ESPN pulling plug on the show that redefined columnist Woody Paige's career скачать в хорошем качестве

ESPN pulling plug on the show that redefined columnist Woody Paige's career

After 23 years as a staple of sports television, ESPN has announced that "Around the Horn" will air its final episode in May. The afternoon show, which featured spirited debates among sports writers from across the country, has been a fixture for fans since its inception. Despite hosting panelists from the biggest markets in the country, perhaps the panelist most associated with the success of the show is Woody Paige. Paige recalled an early conversation he had with an ESPN executive. "At one point I said, 'Who's gonna watch the show?' And they said, 'Drunks and college kids.' Basically the 18 to 34 (demographic) we were number one in cable television." The show also developed a cultural following beyond sports discussions. "I started getting emails saying you need to be muted less because we have a Woody Paige drinking game," Paige said. "And every time you get muted, we do shots, and by 6 o'clock at night we're all drunk." Paige, who currently tapes his segments from another television station in Denver, has been a consistent presence on the program, known for his energetic takes, humor and the trademark blackboard messages that hang behind him during each appearance. "I don't take myself seriously. I take the jobs I do seriously, and we've been on the air now 23 years rather than 13 weeks," he said, referring to how long he thought the show would last. "That's incredible to me. I think in television time that's like dog ages compared to human ages." The show's format rewards winning panelists with uninterrupted "face time" at the end of episodes. Though Paige lost in Thursday's edition after making it to the finals, the winning panelist, Harry Lyles Jr., used his time to thank Paige for laying the foundation for his career.