ESPN announced the death of co-founder Bill Rasmussen on Tuesday.
News of Rasmussen’s death drew a massive reaction from fans, as many reflected on the place or impact ESPN has had on their lives since Rasmussen started the network in 1979.
“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 in a statement. “Quite simply, 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 in the late 1970s — key aspects of our company culture that still carry on to this day.”
For some sports fans, Rasmussen’s death was a reminder of what ESPN was in its infancy.
“Rest Easy King,” X user @SirPickssAlot_, who also called the current network unwatchable, wrote. “They ruined the beautiful creation you brought us. Old ESPN was a core memory for so many young sports fans.”
“This man changed television as we know it,” X user @TommyMaroon23 said about Rasmussen. “Say whatever you want about the network now, but sports wouldn’t be where they are today without him. RIP.”
“Bill Rasmussen didn’t just create a sports network he helped create the 24-hour sports media world we know today,” X user @KnockoutVault added. “His vision changed how fans consume sports forever.”
Rasmussen, 93, died from the effects of Parkinson’s disease at his home in Florida.
He co-founded ESPN with his son, Scott, in 1979 before leaving the network after a few years to pursue other media ventures.
ESPN has undergone seismic changes in the 47 years since it began, while also influencing other media companies and the way we consume sports on TV.
That included the “Embrace Debate” era with shows like the Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith-led “First Take,” which debuted in 2007; Smith, who now earns a reported $20 million per year at ESPN, still appears on and executive produces the show today.
ESPN’s influence waned in past two decades, though, due to the effects of instant access to sports highlights on social media platforms and many consumers opting out of traditional cable TV, which once accounted for a large chunk of the ESPN revenue model.
Live sports programming now represents the primary reason many tune in to ESPN, with new leadership now placing an emphasis on trying to move away from debate-centered programming.
The network has gone all in on pushing top stars like Smith and Pat McAfee, who licenses his daily show to the network and could soon become the highest-paid ESPN personality ever in the reported range of $60 million per year.
Last month, ESPN laid off multiple longtime analysts, including 13-year contributor Ryan Clark. ESPN also decided not to renew the contract of 15-year veteran NFL analyst Damien Woody last week, too.
The changes over the years have undoubtedly brought ESPN its fair share of detractors.
No matter where your current opinion on ESPN stands, however, it is hard to argue that life as a sports fan is not better when it comes to accessibility due to Rasmussen’s leap of faith 47 years ago.
“I have given ESPN a hard time these last 2 days,” X user @SleeperHawks wrote, “but wow thank you Bill for what you did for the world of sports. We aren’t here now the way we are if you didn’t do whay you did.”
