ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen dies at 93

WEB DESK: Bill Rasmussen, who co-founded the 24-hour cable sports network ESPN in 1979, died at 93 on Tuesday after battling Parkinson’s disease.

ESPN historian Mike Soltys said Rasmussen died at his home in Florida. Rasmussen announced in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with the degenerative disease in 2014.

The sports fan-turned-broadcaster and entrepreneur whose idea for ESPN forever changed the landscape of sports media was predeceased by his wife of 56 years, Lois, in 2011. He is survived by his two sons.

Rasmussen and his son Scott came up with the idea of a network that would carry sports around the clock, revolutionising Americans’ television-watching habits. However, neither stayed with the network for long, as they were forced out after only a year by ESPN’s majority owner, Getty Oil.

ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement: “Bill was a remarkable man — a visionary and an innovator who conceived the idea of a network entirely devoted to sports.”

“Quite simply, none of us would be here today without Bill’s passion, hard work and entrepreneurial spirit in building ESPN in the late 1970s — qualities that remain central to our company culture to this day.”