Sports Heaven

The Birth of ESPN

Coming Soon

Contributors

By Bill Rasmussen

By Mike Soltys

By Garrett Sutton, Esq.

By Chris Berman

Formats and Prices

On Sale
Apr 7, 2026
Publisher
Hachette Audio
ISBN-13
9781668658123

Price

$24.99

Format

Audiobook Download (Unabridged)

Format:

Audiobook Download (Unabridged) $24.99

The story behind ESPN’s founding — an electrifying, high-stakes journey that embodies the spirit of innovation, one that will inspire, entertain, and teach you lessons about entrepreneurship, perseverance, and thinking big. Bill Rasmussen, whose perspective is as close to the heartbeat of ESPN’s origin story as it gets, gives you an insider’s look at the blood, sweat, and tears behind the brand that changed the sports world forever.
 
Rasmussen kept a diary in 1978-79, which is the basis for his account of the business and technical challenges of starting a groundbreaking media company. Bill takes listeners into the moment of discovery, showing how his ambitious idea – a 24/7 sports network —  took wild courage, relentless problem-solving, and overcoming setbacks that would’ve stopped most people in their tracks.
 
Not just for people in the sports or business worlds, The Birth of ESPN is for anyone who believes in the power of ideas to change the world. The story of ESPN is one of human determination, imagination, and a refusal to give up on something you truly believe in. In today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving world, that’s a story everyone can relate to.
 


Bill Rasmussen

About the Author

Bill Rasmussen is the founder of ESPN and viewed as a media visionary. 
Mike Soltys is the official Historian for ESPN. Prior to that role he spent 43 years in Public Relations at ESPN and has won numerous awards for media relations. 
Garrett Sutton Esq., is the bestselling author of Start Your Own Corporation, Run Your Own Corporation, The ABC’s of Getting Out of Debt, Writing Winning Business Plans, Buying and Selling a Business, The Loopholes of Real Estate, and Scam-Proof Your Assets in Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad’s Advisors series.

Learn more about this author