Bill Rasmussen, sports TV visionary and founder of ESPN, dies at 93
The visionary co-founder built ESPN into a 24-hour sports network that launched in 1979 and later reached nearly 70 million homes, Sports Business Journal said.
- Bill Rasmussen, the visionary entrepreneur who launched ESPN as the world's first 24-hour sports network in 1979, died Tuesday at age 93 from Parkinson's disease complications at his Florida home.
- After being fired from the New England Whalers in 1978, Rasmussen maxed out his credit card for a $9,000 advance to secure satellite space, fueling the launch of the Entertainment and Sports Programming network.
- Initial investors doubted the 24-hour sports concept, but Rasmussen secured essential backing from Getty Oil and Anheuser-Busch. These partnerships provided capital that helped establish the network, which now employs more than 5,900 people worldwide.
- ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro praised Rasmussen's "passion and all the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit" that built company culture. Longtime personality Chris Berman called him "the George Washington of ESPN," honoring his enduring optimism and legacy.
- Following his departure from ESPN in 1980, Rasmussen became a motivational speaker and author, encouraging budding entrepreneurs to pursue their ideas. He is survived by sons Scott and Glenn, daughter Lynn, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
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The media mogul that is said to have revolutionized the television dedicated to sport has died out of life, at the age of 93. A remarkable man, a visionary and an innovator, say those who have worked with him. Article The media mogul that revolutionized the television dedicated to sport has extinguished. A remarkable man, a visionary and an innovator appears first on Romania TV.
Ekstra Bladet
BTBill Rasmussen, co-founder of the television station ESPN, has died after a long illness.
ESPN co-founder Bill Rasmussen died on Tuesday, August 18 after more than 10 years of living with Parkinson's, whose degenerative disease was diagnosed in 2014.Bill Rasmussen died at the age of 93 at his home in Land O' Lakes, Florida, leaving a legacy on sports television and in the consumption of sports-related content.Who was Bill Rasmussen?Bill Rasmussen was an entrepreneur, executive and pioneer of sports television in the United States, kn…
Past and present ESPN figures pay tribute to founder Bill Rasmussen
Credit: Sports HeavenESPN co-founder Bill Rasmussen passed away at the age of 93. Rasmussen brought his vision of a 24/7 all-sports network to life in 1979. Even though he left the network the next year, his impact in helping to launch the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network has far surpassed anyone’s reasonable expectations of what could be possible. In the wake of his passing, several pillars of ESPN’s past and present stepped forward…
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