from Bristol, CT alongside an “Western” version in LA. I remember that my reaction at the time was that SportsCenter was not broken so why fix it. After all, moving lots of people and crating a new set and infrastructure in LA was going to cost ESPN a lot more than “three easy payments of $39.95”.
Now, ESPN has decided to close down the LA operation and move SportsCenter back to Bristol in its entirety. The company cited “current business needs” as the basis for this decision to relocate. Plus ça change …
I don’t care even a little bit where SportsCenter originates; I only care that it does what it set out to do in 1979 which is to provide scores and highlights for various games/matches/tournaments/whatever. I don’t care if the presenters are male or female; I don’t care of the graphics are flashy or plain; if the hosts can add some humor to the telecast naturally and not ham-handedly, that is good but not necessary. The final LA-based SportsCenter will be sometime in mid-May. Please let the show’s producers recognize that the move back to where the program started can also be a message to get the show back to what it was always intended to be.
That is only one bit of programming change slated for ESPN in May 2025. The network announced that Around the Horn will air its final episode on May 23, 2025; the show has been on the air 5 days a week since November 4, 2002, so it has had a good run indeed. ATH was the lead-in program for Pardon the Interruption and at one time it reliably drew audiences of more than 750,000 viewers on a cable network outside of prime time. Those audience numbers have eroded significantly in recent years, and I will use my experience as the basis for an explanation there.
The five participants in the first episode of Around the Horn were:
- Max Kellerman – – Host/Moderator
- Bob Ryan – – Boston Globe
- Jay Mariotti – – Chicago Sun-Times
- Woody Paige – – Denver Post
- TJ Simers – – LA Times
Whether or not you like or agree with any or all those five participants, you must admit that it is an impressive lineup. Around the Horn gave me access to the ideas and opinions of people with gravitas in the sports world; there was a reason to pay attention to what all of them had to say and to decide after listening if you agreed with them or not. Such is no longer the case.
When I tune in now – – and it is far less frequently than I did even 5 years ago – – I often change the channel as soon as I see the panel for the day. There are never “four heavyweights” on a single day; in fact, I consider it worth staying and watching if there are at least “two middleweights” on the show. Far too often, when I see who will be “debating” the sports issues of the day, my reaction is:
- Why should I care what he/she has to say about that?
Rather than using highly regarded columnists as the panel, ESPN used the program to expose some of their ESPN Radio personalities to a wider audience clearly in an attempt to solidify that person’s position in the sports commentary cosmos. That is a logical business decision; it is simultaneously a lousy programming decision.
The producers of Around the Horn fail to see something that is important to me – – and if the numbers could speak, they would likely agree with me. There are a few timely sports issues worthy of “discussion/debate” every day; the key word there is “few”. So, if I turn on my TV at 5:00 PM ET and see a genuinely junior varsity panel about to yap at me, I know that I can just wait 30 minutes and hear Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon discuss many of the same topics. In that situation, there is no doubt about what I am going to do; if the panels on Around the Horn went back to possessing gravitas, I would watch both shows to get solid opinion and analysis but that is no longer reliably available on Around the Horn.
When SportsCenter had its 40th anniversary, ESPN reunited Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann for one presentation of SportsCenter. That tidbit of nostalgia was fun. I wonder if the producers of Around the Horn might think of a reunion show for its finale?
- TJ Simers has passed so the original panel cannot be reunited.
- Jay Mariotti, Woody Paige and Bob Ryan are still around.
- Max Kellerman would be a worthy addition as a panelist even though he was the “moderator/host” for the first episode.
- Tony Reali could sign the program off with the signature paper wad toss at the camera at the end.
- Just a thought…
Finally, since I got several positive comments on Al McGuire’s closing comment yesterday, I will take the suggestion of a reader and close with other “McGuireisms” until the Tournament is over:
“A team should be an extension of a coach’s personality. My teams are arrogant and obnoxious.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………