MEDIA ADVISORY: ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen, Author of “Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN,” in New York for Book Expo America Tuesday, May 24 & Wednesday, May 25 at CreateSpace/Kindle Direct Publishing booth, #2538
WHO: ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen
WHAT: Author of “Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN,” self published through CreateSpace in a new paperback edition as well as a new Kindle edition.
WHERE: CreateSpace/Kindle Direct Publishing booth, #2538, Book Expo America, Javits Center, New York, NY
WHEN: Tuesday, May 24, 2011, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. &
Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
HOW: Requests for interviews can be made through Jim DeLorenzo, who will be on site at Book Expo America with Mr. Rasmussen, by cell phone at 215-266-5943 or by e-mail at jdelorenzo@espnfounder.com, or through Laura Liebeck at Grand Communications (on behalf of CreateSpace), by cell phone at 845-797-0652 or by e-mail at laura@grandcommunications.com.
BACKGROUND: “Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN” is the inside story of how ESPN came to be, by the man who had the dream, ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen. The new paperback edition of the book and the new Kindle edition of the book, published through CreateSpace, are available through ESPNFounder.com and bookstores everywhere, including Amazon.com. Some of the secrets revealed in Rasmussen’s book include the circumstances under which he had the inspiration for ESPN, how he financed the first few months of the company, how many times people told him “no” along the way, and, perhaps the biggest mystery, why ESPN is based in Bristol, Connecticut.
“Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN” is Rasmussen’s personal account of the launch of the Worldwide Leader in Sports. On September 7, 1979, ESPN went on the air for the first time. Entrepreneurial daring, irrepressible enthusiasm and a dash of good luck gave the world the first 24-hour television network. Once unleashed upon sports fans, ESPN’s impact forever changed the way we watch television. Rasmussen’s book is the real insider’s account from the man who changed the landscape of television and sports forever. Imagine a world without ESPN, without 24-hour television channels, and a world of only three television networks. That was the television landscape before Rasmussen’s revolutionary brainstorm, born of adversity and launched despite the odds.
Honored as one of “The Champions: Pioneers & Innovators in Sports Business” by the Sports Business Journal & the Sports Business Daily, Rasmussen was dubbed “The Father of Cable Sports” by USA Today. In addition, he was named to “The Sports 100,” honoring the 100 most important people in American Sports History. His place in sports history was further recognized by Sports Illustrated in 1994, when he was honored as one of the “Forty for the Ages,” one of 40 individuals who has significantly altered and elevated the world of sport.