50 Fun Facts About ESPN
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Take the 50-question quizWhat did the initialism ESPN originally stand for?
The full name was dropped in 1985, and the letters have stood alone ever since.
In which year did ESPN launch?
The first telecast, on September 7, was the debut of SportsCenter, taped before a small studio audience.
In which Connecticut town is ESPN headquartered?
The founders first rented space in Plainville before finding land to build on.
Bill Rasmussen conceived ESPN in 1978 after being fired by which team?
His son Scott, also let go by the WHA club, became a co-founder with Ed Eagan.
Which company bought 85% of ESPN in February 1979, funding the land purchase?
The oil company wanted to diversify, but it would not fund bids for major sports rights.
Which brewer bought exclusive beer-advertising rights on ESPN in spring 1979?
The deal was seen as a major credibility boost for a channel that had not yet gone on air.
Roughly how many cable subscribers received ESPN's first broadcast?
ESPN2 would launch 14 years later to 10 million homes and grow to 75 million.
Which anchor joined ESPN one month after launch and stayed for decades?
He became famous for nicknames and 'back-back-back' home-run calls.
Early rounds of which event gave ESPN its first big programming step in 1980?
The coverage helped turn the event into what is now called March Madness.
Which analyst joined ESPN's tournament coverage right after being fired as Detroit Pistons coach?
'Awesome, baby!' became a catchphrase across four decades of college basketball calls.
Which broadcast network bought 100% of ESPN in 1984?
With its backing ESPN could finally bid for major rights it had lost under Getty ownership.
To which channel did ESPN lose NHL rights while Getty refused to fund bids?
TBS beat it to NCAA college football in the same period.
How many NFL games did ESPN's breakthrough 1987 contract give it, all on Sunday nights?
They were the first Sunday prime-time NFL games and dented daytime ratings on NBC and CBS.
Which ex-coach joined ESPN in 1987 and hosted College GameDay for 38 straight years?
ESPN aired the documentary Not So Fast, My Friend on his 90th birthday in 2025.
In which year did ESPN Radio launch?
Mike and Mike in the Morning and The Herd were among its signature shows.
Which two niche attractions headlined ESPN2's original 1993 lineup?
It launched on October 10, 1993, and became the fastest-growing cable channel of the decade.
Which company bought ABC in 1985, gaining control of ESPN?
Capital Cities/ABC was in turn bought by Disney in 1996.
In which year did the Walt Disney Company acquire ESPN's parent?
Disney now holds 72% of ESPN, with Hearst at 18% and the NFL at 10%.
Which publishing company owns an 18% stake in ESPN?
Disney owns 72% and has operational control through ABC Inc.
Which sports league holds a 10% stake in ESPN?
It is the same league whose Sunday night games made ESPN a real competitor in 1987.
Who has been ESPN's president since March 2018?
He took over after John Skipper resigned in December 2017.
ESPN owns a 20% stake in which Canadian sports network?
The Sports Network's news show is called SportsCentre, with the Canadian spelling.
What was the monthly launch price of ESPN+ in April 2018?
By 2025 it was folded into a direct-to-consumer app with ESPN Unlimited and ESPN Select tiers.
Which 30 for 30 film won ESPN its first Academy Award, in 2017?
It took Best Documentary Feature.
How much per year did ESPN agree to pay the UFC in its five-year deal from 2019?
The contract covered 42 live events a year across ESPN and ESPN+.
On which channel did the 'BottomLine' score ticker originate in 1995?
It is now used across all of ESPN's networks and once acknowledged Neil Armstrong's death.
What was the original 1995 name of the vintage-game channel ESPN later rebranded?
It was founded by Brian Bedol and Steve Greenberg before ESPN acquired it.
ESPN broadcast its first HD feed in March 2003 with which team's Opening Day game?
ESPN uses 720p because ABC engineers argued progressive scan handles fast motion and replays better.
Which school's teams had their own ESPN-run channel, the Longhorn Network, from 2011 to 2024?
It shut down the day before the Longhorns joined the SEC.
What is 'The Ocho'?
The name comes from the fictional ESPN8 in the film Dodgeball, and it now runs as a free streaming channel.
In which city are Pardon the Interruption and the Scott Van Pelt SportsCenter produced?
Both come from the building that houses ABC News's Washington bureau.
Roughly how many episodes of SportsCenter have aired, more than any US program?
It runs from Bristol, Washington and Los Angeles, and its 25th anniversary counted down 10,000-show bloopers.
Which pair co-anchored the very first SportsCenter in 1979?
Leonard was a longtime New York sportscaster, and Grande 'introduced the country to ESPN'.
How many notes make up ESPN's trademark SportsCenter fanfare?
It first appeared in a theme by 1989; the current 2006 version was written by Annie Roboff, co-writer of Faith Hill's 'This Kiss'.
Who co-anchored the celebrated 11 p.m. SportsCenter with Dan Patrick in the 1990s?
He briefly moved to ESPN2 at its 1993 launch and left the company in 1997; Kenny Mayne took his chair.
Which two anchors became the primary team after Patrick moved to the 6 p.m. show?
Scott's 'Boo-yah' became one of the show's signature catchphrases.
Who became the first female athlete to guest-host SportsCenter, in 2015?
The same year Scott Van Pelt took over the midnight edition as solo anchor.
Which duo anchored the Los Angeles editions of SportsCenter from 2009?
Their studio sits in the L.A. Live complex across from what was then the Staples Center.
Which ESPN anchor hosted Outside the Lines until retiring in 2019?
He was one of the original 1979 anchors and a fixture of the Sunday morning SportsCenter.
What does ESPY stand for?
The awards began in 1993 and moved to sister network ABC in 2015.
Who announced a cancer foundation while accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the first ESPYs?
The 'Don't give up' speech came 55 days before his death in April 1993.
Which athlete has won the most ESPYs, with 21?
The statuette is a silver sphere engraved with the word ESPY on a pedestal.
Where were the first two ESPY ceremonies held in 1993 and 1994?
The show moved to Radio City Music Hall from 1995 through 1999.
Which actor has hosted the ESPYs four times?
He hosted in 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2009; Foxx, Meyers and Miller have each done it twice.
In which state were the first X Games held in 1995?
They were split between Providence and Newport; the first Winter X Games came in 1997 at Big Bear Lake, California.
Which skateboarding trick did Tony Hawk famously land at the X Games?
Other X Games firsts include Travis Pastrana's double backflip and Shaun White's Double McTwist 1260.
What was the cover line of the first issue of ESPN The Magazine in 1998?
Kobe Bryant, Alex Rodriguez, Kordell Stewart and Eric Lindros shared the cover; print ended in 2019.
In which year did ESPN The Magazine's annual Body Issue debut?
It was widely read as a reply to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Which columnist co-created the 30 for 30 documentary series with Connor Schell?
The name came from 30 films by 30 filmmakers marking ESPN's 30th anniversary in 2009.
Which trade was the subject of the first 30 for 30 film in 2009?
Peter Berg directed it, and it drew only 645,000 viewers on its October 2009 premiere.