In the late 1970s, Bill Rasmussen and his son Scott Rasmussen begin chasing an idea no one can quite understand, a television network that never stops showing sports. Twenty-four hours a day. No one believes it will work. They have no money, no backing, and no clear path forward. Just a deadline and a conviction they can’t explain.
For months, they hear the same response: no. Until a single question changes everything—satellites. What follows is a quiet series of risks, unlikely deals, and moments that almost didn’t happen. Getty Oil steps in. Budweiser takes a chance. The NCAA opens the door. And on September 7, 1979, something entirely new appears on television.
But that’s only the beginning.Because the story of ESPN isn’t just about how it started—it’s about what happened next.
