1. It’s been a little over a year since Around the Horn aired its final episode after nearly 23 years on ESPN. Now, the show’s host for almost all of its run, Tony Reali, is back with a new YouTube show, Get Real With Tony Reali.
Reali spoke about his new gig on this week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina. He also got real and vulnerable when discussing what the past year has been like for him after ATH’s cancellation.
I asked Reali if it has been difficult to cut ties with ESPN after being there for so long, first on Pardon the Interruption and later as host of ATH.
“Yeah, those four letters will always be attached to me,” said Reali. “I was on TV for 25 years for that network. That’s, you know, of course, tell that story. I should always be part of that story. We talked about this. You could try to unpack it again. I gave some moments to this in the last year, but not as much as you would probably think.
“Things end. They're messy. Yes, would I want to have had more communication? I’m in the communication business. I’m the professional talker. The people who make decisions, I get it. It’s a hard conversation to have with somebody.
“In the end, I’m proud of the work that was. I consumed ESPN before. I will consume it again. They’ve got the games. Of course I’m going to be watching ESPN.”
So, how is it for Reali when he’s watching ESPN after being with the network for 25 years?
“It’s weird,” Reali admitted. “I mean, it was weird for me when I wasn’t on PTI anymore. I’m proud of having worked for ESPN. I love PTI. That’s my family and the week after I wasn’t on there, I’m a human, that’s a tough feeling. Everybody’s moving on without you. I was the one who moved on. but I’m just saying. It’s tough for me to turn on ESPN at 5:30 knowing the other show at 5:00 wasn’t the show I was on.”
During the podcast, Reali talked about taking his time to find new gigs instead of just jumping right back into things immediately and doing, “Around the Horn 2.0.”
“I said no to a few offers,” said Reali. “I was thankful for them, but they weren’t the right fit, but it wasn’t, it’s never as you imagine it, Jimmy. I can be honest about this. This is me being vulnerable.”
Reali then cited a skit featuring Will Ferrell and Jack Black from the 2007 Oscars in which Ferrell laments the fact that despite his prolific résumé doing comedies, he still isn’t loved by the industry.
As Reali explained it, “There’s a point where Jack Black says, ‘Well, what did you think when you were running around the track in your underpants,’ and Will Ferrell says, ‘I thought they love me.’
“Part of me thought, what did you think when you were hosting Around the Horn for 20 years, the industry would come back? I thought they'd love me and they'd be handing me jobs. That was not happening. That was not happening. There wasn't handing of jobs.”
And how was that to handle, I asked Reali.
“That was that was, of course, a real feeling, a raw feeling.”
You can listen to Reali’s full interview on SI Media With Jimmy Traina below or on Apple and Spotify.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.
2. In what might be the great moment in ESPY’s history, which isn’t saying much, we learned Wednesday night that Mike Tyson has no clue whatsoever who Shohei Ohtani is.
Mike Tyson finds out Shohei Ohtani is a guy at the ESPY's:
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) July 16, 2026
"Shohei is a guy ??"
💀💀💀💀💀💀💀pic.twitter.com/Xl7er0XJFI
3. Kyle Kuzma just became my favorite NBA player.
After completely ridiculous and out-of-touch comments from Odell Beckham Jr. and Carmelo Anthony about $100 million salaries not really being $100 million, Kuzma brought some sanity to the discussion.
Odell Beckham Jr. reveals the real math on a $100,000,000 NFL contract:
— katsu (@katsuxbt) July 12, 2026
• On paper → $100,000,000
• Actually guaranteed → $60,000,000
• After taxes → $12,000,000/yr
• Car, house for mom, living → $4,000,000/yr
• What’s left → $8,000,000/yr
• Five years. Then it’s… pic.twitter.com/IzZPYMjaGT
Carmelo Anthony explains why a $100,000,000 contract doesn’t make professional athletes rich for life
— Isaac Bassey (@0xBassey) July 3, 2026
“$100 million… let’s not get that twisted.”
“It’s not really $100 million.”
“You’re taking 50% to 60% off the top.”
“So that $10 million becomes $5 million.”
“Then you’ve… pic.twitter.com/kP3YOhXkok
Ngl it’s exhausting hearing athletes break down how their millions “aren’t really millions” after taxes and fees. 40M after taxes is still 40M.
— kuz (@kylekuzma) July 15, 2026
The real issue isn’t the system, it’s lifestyle creep. Nobody told you to live like a king, buy 5 cars, or move with a 10‑person…
4. In a day and age when ratings are up across the board in sports, the Home Run Derby was down from 5.5 million viewers on ESPN last year to 5.3 viewers on Netflix this year.
Hearing that the MLB Home Run Derby drew around 5.3 million viewers on Netflix on Wednesday night.
— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) July 16, 2026
That would be the lowest audience for the Derby since 2003 (5.2 million).
Netflix's Derby debut would be -7% or so from last year on ESPN (5.7M), and down from 5.5M two years ago
5. Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice had his golf swing interrupted by a heckler at the American Century Championship. The Niners legend then sprang into action.
🚨🏌️🏃 #WATCH — Jerry Rice was heckled at the American Century Championship and chased the man down.
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 16, 2026
“Which one, which one!” pic.twitter.com/gQ1fycnBa2
6. Here is Argentine announcer Pablo Giralt's calling the country’s go-ahead goal against England on Wednesday.
A BEIRA DO INFARTO: Pablo Giralt, da Telefe, enlouquecendo narrando o gol da virada da Argentina em cima da Inglaterra! pic.twitter.com/0ZwHPeG5Ds
— Televisão Argentina (@tvargentina_) July 15, 2026
View this post on Instagram
