As things now stand, ESPN’s Around the Horn will air its final episode on May 23, ending a 23-year run featuring almost 5,000 episodes.
Is there any chance the network might reconsider its decision to cancel the show? A group of fans is asking the network to do just that, launching a petition on Change.org titled, “Prevent the Cancellation of ESPN’s ‘Around the Horn’ Show.”
The petition, started by Juliana Buendia, begins, “As massive supporters and long-term viewers of ESPN’s Around the Horn show, we are devastated to hear about the proposed cancellation of the program.” It goes on to praise host Tony Reali, and cites ESPN’s own PR releases to say, “Nielson ratings show that it consistently ranks among the most-watched, non-live telecast events on ESPN.”
“We implore the network to rethink this decision,” the petition continues. “Let us not let an invaluable sports program be pulled from us for unjustifiable reasons. The show has contributed much to ESPN and sports fans around the world; it’s only fair that it gets the chance to continue doing so.”
Ryan Glasspiegel first reported the show’s pending cancellation in November, and ESPN officially acknowledged it in early March. ATH’s fate has already brought tributes from Reali and many others recalling the show’s legacy.
There’s been plenty of speculation about what led to Around the Horn‘s cancelation, some theories better than others. The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis opined that ESPN simply did not have room for this type of show anymore, building instead around mega-stars such as Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee. Former panelist Jay Mariotti claimed the show failed because it went “woke,” leading Jemele Hill to fire back at that “dumb statement.”
It’s not unheard of for fans to successfully petition and save a show from cancellation. A few notable examples include the original Star Trek, Arrested Development, Friday Night Lights, Futurama, and Jericho.
However, the ATH petition launched earlier this week and, as of Friday afternoon, had 271 signatures. Given that many Change.org petitions draw thousands of responses, that’s not going to be enough to make a difference.
