Bill Rasmussen And Founding Of ESPN To Be Subject Of New Documentary

BRISTOL, CT — Summertime heat in Connecticut can be overwhelming at times, and sitting in a traffic jam on a state highway can make one's blood boil even in the coolest of conditions. Pair those two elements together, and you're looking at a recipe for disaster...

Except for one particular occasion in 1978, when a father-son duo who had just lost their jobs with the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association started brainstorming about future plans inside their barely-moving vehicle on Interstate 84 in Waterbury. By the time Bill and Scott Rasmussen finally reached their destination, the seed had been planted for what turned out to be a revolution in the televised sports industry - a revolution which forever changed the way sports fans worldwide viewed their favorite competitions.

The idea behind the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) was born that day, and came to fruition a little over a year later when the network launched on Sept. 7, 1979. It quickly became the worldwide leader in sports programming, Bill Rasmussen was dubbed "the father of cable sports" by USA Today, and in 1994, Sports Illustrated included him as one of the 40 most important people in sports over the past four decades, ranking him ahead of such luminaries as Pele, Bobby Orr, Sugar Ray Leonard, Peggy Fleming, Nolan Ryan, Don King and Julius Erving.

The story of the Chicago kid and U.S. Air Force veteran - whose pre-ESPN resume included selling lamps for Westinghouse, broadcasting college sports on radio in Massachusetts, delivering sports news on a Springfield television station and handling radio broadcasting for the Whalers - is about to be produced in documentary form. Sunn Stream Productions, rather than the network itself, has been contracted to produce the story, but a man who likely knows Rasmussen better than anyone has been brought back into the fold as a producer, and with a new title.

Mike Soltys - "the first intern I ever hired at ESPN back in 1980," Rasmussen said - was laid off last year after 43 years at the network, but has returned on a part-time basis as ESPN Historian. He will be working on the feature-length documentary with Garrett Z. Sutton, founder and executive producer of Sunn Stream Productions, and director Greg DeHart.

"It’s been a privilege to work with Bill throughout my career," Soltys said. "His vision and spirit have not only influenced ESPN but the entire sports broadcasting landscape."

Sutton said, "Collaborating with Bill Rasmussen provides us the rare opportunity to share the story of an unrivaled sports entrepreneur. His innovative thinking and relentless pursuit of excellence laid the foundation for what ESPN has become today."

"To be involved in telling Bill's story is incredibly meaningful," DeHart said. "He’s not just a pioneer; he’s a cultural icon whose influence stretches beyond ESPN and into the hearts of sports fans everywhere."

A number of stories Rasmussen has told on the nationwide speaking circuit over the past four decades are likely to be included, including an awkward dilemma he found himself in on opening night during the network's first-ever live event, a slow-pitch softball World Series game in Milwaukee.

"Anheuser-Busch had just signed the largest advertising contract in cable TV history to that point, for $1.38 million," Rasmussen, who turned 92 last week, told Patch in 2019. "I'm standing there with the Anheuser-Busch executive on launch night, and the studio anchor throws it to our first live event, where the broadcaster excitedly tells the viewers, 'welcome to tonight's game between the Kentucky Bourbons and the Milwaukee Schlitz, brought to you by Budweiser.' The Bud guy looks at me and says, 'what happened to our exclusivity?'"

Production on the documentary is expected to be completed by late 2025, according to Sunn Stream.