When I was a sophomore at Emerson College, I took John Rooke’s sports reporting class. I remember one of the first discussions in class was about whose career you wanted to emulate. I responded with J.A. Adande; not only was he talented, he was someone who was strong both as a writer and on television.
Of course, the reason I even knew who Adande was came from watching ESPN’s Around the Horn, which just aired its last episode last Friday.
If you haven’t watched it during its 23-year run, Around the Horn was a sports debate show where a panel of four sports reporters from various cities around the country would provide commentary on the sports news of the day. The argument was scored — points awarded for good answers, points taken away for responses that they weren’t able to support, and reporters muted when they were too outlandish — and the winner provided the final words of the episode, getting some “face time” at the end to pontificate about whatever topic they desired.
For me, the five to seven block of ESPN — starting with Around the Horn followed by Pardon the Interruption and ending with SportsCenter — was appointment television.
I loved the sports debates. I loved the fast-pace of the show. I loved how they covered a variety of topics, and they didn’t linger on a single subject for too long. What made the biggest impression on me, an aspiring sports journalist, was being introduced to so many all-stars and legends of the craft.
I already knew Bob Ryan thanks to my Boston-sports loving dad, but Around the Horn introduced me to so many talented people over the years: Adande, Woody Paige, Tim Cowlishaw, Jackie MacMullen, Michael Smith, Bomani Jones, Kevin Blackistone, Ramona Shelbourne, Michael Holley, Michael Smith, Gene Wojciechowski, Mina Kimes, and Pablo Torre were just some of sports them.
We also got to know and love Tony Reali. We first saw him as “Stat Boy” on PTI, and he wasn’t ATH’s original host, he took over in 2004 and was a delight. He brought energy and positivity, but it was always authentic and never seemed forced or manufactured.
Media journalist James Andrew Miller was a recent guest on the podcast Sports Media with Richard Deitsch, and he provided a great reason why Reali was beloved as a host.
“He always made it about the panelists and the audience,” he said.
While it was never about him, it doesn’t mean he didn’t provide moments for us all to think and learn from. He’s been open about the struggles he’s had to overcome, including a fire that destroyed his home, anxiety, and the loss of one of his twin sons before childbirth. His vulnerability connected us, and gave those with similar feelings and experiences a chance to feel heard and that they weren’t alone.
Even in the face of losing the job he’s held since 2004, he took time to share his process. On a recent episode of the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, he shared that he learned of the show’s cancelling the week he was supposed to both be a guest at his son’s school for career day as well as host a dinner function for the network. He couldn’t spend time throwing a pity party.
“This is life, and you’ve got to still do the job. You’ve got to perform,” he said.
Which leads us to the last episode of the show, where he provided the viewers one last pearl of wisdom about sports, connection, and the human experience, which is worth watching in its entirety below.
It’s disappointing to see a show like this, with so many good and talented people in front of and behind the camera, end its run, but on the other hand, not many shows get the run ATH did, and I’m glad they all got to say their goodbyes.
My one interaction with J.A. Adande
In April of 2012, I replied to a post Adande made on Twitter. I don’t remember the exact message, but it was something about comparing Roy Hibbert and Andrew Bynum, favoring Bynum. I replied something along the lines of how I would take Hibbert over Bynum; I didn’t like the Lakers center’s injury history, nor did I like the flagrant foul against JJ Barea in the 2011 NBA Playoffs.
To my surprise, Adande sent me a direct message. He wrote, “You’d make a bad gm.”
It was not a ringing endorsement of my knowledge, but he thought enough of the message to reply. He probably isn’t wrong, either. I like to think I know what I’m talking about, but I can see me fumbling the job, too.
On the other hand, he wasn’t really right, either.
Over the next two seasons, Hibbert played in his second All-Star game, made All-Defensive Team Second Team, and earned votes for Defensive Player of the Year. Then, he went through a sharp decline where, in the 2015-2016 season, he averaged only 5.9 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game despite playing 81 games and averaging 23.2 minutes per game. The 2016-2017 season was his last.
Bynum missed the entire 2012-2013 season because of another knee injury. He played in 26 games the following year for both Cleveland and Indiana; it turned out to be his final NBA season.
Mr. Adande, I love and respect your work, but I think this is something the kids would say “didn’t age well.”
Recent Work:
“Twins Go Head-to-Head in NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Final Four” (USA Lacrosse Magazine)
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