Bill Rasmussen, co-founder of ESPN, dies at 93

Bill Rasmussen, co-founder of ESPN and the visionary behind the world's first 24-hour sports television network, died Tuesday at his Florida home at the age of 93 due to the effects of Parkinson's disease. Rasmussen, who had previously been fired as communications director of the New England Whalers, conceived the idea for ESPN with his son Scott in the late 1970s, maxing out his credit card and using a $9,000 advance to secure satellite space. ESPN launched in 1979 and has since grown into the world's preeminent sports media brand.