Tony Reali, the beloved host of Around the Horn on ESPN, has become a prominent advocate for mental health treatment and destigmatization, particularly after opening up about the tragic death of his son in 2018 and his own diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder. Reali’s journey has inspired him to address the challenges stemming from these experiences while also guiding his colleagues through their struggles.
Among those he has influenced is Mike Ryan, the executive producer of The Dan Le Batard Show during its time at ESPN. Although Ryan never worked directly alongside Reali and lived several states away, he found himself reaching out to Reali for support during his own battles with anxiety and depression. This week, Ryan disclosed the significant impact Reali had on him for the first time in the latest episode of the Le Batard Show oral history he is producing for Meadowlark Media.
At one point, Ryan traveled to meet Reali, seeking advice from someone in the industry who successfully balanced mental illness with the demands of a high-pressure sports media role. Ryan expressed deep gratitude, stating, “God bless Tony Reali. I don’t get through any of that without Tony Reali, and I’ve never let that be known publicly. Because I was going through a lot of stuff that I knew he had gone through, and I was just grasping at anybody. And Tony Reali, who I didn’t have this great relationship with, we just knew each other—I admired his work. I had enough mutual friends who told me Tony was this salt-of-the-Earth guy. And I flew up to New York just to see Tony.”
Hearing Reali share the challenges behind his polished and entertaining presence on ATH helped Ryan reset his expectations and learn valuable coping skills. Although Ryan kept Reali’s influence to himself for years due to Reali’s humility, he emphasized that Reali deserves significant recognition for the role he played in his journey. “I know he kind of shies away from this stuff, but Tony Reali was a lifesaver for me, in terms of normalizing and seeing that this guy operates at a high level,” Ryan shared. “I have immense respect for him. He functions in a highly creative environment, and you would never know what was going on in his life until he chose to share it. It was powerful to see someone who had faced similar challenges give voice to those experiences. So I went to him in search of how he managed it all.”
Throughout the latest episode of the Le Batard Show oral history, Ryan recounted how, during the tumultuous end of the show’s tenure at ESPN following John Skipper’s departure, he was also facing significant personal struggles. While he did not delve into extensive details about the sources of his anxiety, he reflected on his experiences with multiple panic attacks and bouts of anger. Thanks in part to the support from ESPN’s resident mental health advocate, Ryan was able to regain his footing.
