ESPN explains Around the Horn scoring system to conclude final episode

One of the most popular shows on sports television aired its final episode on Friday afternoon. Around the Horn is no more.

The show produced more than 4,900 episodes during the course of its 23-year run, much of it hosted by Tony Reali. So on the final episode of the show, Reali revealed some of the show’s secrets, including the method behind the madness that was the show’s scoring.

“The thesis was it wasn’t possible to score a sports debate,” Tony Reali said. “There was a nugget of truth in there. From the brilliance of the ridiculous via inside information, and then actual reporting. The scoring was like hugging smoke. But that’s when I then decided not every topic needs to be scored the same. Are you following me? No you’re not, but work harder because life begets life. And life finds a way, and so did the scoring system, Clever Girl.”

The basic format of the show was simple enough. Reali would have on multiple sportswriters to discuss the various hot topics of the day.

During the course of that discussion, he could mute individual reporters if the didn’t like what they were saying or the point they were trying to make. He could award points for cogent arguments, excellent statistical backing or appeals to the emotional centers.

Really, Reali could do what he wanted. But it worked.

“A code soon followed. You’re not just supposed to have an opinion, you’re supposed to prove why your opinion is best at this time,” Tony Reali said. “But through it all you needed to avoid the mutes. I wanted to host the most real show I could, so I engineered the scoring system to be real and like life.

“And this is what I want to tell you here today. The system totally, purposefully unpredictable, is just like life. Intentionally changing, just like life. Some days stats got ya big points. Other days the exact opposite. I wanted receipts, proof, timeline, everything. Also access, journalists who were there, I would award points for that.”

Reali, doing a pretty good job of avoiding getting emotional given the circumstances, pressed forward with his explanation. And with it, the show begins to come into full focus.

“What I’m saying is I threw a little of everything into our scoring sauce: the blood, the sweat, the heart. Heart made it go,” Tony Reali said. “Because life scores us all differently every day with a rulebook that changes every day, and you have to roll with it, right? Through good and bad, that’s how I feel. So that’s how I scored Around the Horn.

“That’s the secret right there. Because what works one day might not work the next. But you’ll work through it. And you’ll work through it with the good people around you, because we’ll get through this together. It was a very good system and it worked for a very long time. And now it’s all over.”

What became clear as Reali continued to explain things was that the show might be over, but the impact is certainly not. And that’s a two-way street.

Reali and his crew was impacted just as much as the viewers they served. It was a wholesome relationship, built over the course of 23 years.

“I was 24 when I started on this show,” Tony Reali said. “I grew up on this show. This show helped me grow up. Maybe some of you feel the same way too. Life came fast and slow, as it does. Gradually, then suddenly, I shared through it all, the highs and the lows, because I believe life is best when it’s shared in full. And fullness has highs and lows.

“But another thing: It demands voice, not silence. So release the hold of a mute button and you’ll find the real. In looking for the real I found something that was even realer than real. You shared back, because to me that’s what made this show go. It’s the connection. Sports is connection. We watch it from our youngest days. We laugh and we cry, we have these two faces in sports. We’re like ooh, and we’re like ahh. Sports connects us all, people connect sports. And when it’s genuine it’s the best thing in the world.”

As Around the Horn sounded off for the final time, Tony Reali left a note on where fans can find him going forward. And there will be plenty that seek him out.

“The notes about your families and your notes about yourself where you opened up to me, that means most to me,” Reali said. “So now I’m going to do something and you’re going to call me cheesy. I’m going to reach out my hand. Everybody at home, reach out the hand. Come to me where it’s real. More smiles to come. Connect at tonyreali.com, my new YouTube page, #TeamReali, and even right this moment I’ll be on YouTube live, come by and say hello, let me tell you what you mean to me.”

You can view Tony Reali’s final tribute message below. It’s a nice testament to everything Around the Horn built.

The scoring system: explained.

⬆️⬇️🕹️🔇 @TonyReali pic.twitter.com/dXQ14rUee9

— Around the Horn (@AroundtheHorn) May 23, 2025