Citizendia

ESPN
LaunchedSeptember 7, 1979
Owned byThe Walt Disney Company (80%)
Hearst Corporation (20%)
Picture format480i (SDTV)
720p (HDTV)
SloganThe Worldwide Leader in Sports
CountryFlag of the United States United States
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersBristol, Connecticut
Formerly calledEntertainment and Sports Programming Network
ESP (never used on air)
WebsiteESPN.com
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV206
Dish Network140 (SD)
9424 (HD)
Cable
Available on most cable systemsCheck local listings for channels

ESPN (originally an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network), is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 23 hours a day. Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Hearst Communications Inc is a privately-held American -based Media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower in New York City, USA 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode The i, which is sometimes uppercase stands for Interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution 720p is the shorthand name for a category of HDTV video modes High-definition television (HDTV is a Digital television Broadcasting system with higher resolution than traditional television systems (standard-definition The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Bristol is a city located in Hartford County Connecticut, USA, 20 miles (32 km southwest of Hartford Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. DirecTV (trademarked as "DIREC' TV' " is a Direct broadcast satellite (DBS service based in El Segundo California, USA, that was founded Not be confused with Indian Service Dish TV DISH Network is a Direct broadcast satellite (DBS service that provides Satellite television The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A television network is a distribution network for Television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many Television stations The broadcasting of sports events is the coverage of Sports on Television, Radio and other Broadcasting mediums It was founded by Scott Rasmussen and his father Bill Rasmussen and launched on September 7, 1979, under the direction of Chet Simmons, who was the network's first President and CEO (and later became the United States Football League's first commissioner). Scott Rasmussen (born 1955 or 1956 is an American public opinion pollster Scott Rasmussen (born 1955 or 1956 is an American public opinion pollster Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) For the proposed "New USFL" see United States Football League (2010. George Bodenheimer is ESPN's current president, a position he has held since November 11, 1998; since March 3, 2002, he has been the head of ABC Sports as well, which has since been rebranded as ESPN on ABC (though ABC Sports still legally has a separate existence). George Bodenheimer is the current president of ESPN Inc and of ESPN on ABC. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ESPN's signature telecast, SportsCenter, debuted with the network and aired its 30,000th episode on February 11, 2007. SportsCenter is a daily Sports news Television show and the flagship program of American Cable network ESPN since the network Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ESPN broadcasts primarily out of its studios in Bristol, Connecticut; it also operates offices out of New York City, New York; Seattle, Washington; Charlotte, North Carolina and Los Angeles, California; the Los Angeles office is scheduled to open at L.A. Live in 2009. Bristol is a city located in Hartford County Connecticut, USA, 20 miles (32 km southwest of Hartford The City of New York Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West LA Live is currently under construction in Downtown Los Angeles, California. This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. The name of the sport company was lengthened to "ESPN Inc. " in February 1985. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar)

ESPN considers itself "The Worldwide Leader in Sports", a slogan that appears on nearly all company media but whose origin is unknown.

Most programming on ESPN and its affiliated networks is composed of live or tape-delayed sporting events and sports-related news programming (such as 'SportsCenter') with the remainder filled by sports-related talk shows (such as 'Around the Horn', 'Jim Rome is Burning','Outside The Lines', and 'PTI') and sports-related documentaries. SportsCenter is a daily Sports news Television show and the flagship program of American Cable network ESPN since the network Around the Horn (sometimes abbreviated ATH) is a daily half-hour Sports talk program on ESPN filmed in Washington D Pardon the Interruption (abbreviated PTI) is a Sports television show that airs weekdays on various ESPN TV channels

Contents

History

Early years

The roots of ESPN can be traced to Bill Rasmussen, a television sports reporter for WWLP, the NBC affiliate in Springfield, Massachusetts. Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively WWLP channel 22 is the NBC -affiliate Television station for the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts that is licensed to Springfield. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Springfield is a City in and the County seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Bill was hoping to create the first national sports network. In the mid-1970s, Rasmussen worked for the World Hockey Association's New England Whalers, selling commercial time for their broadcasts. The World Hockey Association (French Association Mondiale de Hockey) was a professional Ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 The Hartford Whalers were an American professional Ice hockey team based in Hartford Connecticut. His son Scott, a former high school goaltender, was the team's public-address announcer. A public address or " PA " system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, Amplifier and Loudspeakers used to Both were fired in 1977 and Rasmussen sought a new business venture. His original idea was a cable television network (then a fairly new medium) that focused on covering sports events in the state of Connecticut (for example, the Hartford Whalers and the Connecticut Huskies). Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The Hartford Whalers were an American professional Ice hockey team based in Hartford Connecticut. The Connecticut Huskies, also known as the UConn Huskies, are the athletic teams of the University of Connecticut. When Rasmussen was told that buying a continuous 24-hour satellite feed was less expensive than buying several blocks of only a few hours a night, he expanded to a 24-hour nationwide network. The channel's original name was ESP, for Entertainment and Sports Programming, but it was changed prior to launch. [1]

ESPN started with the debut of SportsCenter hosted by Lee Leonard and George Grande on September 7, 1979. SportsCenter is a daily Sports news Television show and the flagship program of American Cable network ESPN since the network Lee Leonard (born in New York City on April 3, 1929) is an American television personality who was involved in the launch of two of George Grande (pronounced like the English word "grand" is an American Sportscaster who hosted the very first broadcast of SportsCenter Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Afterwards was a pro slow pitch softball game. The first score on SportsCenter was from women's tennis. Tennis is a sport played between two players ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles)

To help fill 24 hours a day of air time, ESPN aired a wide variety of sports events that broadcast networks did not show on weekends, including Australian Rules Football, Davis Cup tennis, professional wrestling, boxing, and additional college football and basketball games. Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's Tennis. Professional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is a non-competitive professional Sport, where all matches are scripted by the promotion's booking staff Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, College football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, Colleges and military academies College basketball most often refers to the American Basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA The U. S. Olympic Festival, the now-defunct competition that was organized as a training tool by the United States Olympic Committee, was also an ESPN staple during this time.

Even before ESPN began telecasts, it convinced the NCAA to grant it rights to show early round games of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single elimination Tournament held each spring featuring 65 College basketball teams in the The game broadcasts were extensive and helped college basketball gain a larger audience.

Professional sports arrive

ESPN (along with the USA Network) was among the earliest cable-based broadcast partners for the National Basketball Association (NBA). USA Network (commonly referred to as USA) is an American Cable television channel with about 89 million household subscribers as of 2005 Lasting from 1982-84, the network's relationship with the association marked its initial foray into the American professional sports sector. After an eighteen-year hiatus, ESPN (by then, under the auspices of the ABC network), secured a $2. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. 4 billion/six-year broadcast contract with the NBA, thereby revitalizing its historic compact with U. S. professional basketball. Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m

In 1983, The United States Football League (USFL) made its debut on ESPN and ABC. For the proposed "New USFL" see United States Football League (2010. The league (which lasted for three seasons) enjoyed ephemeral success, some portion of which was a byproduct of the exposure afforded through ESPN's coverage.

In 1987, ESPN gained partial rights to the National Football League. The 1987 NFL season was the 68th Regular season of the National Football League. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. The league agreed to the deal as long as ESPN agreed to simulcast the games on local television stations in the participating markets, which continues today. Simulcast is a Portmanteau of " simul taneous broad' cast' " and refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one A television station is a type of broadcast station that broadcasts both audio and Video to Television receivers in a particular area A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area, DMA or simply market is a region where the Population ESPN Sunday Night Football would last for 19 years and symbolize ESPN's rise from novelty network to American pop culture institution. ESPN Sunday Night Football was the ESPN cable network 's weekly Television broadcasts of Sunday evening National Football League (NFL games Popular culture (or pop culture) is the Culture — patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance — In the 2006 NFL season ABC's Monday Night Football, long considered the showcase game of the NFL's week, began to be broadcast on ESPN. Monday Night Football ( MNF) is a Live television broadcast of the National Football League. This was done to increase viewership of the Sunday night game and make it the "showcase" game.

In 1990, ESPN added Major League Baseball to its lineup with a $400 million contract. [2] MLB games are still on ESPN today and are scheduled to continue through 2011. Jon Miller and Joe Morgan were named as the broadcasters, and that team also continues to this day. Jon Miller (born October 11, 1951) is an American Sportscaster, known primarily for his broadcasts of Major League Baseball. Joe Leonard Morgan (born September 19, 1943 in Bonham Texas) is a former Major League Baseball Second baseman who was inducted into

ESPN at one time has broadcast each of the four major professional sports leagues in North America until deciding not to renew the deal with the National Hockey League after the 2004-2005 lockout, citing ratings for original programming was comparable to those of NHL broadcasts. The National Hockey League ( NHL) is a professional Ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America The 2004–05 NHL lockout resulted in the cancellation of what would have been the 88th season of the National Hockey League (NHL [3]

ESPN broadcasts 65 sports, 24 hours a day in 14 languages in more than 150 countries. [4]

Expansion

The 1990s and early 2000s saw considerable growth within the company. In 1993, ESPN2 was founded, with Keith Olbermann and Suzy Kolber launching the network with SportsNite. ESPN2 debuted on October 1, 1993, as a sister station of ESPN. Keith Olbermann (born January 27 1959 is an American Sportscaster, news anchor, and Political commentator. Susanne Lesley Kolber (born May 14, 1964, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania) is a football Sideline reporter, co- producer Three years later, ESPNEWS was born, with Mike Tirico as the first anchor. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) ESPNews (word origin grammatical blend of ESPN and News, spoken as "ESPN news" and trademarked as "ESPNEWS" Michael Jonathon Tirico (born December 13, 1966) is the lead broadcaster for ESPN 's presentation of Monday Night Football, and for In 1997, ESPN purchased Classic Sports Network and renamed it ESPN Classic. For the Canadian channel of this name see ESPN Classic (Canada. The latest ESPN network in the U. S. , ESPNU, began on March 4, 2005. ESPNU is a Television channel that specializes in College Sports, and is produced by affiliated with and owned by parent network ESPN. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

ESPN International began in the early 1990s to take advantage of the growing satellite markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. ESPN International is a family of networks around the world It was begun in 1989 and is operated by ESPN. In Canada, ESPN, Inc. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page purchased a minority share of TSN and RDS (in fact, the current corporate logo of both looks similar to that of ESPN). The Sports Network (commonly known as TSN) is a Canadian English language Cable television Specialty channel and is Canada's leading Réseau des sports (commonly known as RDS) is a Canadian French language Cable television Specialty channel showing Sports In 2004, ESPN finally entered the European market by launching a version of ESPN Classic, and in December 2006, it agreed to purchase North American Sports Network. The British version of ESPN Classic launched on March 14, 2006 on Sky Digital Channel 442 the first channel in the UK under the ESPN NASN, the North American Sports Network, is an European sports network focusing on professional sports of the United States and Canada. SportsCenter's primary three broadcasts each day are at 1 a. m. ET (which re-airs usually until about noon ET), 6 p. The Eastern Time Zone ( ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America The Eastern Time Zone ( ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America m. ET, and 11 p. The Eastern Time Zone ( ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America m. ET. The Eastern Time Zone ( ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America

In 1994, ESPN set the standard for understanding the role of sports in America with the creation of The ESPN Sports Poll by Dr. The ESPN (Chilton Sports Poll was created by Dr Richard Luker in 1993 and launched on January 4, 1994. Richard Luker. Dr Richard Luker is best known for his creation of The ESPN Sports Poll which began in 1994 and was acknowleded by Sporting News as a key industry tool The Sports Poll was the first ongoing national daily study of sports fan activities and interests in the United States. Sporting News acknowledged the accomplishments of The ESPN Sports Poll and Dr. Luker in 1996. [5]

With the increasing costs of live sports entertainment, such as the U. S. $8. 8 billion costs for NFL football broadcasts rights for eight years, "scripted entertainment has become a luxury item for ESPN," said David Carter, director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California. [6]

From 1996 onward, ESPN was closely integrated with ABC Sports. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) That year, Steve Bornstein, president of ESPN since 1990, was made president of ABC Sports as well. Steve Bornstein is currently the President and CEO of the NFL Network and is also the National Football League 's Executive-Vice President of Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) This integration culminated in the 2006 decision to merge ABC Sports' operations with ESPN. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. As a result, all of ABC's sports programming now uses ESPN on ABC. However, ABC Sports is still legally separate from ESPN (see below).

ESPN is currently building a full-fledged broadcast production facility in downtown Los Angeles, as a part of the L.A. Live complex across from the Staples Center. LA Live is currently under construction in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports Arena in Downtown Los Angeles California adjacent to the L The five-story facility will house an ESPN Zone restaurant on the first two floors and two television production studios with digital control rooms on upper floors. It is scheduled to open in spring 2009. One of the studios will host late-night editions of SportsCenter. [7]

As of January 15, 2008, ESPN has signed a multi-million dollar contract with professional gaming circuit Major League Gaming or MLG for short. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Major League Gaming ( MLG) is one of North America’s biggest professional videogame leagues Although some have argued that professional gaming is not a physical sport, ESPN has gone ahead with this collaboration.

Controversy

See also: Criticism of ESPN

At a roast for co-workers Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic in January 2008, an intoxicated Dana Jacobson cursed the University of Notre Dame, Touchdown Jesus, and Jesus Christ. While ESPN is perhaps the most successful sports network ever (debuting on September 7, 1979) it has not been free from criticism Mike Greenberg (born August 6, 1967 in New York, New York) is a television anchor television show host radio host for ESPN Michael Louis "Mike" Golic (born December 12, 1962 in Willowick Ohio) is a co-host of ESPN Radio 's Mike and Mike in the Dana Jacobson born is an ESPN anchorwoman She joined the network as an ESPNEWS anchor in December 2002 and soon became a regular anchor on the 6 p The University of Notre Dame du Lac (or simply Notre Dame) (ˌnoʊtɚˈdeɪm is a private Roman Catholic Research university located in Touchdown Jesus is a Slang expression for artwork depicting Jesus Christ in a posture that resembles the symbol for a Touchdown in American football Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) [8] She also made disparaging remarks about the University of Southern California. ESPN later released a statement apologizing for any offense given to the Notre Dame Football program while not specifically addressing the remarks that Jacobson made nor releasing any video or transcripts of her remarks.

Harold Reynolds was fired from ESPN for an alleged "inappropriate hug" in 2006. [9]

Ownership history

As mentioned, William Rasmussen founded the network. Just before ESPN launched, Getty Oil Company (later purchased by Texaco, which in turn was acquired by Chevron) agreed to buy a majority stake in the network. Getty Oil is an oil company founded by J Paul Getty. It was at its height during the 1960s Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron"

In 1984, ABC made a deal with Getty Oil to acquire ESPN. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. ABC retained an 80% share, and sold 20% to Nabisco. Nabisco (originally known as Na tional Bis cuit Co mpany is a brand of Cookies and Snacks including brands such as Chips Ahoy! The Nabisco shares were later sold to Hearst Corporation, which still holds a 20% stake today. Hearst Communications Inc is a privately-held American -based Media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower in New York City, USA In 1986, ABC was purchased for $3. 5 billion by Capital Cities Communications. Capital Cities redirects here For the article about the seat of a government see Capital. In 1995, The Walt Disney Company purchased Capital Cities/ABC for $19 billion and picked up an 80% stake in ESPN at that time. According to an analysis published by Barron's magazine in February 2008, ESPN "is probably worth more than 40% of Disney's entire value. Barron's magazine is an American weekly Newspaper covering US . . based on prevailing cash-flow multiples in the industry. "

Although ESPN has been operated as a Disney subsidiary since 1996, it is still technically a joint venture between Disney and Hearst. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) A joint venture (often abbreviated JV) is an entity formed between two or more parties to undertake economic activity together

High definition telecasts

Rece Davis and Linda Cohn on June 7, 2004 during the first ever SportsCenter in High Definition
Rece Davis and Linda Cohn on June 7, 2004 during the first ever SportsCenter in High Definition

In 2004, ESPN opened its High Definition center in Bristol, Connecticut. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " SportsCenter is a daily Sports news Television show and the flagship program of American Cable network ESPN since the network High-definition television (HDTV is a Digital television Broadcasting system with higher resolution than traditional television systems (standard-definition High-definition television (HDTV is a Digital television Broadcasting system with higher resolution than traditional television systems (standard-definition Bristol is a city located in Hartford County Connecticut, USA, 20 miles (32 km southwest of Hartford All Bristol based studio shows, including Sportscenter, Baseball Tonight, NFL Live, NFL PrimeTime, Sunday NFL Countdown, Outside the Lines, Kia NBA Shootaround, NBA Fastbreak, College GameNight and others are broadcast in HD. Baseball Tonight is a Sports Emmy Award -winning program that airs on ESPN, and is the only nightly highlight show devoted to Major League Baseball NFL Live is a National Football League studio show currently airing Tuesday through Friday at 400 p NFL Primetime is a sports television program that has aired on ESPN since 1987. Sunday NFL Countdown is a pregame show of all the NFL action for that week Outside the Lines, or also referred to as OTL, is an Emmy Award -winning television program on ESPN that looks "outside the lines" NBA Shootaround is a pregame show for ESPN 's coverage of the National Basketball Association (NBA This article is about the television program for the pinball game see NBA Fastbreak (pinball NBA Fastbreak is a National Basketball Also, many of the games that ESPN televises are broadcast in HD. The first program ever broadcast in HD on ESPN was an NCAA basketball game in 2002, at the University of Dayton Arena. College basketball most often refers to the American Basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA University of Dayton Arena is a 13409-seat multi-purpose Arena in Dayton Ohio. The first broadcast from the Digital Center was the 11 p. m. ET edition of SportsCenter with Linda Cohn and Rece Davis on June 7, 2004. Linda Cohn (born November 10 1959 is a female American Sportscaster. Rece Davis (born December 14, 1965 as Laurece Davis in Chicago IL) grew Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

Executives

Advertisement on ESPN

Advertising on ESPN is sold out for months in advance. Norby Williamson is the current ESPN Inc Executive Senior Vice President of Studio and Event Production With nearly three-quarters of ESPN's SportsCenter audience being male, ESPN is a great network to catch the male viewer's attention. Major advertisers such as Apple Inc. , FedEx, and United Postal Service are continually buying advertisement to reach the 25-54 year old male audience. ESPN's ad revenue averages $441. 8 million with an ad rate of $9,446 per 30 second slot. [18]

ESPN significant programming rights

The NFL on ESPN

FIFA

UEFA

ESPN Major League Baseball

ESPN Major League Soccer

Major Indoor Soccer League

The NBA on ESPN

The Arena Football League on ESPN

Little League World Series

WNBA on ESPN (Originally the WNBA on ESPN2)

PGA Tour on ESPN

PBA Tour presented by Denny's on ESPN

LPGA Tour on ESPN

NASCAR on ESPN

The IRL on ESPN

The NHRA on ESPN

Champ Car World Series on ESPN

ESPN National Hockey Night

ESPN College Football

ESPN College Basketball

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest: 2003-2007

ESPN also broadcasts a range of horse racing and tennis events. College basketball most often refers to the American Basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single elimination Tournament held each spring featuring 65 College basketball teams in the The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of twelve schools located mostly in the central United States. The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of seventeen Universities in the northeastern southeastern and midwestern United The Nathan's International July Fourth Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual Competitive eating competition held at Nathan's Famous Corporation 's original and best-known This article is about the sport For other uses see Horserace (drinking game or Horse race (politics. It may sometimes acquire the rights to programming in other sports which airs only on ESPN 360, usually because another broadcaster holds the TV rights. ESPN360com is a broadband network for live sports programming in the United States Mexico Brazil and Europe

Music

ESPN has had its own theme music for quite a few years, but early on it used source music. An early theme for its flagship SportsCenter program was "Pulstar," an energetic electronic instrumental piece by Vangelis from his 1976 album Albedo 0.39. Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (Born March 29, 1943 in Volos, Greece) ( Greek: Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου Albedo 039 is an album by the artist Vangelis, released It would play while computer animation of baseballs, footballs, soccer balls, etc. , would fly out from the center of the TV screen in all directions.

The current theme music on SportsCenter was composed by Annie Roboff, a composer who also co-wrote Faith Hill's 1998 hit "This Kiss. SportsCenter is a daily Sports news Television show and the flagship program of American Cable network ESPN since the network Audrey Faith McGraw, known professionally as Faith Hill (born September 21 1967 is an American country singer known both for her commercial success Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) " This Kiss " is a song by Faith Hill, released as the first single from her 1998 album Faith. "[20]

ESPN in popular culture

ESPN has become a part of popular culture since its inception. Many movies with a general sports theme will include ESPN announcers and programming into their storylines (such as in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, which gently lampoons the channel's multiple outlets by referencing the as-yet-nonexistent ESPN8, "The Ocho"); SportsCenter anchors appeared as themselves in music videos by Brad Paisley ("I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)") and Hootie and the Blowfish ("Only Wanna Be With You"); and the short-lived 1998 TV series Sports Night (by West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin) was based around an ESPN-style network and its titular, SportsCenter-analogue flagship sports results program. Dodgeball A True Underdog Story (or commonly referred to as " Dodgeball " is a 2004 Comedy film from 20th Century A music video is a Short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music most commonly a Song with lyrics "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song" is the title of a song recorded by American Country music singer Brad Paisley on his 2001 album Part II Hootie & the Blowfish was an American rock band that enjoyed widespread popularity in the second half of the 1990s Sports Night is an American Television series about a fictional Sports news show (also called Sports Night) and the people who Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9 1961 is an American Screenwriter, producer and Playwright.

Many jokes have been made by comedians about fake obscure sports that are shown on ESPN. Dennis Miller mentioned watching "sumo rodeo," while George Carlin stated that ESPN showed "Australian dick wrestling". Dennis Miller (born November 3, 1953) is an American Stand-up comedian, political/sports commentator, and television/radio personality is a competitive Contact sport where two Wrestlers ( rikishi) attempt to force one another out of a circular ring ( Dohyo) or to touch the ground Rodeo (ˈroʊdioʊ or /roʊˈdeɪoʊ/ is a sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12 1937 – June 22 2008 was an American stand-up comedian, often considered one of the best of all time The penis (plural penises, penes Wrestling is the act of physical engagement between two people in which each wrestler strives to get an advantage over or control of the opponent One of several Saturday Night Live skits poking fun at the network features ESPN 2 airing a show called Scottish Soccer Hooligan Weekly, which includes a fake advertisement for "Senior Women's Beach Lacrosse. Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City "

There are at least 22 children named after the network. [21][22][23]

ESPN business ventures

Current

Former

The ESPN family of networks

Television

ESPN Now

ESPN Now
Owned byThe Walt Disney Company (80%)
Hearst Corporation (20%)
Picture format480i (SDTV)
CountryFlag of the United States United States
LanguageAmerican English
Availability
Cable
Available on select cable systemsCheck local listings for channels

ESPN Now posts around-the-clock sports news along with program scheduling information from ESPN and Go.com. Mobile ESPN is a cellular phone-based sports information service offered by ESPN and Verizon Wireless. ESPN International is a family of networks around the world It was begun in 1989 and is operated by ESPN. ESPN2 debuted on October 1, 1993, as a sister station of ESPN. ESPN Brasil is a Brazilian Cable television network. History Launched in June 1995 ESPN Brasil was the first ESPN broadcaster ESPNews (word origin grammatical blend of ESPN and News, spoken as "ESPN news" and trademarked as "ESPNEWS" For the Canadian channel of this name see ESPN Classic (Canada. ESPN Classic is a Canadian English language category 2 Digital cable Specialty channel owned by CTV Speciality Television Inc a division ESPNHD, launched March 30th, 2003 is a high-definition Simulcast of the cable television network ESPN, both owned by ESPN Deportes is a Cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day in the Spanish language ESPNU is a Television channel that specializes in College Sports, and is produced by affiliated with and owned by parent network ESPN. ESPN2HD is a cable television network owned by Disney that broadcasts 24/7 ESPN Plus is the popular name of ESPN Regional Television, which is an American television program syndicator. ESPNPPV is the banner for Pay-per-view events that ESPN broadcasts including the Out-of-market sports packages ESPN GamePlan (College Football 150 Hearst Communications Inc is a privately-held American -based Media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower in New York City, USA 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode The i, which is sometimes uppercase stands for Interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. Gocom (also known as The Go Network) is a Web portal first launched by Jeff Gold and now operated by the Walt Disney Internet Group, which is a part of It is only available on digital cable networks and does not feature any program-length original material. Digital cable is a type of Cable television distribution using Digital Video compression.

Internet

Radio

Network-wide Preemption

Several times ESPN programing has been drastically altered because of coverage of world events. ESPN Broadband is a business unit of the ESPN company - itself a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. ESPN360com is a broadband network for live sports programming in the United States Mexico Brazil and Europe ESPNcom is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc ESPNsoccernet provides comprehensive coverage of world Football (soccer. ESPN Radio is an American sports Radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN Deportes Radio is a Spanish language Sports radio network created and produced by Disney -owned ESPN.

Both ESPN and ESPN2 carried ABC News coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks. This article is about the American news organization See also ABC News (disambiguation ABC News is a division of American The only original program produced after the preemption was a shortened 6pm edition of Sportscenter which focused on covering the cancellations of sporting events in reaction to the terror attacks.

ESPN carried the first round of the 2003 NCAA Basketball Tournament due to CBS's coverage of the first few days of the Invasion of Iraq. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia The games were still produced by CBS. The only identifiers of ESPN was their bottomline graphic.

References

  1. ^ ESPN: An Uncensored History, by Michael Freeman. Michael Roy Freeman (born 9 December 1960, London England) is a New Zealand Chess player Published in 2000
  2. ^ ESPN, Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002482/ESPN
  3. ^ "ESPN decides not to match Comcast's offer", ESPN, August 18, 2005.  
  4. ^ ESPN, Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002482/ESPN
  5. ^ The Sporting News 12/30/96
  6. ^ "ESPN calls time out on scripted fare", Variety, vol. 407, No. 1, May 21-27, 2007, p. 22
  7. ^ Greg Johnson, ESPN is on schedule to land in L.A. in 2009, Los Angeles Times, December 18, 2007. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  8. ^ Roast of 'Mike and Mike' in Atlantic City runs from brilliant to terrible. Press of Atlantic City (2008-01-12). 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 475 - Basiliscus becomes Byzantine Emperor, with a coronation ceremony in the Hebdomon palace in Constantinople Retrieved on 2008-01-28. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted
  9. ^ Sports Blog. http://deadspin.com/sports/top/reynolds-confirms-firing-for-sexual-harassment-189928.php
  10. ^ The Walt Disney Company - George W. Bodenheimer Executive Biography. The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved on 2007-04-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor
  11. ^ SEAN R. H. BRATCHES Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing. media. espn. com. Retrieved on 2007-04-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor
  12. ^ CHRISTINE F. DRIESSEN Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. media. espn. com. Retrieved on 2007-04-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor
  13. ^ EDWIN M. DURSO Executive Vice President, Administration. media. espn. com. Retrieved on 2007-04-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor
  14. ^ CHUCK PAGANO Executive Vice President, Technology. media. espn. com. Retrieved on 2007-04-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor
  15. ^ JOHN SKIPPER Executive Vice President, Content. media. espn. com. Retrieved on 2007-04-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor
  16. ^ NORBY WILLIAMSON Executive Vice President, Studio and Remote Production. media. espn. com. Retrieved on 2007-04-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor
  17. ^ RUSSELL WOLFF Executive Vice President and Managing Director, ESPN International. media. espn. com. Retrieved on 2007-04-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor
  18. ^ ESPN, Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002482/ESPN
  19. ^ Little League Chronology. Little League Online. Retrieved on 2007-04-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor ESPN2 broadcasts started in 1997. ESPN2 debuted on October 1, 1993, as a sister station of ESPN.
  20. ^ Roboff, Annie. Official Annie Roboff Home Page. Retrieved on 2007-06-19. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1179 - The Norwegian Battle of Kalvskinnet outside Nidaros.
  21. ^ NBC Sports, http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/15168029/, retrieved 4-8-2008
  22. ^ "Texas toddler at least third named ESPN", ESPN, 2006-06-16. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses.  
  23. ^ Hiestand, Michael (2006-02-07). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 - Battle of Montesarchio in which the Prince Lampley nearing most-called Olympics. USA Today. Retrieved on 2008-05-09. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of  “ESPN says it's heard of at least 22 babies named ESPN. ”

See also

External links

The following is a list of programs that currently formerly or will soon be broadcast on ether ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPN on ABC. Past and present television personalities on the ESPN network ESPN Australia is a 24 hour sports channel offered in Australia and New Zealand. ESPN Full Circle was a presentation of a sporting event that airs on every ESPN network SportsCenter is a daily Sports news Television show and the flagship program of American Cable network ESPN since the network ESPN Major League Baseball is a promotion of Major League Baseball on ESPN and ESPN2, with simulcasts on ESPNHD or ESPN2HD ESPN Major League Soccer is a promotion of Major League Soccer on ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC, with simulcasts on ESPN2HD and ABCHD NASCAR on ESPN is a series of NASCAR races that were broadcasted by the ESPN Broadcast (formerly ABC and Cable networks from the early 1960s until 2000 The WNBA on ESPN refers to the presentation of Women's National Basketball Association games on the ESPN family of networks The NBA on ESPN refers to the presentation of National Basketball Association (NBA games on the ESPN family of networks The ESPN auto racing broadcast teams are listed in the table below including races broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. The ESPN College Basketball Broadcast Teams are listed in the table below including games broadcast on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. The ESPN College Football Broadcast Teams are listed in the table below including games broadcast on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN ESPN Major League Baseball broadcasters are listed below including games broadcast only on ESPN currently and formerly The ESPN Soccer Broadcast Teams are listed in the table below including games broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC. The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football Here is a list of assets owned by The Walt Disney Company, one of the largest media and entertainment companies in the world The Sports Network (commonly known as TSN) is a Canadian English language Cable television Specialty channel and is Canada's leading Channel Types Below is a numerical representation of the DirecTV channel lineup. Wieden+Kennedy (W+K earlier spelled Wieden & Kennedy) is an independently owned American Advertising agency best known for its work for Nike Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
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