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Tony Reali was a fixture at ESPN for more than a quarter century.
Wherever he went, classic shows followed.
For a decade, he was the statistician known as Stat Boy on the long-running and still-running Pardon the Interruption (PTI) with Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon.
From there, he branched off to host ESPNs version of a sports game show, Around the Horn.
Reali brought a vibrant, fun and pleasantly wisecracking style to that program and launched the ESPN careers of many commentators.
A native New Yorker, Reali brought a Big Apple sensibility to everything he did.
Around the Horn ended its 23-year run in May 2025 after nearly 5,000 episodes.
This week, Reali boldly returned to the airwaves with Real Deal with Tony Reali , his own podcast on iHeartRadio Podcasts.
His approach has not changed.
Reali brings the same verve and nerve that marked his ESPN work.
He opened his first episode with an enthusiastic walking selfie through the halls of iHeartMedia and into his studio, stopping at the entrance to gleefully greet the receptionist, Nora.
Real Deal with Tony Reali reflects on some of the greatest sports events and athletes.
Analyzing them in a way that recalls the emotion and feel of the moment.
In fact, thats what the show is all about the moments and people who make sports so special.
You can actually sense and see Realis deep love of sports.
This is not a show about current statistics or political stances.
It is about one dude sharing his joy and passion for the games and those who play them.
Come Out Swimming It is vintage Reali, jovial and personable with everyone he meets.
During his walk to the studio, he sets up the shows topic.
His first episode looked back at the 4100 freestyle relay team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
That team worked together to pull off a huge upset of the French squad.
It was the springboard for Michael Phelps and his record eight gold medals in Beijing.
Leave it to Reali to be ballsy enough to open a new show with swimming instead of one of the more mainstream sports.
Moreover, this is his program, and he is going to put his stamp on it.
During his work on PTI and Around the Horn , Reali made other personalities look good, but Real Deal with Tony Reali is his time to shine.
I like the shows studio setup.
Behind him is a glass window overlooking the iHeart offices.
You can see people working at their desks and walking through the area.
Its pretty cool.
In this opening episode, Reali called the Beijing 4100 relay win one of the greatest team moments in sports history.
He then counted down his top sports teammate moments ever, including the Reggie Bush Push in USCs game against Notre Dame, the Titans Music City Miracle featuring the lateral from Frank Wycheck to Kevin Dyson, Chris Boshs offensive rebound and pass to Ray Allen for his incredible shot against the Spurs in the NBA Finals, the Red Soxs Game 4 win against the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS featuring Kevin Millar, Bill Mueller, David Ortiz and Dave Roberts, and Grant Hills pass to Christian Laettner for the memorable game-winning shot against Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.
Realis number one moment was the Beijing relay team in the 2008 Olympics.
Fittingly, the first guest on Real Deal with Tony Reali was Rowdy Gaines, a U.S.
swimming icon and the man who served as NBCs color analyst for the 2008 Olympics.
During the interview, Reali told Gaines that he loves sports announcers who bring their heart and spirit outside their bodies for viewers to see.
In truth, this is a perfect description of Reali himself.
Real Deal with Tony Reali is aptly named because Reali is as real as it gets.
Gaines brought similar emotion back in 2008 while calling that 4100 freestyle Olympic relay race.
It was where teammates Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak collaborated to beat the heavily favored French team with a world-record time of 3:08.24.
Gaines explained that the 4100 relay was going to be the toughest race for Phelps to complete his gold-medal sweep at those Olympics.
Thanks to his teammates, he did just that.
Gaines backed up Realis assertions, saying the relay team consisted of four guys who came together and did not want to disappoint Phelps, each other, their fans or their country.
Reflecting On Moments Together Podcasts like Real Deal with Tony Reali are host-driven.
It is pretty much a one-shot of Reali followed by a two-shot of him and his guest.
You need a special kind of host to make this work.
Additionally, thats why Reali is that guy.
I was impressed with how he handled the spotlight alone for the first time in his career as we know it.
He asked Gaines some terrific questions, bringing out the same emotion he brings to the podcast.
Although Gaines and Reali had never met before, by the end of the show it seemed like they had known each other for decades.
It felt more like a conversation than a Q&A, and you could tell Gaines was amused by Realis personality.
I learned a lot from this show.
Moreover, that gives me a really good feeling about Real Deal with Tony Reali.
It is not going to be a run-of-the-mill podcast.
To demonstrate the depth of its commitment to the subject, the production team displayed a graphic featuring the actual transcript of Gaines and play-by-play announcer Dan Hicks NBC call of that 2008 relay race.
Reali recited part of the transcript with a gigantic smile and matching emotion.
Realis passion was contagious as Gaines sentimentally talked about how true amateur Olympic athletes capture the imagination of the American public and why we love rooting for a group of kids who reach amazing milestones and accomplish unforgettable feats.
In addition, the host and guest truly bonded on the show.
So much so that Reali stood up, turned to the office staff behind him and joyfully yelled that he had just made friends with Rowdy Gaines.
How can you not love that? Throughout this debut edition of Real Deal , Reali said the 2008 Olympic relay team and Gaines call of the victory brought about instant tears.
I can paraphrase something similar about the first episode of Real Deal with Tony Reali.
It made me an instant fan.
Moreover, I am looking forward to watching the show grow and develop.
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John Molori John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media.
He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune.
His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T.
He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
barrettmedia.com The post Tony Reali Proves Hes the Real Deal With iHeartMedia Podcast Debut appeared first on Barrett Media .