The Man Who Built ESPN | Phoenix News

Bill Rasmussen, the visionary behind ESPN, has died at 93 after a battle with Parkinson’s. He co-founded the groundbreaking 24-hour sports network in 1979 with his son Scott, launching SportsCenter and reaching 1.4 million homes instantly. A PR and broadcasting veteran, he harnessed satellite tech to revolutionize how we watch sports — earning ESPN its iconic “Worldwide Leader in Sports” title. Though he stepped away years later, his legacy endures through every ESPN broadcast, remembered by legends like Jimmy Pitaro and Chris Berman as a passionate, optimistic genius who reshaped sports media forever. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/a24ab9a75171fa06