ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen among Business Leaders Speaking at Build: Live Miami Conference Tuesday, December 4th at Viceroy Miami


Miami, FL – December 4, 2012 -- ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen, the legendary entrepreneur who founded the World Wide Leader in Sports, ESPN, will deliver a keynote speech today -- Tuesday, December 4th, at Build:  Live Miami, a day-long program designed for CEO’s of middle-market companies. 

During his presentation, which is scheduled for this afternoon from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., Rasmussen will tell the story of the birth of ESPN and the creation of a global sports enterprise.  He will also speak about leadership and the skills necessary to create such a successful global brand icon.  It’s a rare opportunity to hear and feel the stories of a man who was considered by the three major television networks at the time (ABC, NBC & CBS) a dreamer and all-around “crazy man” to even think that he could compete with them. 

Build:  Live Miami is a production of The Build Network, the new source of insight and connection dedicated to CEOs and executive teams of mid-sized businesses — the economy’s hot core.   The Build Network is part of the Inc. Magazine family of companies.  Build: Live Miami begins at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning and continues through 7 p.m. at The Viceroy Miami (485 Brickell Avenue, Miami, Florida 33131).  Additional information about the conference is available at http://events.thebuildnetwork.com/miami-2012.

Rasmussen was recently named Executive in Residence at The Robert C. McDermond Center for Management & Entrepreneurship at DePauw University.  He began his new post on October 1st.  He is a 1954 graduate of DePauw, and received his MBA from Rutgers in 1960.

Try to imagine the world without ESPN and Sports Center, and for many, it is impossible. It is safe to say that Rasmussen changed the face of sports, and the face of television.  His brainstorm for a 24-hour cable sports television network, born out of adversity, has become the Worldwide Leader in Sports, ESPN.  A former radio and television sports broadcaster, Rasmussen had been the Whalers Communications Director, but when the Whalers didn’t make the 1978 WHA playoffs, Rasmussen and others on staff were fired. His idea for an all-sports cable TV network captured his imagination, and he incorporated the fledgling network on July 14, 1978. He had already begun to seek out cable television companies, sponsors, investors and partners.

With an idea that was truly ahead of its time, and running out of cash, Rasmussen found one investor who believed in the concept in February, 1979, and by September 7, 1979, ESPN was on the air for the first time, 14 months from Rasmussen’s moment of inspiration.

A life-long entrepreneur and sports fan, Rasmussen’s innovations in advertising, sports and broadcasting are numerous, including the creation of ESPN, the concepts for “Sports Center,” wall-to-wall coverage of NCAA regular-season and “March Madness” college basketball, and coverage of the College World Series.  He broke the advertising barrier to cable television by signing Anheuser Busch to the largest cable TV advertising contract ever. 
Named “The Father of Cable Sports” by USA Today, Rasmussen 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 “40 for the Ages,” one of 40 individuals who has significantly altered and elevated the world of sport in the last half of the 20th Century.  Rasmussen was named to the 2011 class of “The Champions: Pioneers & Innovators in Sports Business,” an award from the Sports Business Journal and the Sports Business Daily recognizing the architects and builders of sports.   

Rasmussen is the author of the best-selling book, “Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN” (available in paperback and e-book at ESPNFounder.com).  He is a gifted raconteur and a popular public speaker discussing American entrepreneurship, innovation, and the birth of ESPN, and a frequent guest on radio and television shows.  His recent appearances include nationally-syndicated radio shows “Sports Byline USA with Ron Barr”, “The Dennis Miller Show” and the FOX News Channel’s “Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld.” 
He has been touring the nation over the past two years, with a national speaking tour that has included recent appearances at Arizona State University, Union College, DePauw University, Azusa Pacific University, University of Connecticut, University of Kansas, Rutgers University, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, University of South Carolina, Wichita State University and Auburn University.  Rasmussen has also recently spoken to audiences at a number of private, corporate events, in addition to speaking at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Villanova University, Princeton University, University of Florida School of Law and The Center for Sports Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University, among others. 
Additional information about Rasmussen is available at http://www.ESPNFounder.com.  You can also follow Rasmussen on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/ESPN-Founder-Bill-Rasmussen/124610977602209) and on Twitter (https://twitter.com/@bill_espn).