By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: John Woike / Hartford Courant via Getty Images file
ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen died at 93 of Parkinson’s disease.
Rasmussen changed many lives. He created a behemoth. ESPN debuted in 1979. The network became the most recognizable and dependable sports channel. He was born in Chicago in 1932.
Rasmussen was passionate about working in media. He started his career in radio. After being fired from the New England Whalers as communications director, Rasmussen was motivated to create a 24-hour sports TV network. Rasmussen bet on himself, and it paid off. Many personalities made their mark with ESPN.
Two of those figures that got started with ESPN were Bob Ley and Chris Berman. Ley is now a retired sports anchor. The relationships Ley built with colleagues like Berman happened because of Rasmussen. Ley joined ESPN two days after its launch on Sept. 7, 1979.
“He changed a lot of lives,” Ley said. “All of us have regrouped on text. I was texting with Chris Berman, and Chris, as he always does, says something profound. He says, ‘You know, if it weren’t for Bill, you and I never would have met.’ I think what Bill did was inject into the reality of early ESPN a very important part of our culture, which George Bodenheimer would later call our secret sauce: the work ethic, the core, the morale. Just 10 days ago, a group of us got together for the sixth straight summer for a long lunch in Lichfield County just to catch up. That’s the bond that persists and lives after 50 years of being a part of that culture, and Bill created that.”
Bodenheimer used to be president of ESPN. He was the glue that brought Rasmussen back to the company after a 19-year separation. Rasmussen was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2025. It’s amazing to think that a person can create a company and see it turn into millions in profits. ESPN is a fixture in media.
Sportscenter, Baseball Tonight, College Sports, and NBA Finals are shows that helped the company succeed and continue to draw viewership.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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