Bill Rasmussen, the co-founder of ESPN and one of the pioneers of 24-hour sports television, has died at the age of 93.
ESPN announced that Rasmussen died Tuesday from complications related to Parkinson’s disease. Alongside his son Scott, Rasmussen developed the idea of creating a television network dedicated entirely to sports in the late 1970s, at a time when the concept was widely viewed with skepticism.
That idea became ESPN, which launched on September 7, 1979, with the first edition of SportsCenter. The network would go on to fundamentally reshape the sports media industry and the way live sports, news and analysis were consumed.
Rasmussen’s vision was built around the belief that sports could provide programming around the clock. As he later recalled: “Sports don’t stop at 6 o’clock.”
From a risky idea to a sports media giant
Before founding ESPN, Rasmussen worked in radio and later joined the New England Whalers as communications director in 1974. After being dismissed by the team in 1978, he turned his attention to developing a sports-only television channel.
ESPN’s early programming reflected the network’s willingness to experiment. Its first-year sports rights included around 50 college football games through an agreement with the NCAA, along with soccer, college basketball, tennis and professional bowling. The schedule also featured less traditional television sports such as lacrosse, rugby, karate and softball.
Six months before ESPN’s television launch, Rasmussen and his founding team sold an 85 percent stake in the fledgling company to Getty Oil. The deal ultimately contributed to Rasmussen losing control of the company, and he left ESPN in 1980.
Despite his departure, his influence on the network remained significant. Rasmussen reconnected with ESPN in the late 1990s, returning to the company ahead of its 20th anniversary.
“Bill was a remarkable man — a visionary and an innovator who conceived the idea of a network entirely devoted to sports,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said. “None of us would be here today if it wasn’t for Bill’s passion and all the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit he put into building ESPN.”
Rasmussen was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2025. In 2026, ESPN also released a documentary and accompanying book, Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN, examining the origins of the network and Rasmussen’s role in its creation.
His legacy extends well beyond ESPN. The 24-hour sports network model he helped pioneer became a foundation of the modern sports media business, creating a continuous demand for live rights, sports news, analysis and original programming.