Sports Junkies Rejoice : The Birth of ESPN

by Bill Rasmussen

Entrepreneurial daring, irrepressible enthusiasm and a dash of good luck gave America its first 24 hour sports network in 1979, This book is about the agony and the ecstasy, the excitement, effort and frustration that led to the launch of the Worldwide Leader in Sports. A $9,000 credit card advance, a landfill in Bristol, CT, new satellite technology and a father and son's unshakeable belief in the insatiable appetite of America's sports fans came together to fuel an incredible journey....a journey that culminated in ESPN's inaugural show at 7:00 PM (EDT) Friday, September 7, 1979.

255 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1983

About the author

ESPN went on the air on Sept. 7, 1979. Entrepreneurial daring and irrepressible enthusiasm gave the world the first 24-hour television network. Once unleashed upon sports fans, ESPN's impact forever changed the way we watch television. The man who had the dream, the founder of ESPN, is Bill Rasmussen.

Rasmussen's innovations in sports and broadcasting include "Sports Center," wall-to-wall coverage of NCAA regular season and "March Madness" college basketball, and coverage of the NFL Draft."

Reviews

[Paul Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This origin story of ESPN was written by the founder and published in 1983, four years after ESPN went on the air. It’s a fast-paced personal account of the borderline-miraculous business and technical aspects of ESPN’s beginnings. Hardcore television people will get a kick out of the countless enlightening details, which boggle the mind, knowing the behemoth that ESPN is now.

[Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than average behind the scenes story of how and why ESPN was first created. Learned more than a few things I never knew before, namely information about the creators of the network, whom you hardly hear about today.