Friday will mark the final episode of a longtime ESPN staple, as "Around the Horn" will be off the airwaves for good after roughly two decades of action.

Jay Mariotti, who was a regular on the show until his domestic violence arrest in 2010, said in a recent interview that the show is being canceled because it went "woke."

But another panelist, Sarah Spain, questioned whether the network canceled the show, because they would be "scared" of being labeled as such.

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"It confounds me that they are canceling it. The format allows for a continuous stream of new people, to highlight reporters on your network. I’m admittedly biased, but this is progressive voices and people of color you’re taking off TV. I don’t know for sure that’s their intention, but are you so scared of getting called ‘woke’?" she said in an interview with The Washington Post.

Tony Reali, the longtime host of the show, said he did not "believe" that was the reason.

"I don’t believe what that is. I honestly think we did 50,000 topics over 23 years. You’re going to tell me 10 or 15 drew an eyebrow up? I’ll be like, ‘Yeah, we were doing some complex topics from time to time.’ I don’t mute people in Face Time, so maybe there’s two or three there that didn’t have the back-and-forth that you’d want. Maybe there’s one or two I’d take back if you ask me; those aren’t my regrets. Not at all," he said on "The Dan Patrick Show" recently.

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In one of its final episodes earlier this month, Kate Fagan, who had made scarce appearances since leaving the network in 2018, was determined as the "winner" of the show against Jemele Hill, who had not been on the show since that same year after being fired for negative posts about President Donald Trump.

In her victory monologue, Fagan made a plea that "trans kids deserve to play sports."

"Think about what you remember from your time playing sports. Ninety-nine percent of it is finding that jersey for the first time, your favorite number, community, joy, those high-fives," Fagan said. "It's that moment when you have a great play with a teammate. It's the feeling of belonging. And it does not know gender. Trans kids deserve the same as everyone else does. Sports is joy. Sports is humanity. And the more people who have that, the better."

Mariotti name-dropped Hill in that aforementioned interview, adding the show "lost some audience." In another post on his own Substack, headlined "Around the Horn ended a long time ago - when I left the show," Mariotti reiterated that some of the panelists went "woke" while others were "on dope."

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Brendan Shanahan is out as Maple Leafs president, ending the Hall of Famer's tenure after 11 years and 9 playoff appearances -- but none beyond the second round.

Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks took to social media to express his displeasure over death threats he says he received following Boston's recent loss to the Mets.

The PGA Tour star spoke candidly about his wife's sobriety journey in a post on X.

Stephen A. Smith said his ESPN colleague Ryan Clark "crossed the line" by involving Robert Griffin III's wife in their public feud, however, he didn't think it was "a fireable offense."

The USMNT has precious little time to prep for next year's World Cup. A weakened Gold Cup roster won't help.

Napoli manager Antonio Conte called for calm heads when his team bid to clinch the Serie A title on Friday, underlining his deep sense of responsibility to the city while expressing regret to be watching from the stands due to suspension.

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi named the header he scored against Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final while representing Barcelona as the favorite goal of his storied career.

Paris Saint-Germain have "always" been interested in signing Lamine Yamal, Barcelona's sporting director Deco said, adding that ahead of the summer window, the club are monitoring Liverpool's Luis Díaz and Manchester United's Marcus Rashford.

PSG transfer guru Luis Campos has ended speculation over a move to Manchester United by signing a five-year contract with the French club's owners, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), to continue his role with the Champions League finalists.

Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho have cast doubt on their Manchester United futures following the Europa League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

Will SGA and the Thunder make it 2-0 before heading to Minnesota?

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA's MVP Wednesday night, and someone who's been there through it all could not have been happier.

Shortly after Gilgeous-Alexander won the award, the first of his career, AT&T released a video highlighted by a voicemail left for the MVP by his mother, Charmaine.

"Finally! You got it!" she began.

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"You deserve it. Like I said, be you, stay focused and everything else will work out. You're definitely on your way to being one of the best to ever play the game. And now? Another thing checked off your list. This is why your whole life has been consistent. Be careful and continue to dominate and be the best leader on and off the court. The world finally gets to see you the way I've always seen you.

"You know how much I love you. I'm so, so, so proud of you. Well-deserved. Bye, love you."

The Canadian star and league's leading scorer posted career highs with 32.7 points and 6.4 assists per game, carrying the Oklahoma City Thunder to the No. 1 seed in the West with an NBA-best 68-14 record.

Gilgeous-Alexander was the MVP runner-up last year to Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder defeated Jokić's Nuggets in seven games in the second round this season.

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Gilgeous-Alexander was the 11th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 2018 but was quickly traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. He only spent one year there, though, and was part of a package that sent Paul George to Los Angeles.

Since the trade, Gilgeous-Alexander has been a diamond in the rough, and he will soon be named first-team All-NBA a third straight year. He's also led the NBA in free throws made per game the last two seasons.

Oklahoma City kicked off the Western Conference finals with a 114-88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, who fell in the same round to the Dallas Mavericks last year. OKC trailed by four points at the half but outscored Minnesota 70-40 in the second half.

This is the furthest OKC has gotten in the playoffs since 2016, when the Thunder blew a 3-1 lead to the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the conference finals. The Warriors then did the same to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Oklahoma City, formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics, is still looking for its first NBA title since moving (Seattle won the NBA title in 1979). The Thunder last made the NBA Finals in 2012, when they lost to James and the Miami Heat.

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United States coach Mauricio Pochettino set some expectations ahead of the team's return to action at this summer's Concacaf Gold Cup after a disastrous fourth-place finish at the Nations League in March.

A new CFP seeding rule would have altered last year's matchups and has consequences moving forward.

The Commanders head coach concluded his Salisbury University commencement speech with a bang.

"Maybe you should take a step back and reevaluate your life's purpose before hiding behind a screen attacking players and their families."

After three so-so seasons in New York stuck behind since-traded All-Star power forward Julius Randle, he was dealt to Indiana in 2023 for two future second-round picks.

Tony Dungy is heartbroken by the passing of Colts owner Jim Irsay. 

When he re-starts the Soto Shuffle, that’s when you’ll know he’s really comfortable.