ESPN Should Extend 'PTI' To An Hour When Replacing 'Around The Horn'
ESPN is finally canceling "Around the Horn." The show will air its final episode in the summer of 2025, as the New York Post first reported.
Though the show originally gave newspaper columnists a much-needed platform on television, "Around the Horn" morphed into everything that ails ESPN today.
The show had become a landing spot for the politically active and rejected-by-fans pundits ESPN was paying but no longer has use for, like Bomani Jones, Pablo Torre, Sarah Spain, and Michael Smith.
"Around the Horn" is responsible for many of the most egregious segments that have aired on ESPN in recent years. Examples include J.A. Adande defending the genocide the Chinese Communist Party committed against Muslim Uyghurs, Sarah Spain referring to Christianity as "bullsh*t," and David Dennis Jr. shaming Caitlin Clark for not standing up for the black players smearing her on social media.
If those examples sound too far-fetched to fathom, you can watch the segments here. ESPN has no comment.
But while "Around the Horn" represented the worst of ESPN, its sister program, "Pardon the Interruption," remains the pinnacle of sports-talk television. While "First Take" and Pat McAfee generate the most headlines on social media, "PTI" remains the most watched program on ESPN – nearly every weekday.
Industry sources tell OutKick that extending "PTI" from 30 minutes to an hour – to air from 5 to 6 pm ET – is one of the options they believe the network will consider when replacing "Around the Horn".
And they should.
Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser, PTI on ESPN.
The Post reports that ESPN and executive producer Eric Rydholm "will discuss new concepts to replace 'Around the Horn' in the time slot." Bad idea.
For years, Rydholm has tried to build complements to "PTI." He can't do it. The woke-ification of "Around the Horn" failed. "High Noon" with Bomani Jones and Pablo Torre was one of ESPN's greatest blunders yet. "Highly Questionable" with Dan Le Batard was also a dud.
Rydholm's eye for talent is poor. He prefers pundits from elite universities with progressive worldviews. However, sports fans find those types smug and uninteresting.
His latest chosen one, David Dennis Jr, might be the worst yet. He is a buffoon who only has a job at ESPN because his father was a noted civil rights activist. See some of his recent comments here.
If given the chance, Rydholm would likely fill the "Around the Horn" vacancy with Dennis and some other wannabe MSNBCer, who looks down upon overtly passionate sports fans.
The secret to Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser's success is that they still love sports. It sounds simple, but it's a rare quality in sports television.
ESPN has tinkered with expanding "PTI " to an hour before, namely ahead of college football national championship broadcasts. And 2025 might be the last opportunity for the network to extend the show on a full-time basis.
Kornheiser is 76 years old. He's going to retire at some point – we'd think. As Brad Pitt-looking as Kornheiser still is, there aren't many 80-year-old men staring at the television.
Tony Kornheiser on PTI.
Wilbon is 66 and could continue the show of 23 years with a new co-host when Kornheiser retires. But there's no guarantee the next era of "PTI "will be as successful. We doubt it will. TV chemistry is rare. Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless worked well together. Stephen A. and Max Kellerman didn't. Nor did Skip and Shannon Sharpe.
ESPN would be wise to squeeze all the juice out of "PTI" while it can.
People in and around ESPN tell OutKick that they think both Wilbon and Kornheiser would likely agree to an hour-long broadcast as they are no longer required to record the show in the studio (Kornheiser has a home studio in DC; Wilbon has one in Arizona).
However, if ESPN can't extend the show for whatever reason, the network should still look outside Rydholm's list of favorites. There are a few options.
Shannon Sharpe, who has a deal with ESPN to appear on "First Tale," has enough drawing power to host his own show. Scott Van Pelt has expressed interest in stepping down as host of the midnight "SportsCenter". ESPN likes Laura Rutledge as the anchor of "NFL Live," but she also has the personality to host her own, more personality-driven show.
Then again, it is ESPN. So, expect "The Mina Kimes Show" to debut at 5 pm this summer.