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Category: Sports Wires

  • Los Angeles Angels to be sold to Rams, Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke

    Los Angeles Angels to be sold to Rams, Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke

    ANAHEIM, Calif. — Kroenke Sports and Entertainment says it has reached a deal to purchase the Los Angeles Angels from Arte Moreno.

    The company led by Stan Kroenke made the surprising announcement Tuesday, saying it expects to close the transaction in early 2027.

    Kroenke’s company owns the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, Arsenal of the English Premier League, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids and SoFi Stadium, along with the large Hollywood Park campus around the multibillion-dollar Inglewood arena. The company has now added the Angels, whose turbulent 23-year tenure under Moreno’s ownership will finally come to an end.

    “The Angels are a storied franchise anchored in a great market,” Kroenke said in a statement. ”We look forward to an exciting future with the Angels organization.”

    Moreno, an outdoor advertising magnate from Arizona, bought the Angels from the Walt Disney Company in 2003. While the club had steady success in its first years under Moreno with much of the roster that won the 2002 World Series, the Halos have entered a decline since winning their most recent playoff game in 2009.

    The Angels are currently headed to their 11th consecutive losing season and their 12th consecutive non-playoff season, both the longest active streaks in the majors.

    They’ve made the playoffs just once during the career of three-time AL MVP outfielder Mike Trout, who teamed with two-time AL MVP Shohei Ohtani for six straight seasons with no success.

    A significant portion of the Angels’ struggles can be attributed to the 80-year-old Moreno, who repeatedly inserted himself into personnel decisions. While he spent aggressively in his attempts to build a winner, his biggest moves usually backfired, with a series of high-profile acquisitions who produced a fraction of their anticipated impact.

    The Angels have also endured numerous troubles off the field during Moreno’s tenure, from the drug-related death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs to numerous smaller scandals.

    The Angels remained a healthy box office draw to their loyal Orange County fans during most of his tenure, but the fan base had lost patience in recent years. Angel Stadium’s slightly smaller crowds this season have regularly chanted “Sell the team!”

    The lack of success also began to wear on Moreno, whose children reportedly aren’t interested in carrying on in the baseball business. Moreno publicly explored a sale of the Angels in 2022, only to pull the team off the market in early 2023.

    “The Moreno family has been honored to steward the Angels for 23 years, and we believe with KSE’s experience and success, they are the best next owner for the franchise,” Moreno said in a statement. “The Angels organization looks forward to continuing its commitment to the fans, our employees, the players and our business partners.”

  • Lionel Messi announces his retirement from international soccer. This summer served as his final World Cup

    Lionel Messi announces his retirement from international soccer. This summer served as his final World Cup

    Argentina superstar Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international soccer on Monday, ending 21 years of national-team duty capped by winning the World Cup in 2022.

    “It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deeply — but I understand that the time has come,” Messi, 39, said via his Instagram account.

    Messi, who will continue to play at club level with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, played in a record-tying six World Cups. He won it four years ago in a tournament he dominated in Qatar and also led Argentina to the title match in 2014 and again this year, when the Albiceleste lost to Spain in extra time inside MetLife Stadium.

    Argentina’s Lionel Messi (center) reacts after the World Cup final against Spain on July 19. Stephanie Scarbrough

    Messi stands shoulder to shoulder with Diego Maradona, a compatriot with whom he was so often compared, and Brazil icon Pelé as the greatest players of all time.

    For many, he’s the best.

    “I swear to you that I always gave it my all — not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too,” Messi wrote. ”I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.”

    Messi played 207 games for Argentina and finished as its all-time leading scorer with 125 goals, 21 of them in World Cups. Only one player has more goals in men’s internationals — his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 146 and has yet to announce his retirement from Portugal duty.

    Messi became the all-time leading World Cup scorer for a month in the recent tournament in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, but finished one goal behind France’s Kylian Mbappé.

    Decision to leave (again)

    In a long social-media post, Messi explained he wrote his retirement letter on July 21 — two days after the World Cup final in which he struggled to make an impact — but waited to publish it because his father was facing health issues that eventually claimed his life.

    Jorge Messi died on Aug. 8 in his native Rosario.

    The news marks the second time Messi made the decision to retire.

    A decade ago, he retired from the national team following Argentina’s defeat in the 2016 Copa America final to Chile on penalty kicks — one of which he missed.

    A public campaign led by Maradona and the president changed his mind, and Messi shook off the notion of not being able to win the big matches, returning to the Argentina team and continuing to star for Barcelona, then Paris Saint-Germain, then MLS’s Inter Miami.

    At 39, Lionel Messi will continue to lead Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami franchise, who look to defend their MLS title. Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer

    In just his fourth season in MLS, he’s a two-time MVP and was the star in Miami’s run to an MLS Cup win last season.

    “He is pure history,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said during the recent World Cup. “History. A legend.”

    In the letter, Messi did not say how long he intends to continue playing. The recent World Cup showed he’s still one of the best players in the world, as did a four-goal display for Inter Miami at the weekend in a 7-1 victory over CF Montreal.

    “I leave with the peace of mind and pride of having given you — along with my teammates — moments we once only dreamed of. Experiencing this with you was incredible. I love you all,” he added.

  • Aaron Donald ends his 2 1/2-year retirement and returns to the Los Angeles Rams

    Aaron Donald ends his 2 1/2-year retirement and returns to the Los Angeles Rams

    LOS ANGELES — Aaron Donald returned to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, ending his retirement after 2 1/2 years to chase another Super Bowl title.

    The 35-year-old Donald made his decision after several weeks of discussion and nearly three months of intensive workouts for a star defensive lineman who reigned atop his position in a Rams uniform from 2014 until his retirement in early 2024.

    Donald joined a light practice at the Rams’ training complex later Sunday, shaking hands and exchanging hugs with Myles Garrett and the rest of his teammates, both old and new.

    While he hasn’t decided whether he will play in the Rams’ season opener against the 49ers in Australia next month, Donald is eager to complete a comeback that seemed improbable only three months ago.

    Eagles reveal 53-man roster, keep four quarterbacks amid cuts

    “Do I feel like I can play at a high level? Yes,” Donald said. “Do I feel like I can still be myself? One hundred percent, and if I didn’t feel like that, I wouldn’t be here.”

    Donald agreed to a one-year contract, and ESPN reported he will make at least $20 million in an incentive-laden deal.

    Donald became one of the greatest defensive players of his era during a decade spent entirely with the Rams in St. Louis and Los Angeles. He won three AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards while earning 10 Pro Bowl selections, eight All-Pro selections and a Super Bowl ring before he retired somewhat abruptly following the 2023-24 season.

    After two years of tending to his business interests and enjoying ample family time, Donald began to entertain the notion of a comeback this summer after the Rams traded young lineman Jared Verse in a deal for Garrett, one of Donald’s few peers in contemporary defensive line play.

    “I already thought it was a stacked D-line with Verse … and then you bring a guy like Myles Garrett, a generational talent, and then it’s like, ‘Gosh, that could be fun,’” Donald said with a grin.

    Donald and Garrett have combined to win five of the AP’s past nine Defensive Player of the Year awards, including two of the past three for Garrett with the Cleveland Browns. While Garrett said he wouldn’t attempt to influence Donald’s decision, the two have exchanged numerous text messages while Donald went through the training necessary to become his teammate.

    With MVP Matthew Stafford returning to lead the league’s most productive offense, Los Angeles was already the betting favorite in most sportsbooks to win its second Super Bowl title under coach Sean McVay even before Donald’s comeback. Along with Garrett, Los Angeles added cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson from Kansas City to a defense that now looks more equipped to keep pace with the Rams’ offense, which returns every major contributor around Stafford.

    “I think this is a complete team with me here or without me here, so for me to even have the opportunity to be a part of this, to be with this team, I take nothing for granted,” Donald said. “It’s a blessing to be retired from the game for two years and then have the opportunity to come back and be a part of something special.”

    McVay has seemed confident for weeks that Donald was leaning toward a return. Donald said he finalized his decision to return about two weeks ago after being in almost daily contact with McVay for several weeks.

    “He means a lot to me, and it’s way bigger than football,” McVay said. “There’s a lot of history. There’s a lot of experiences that we’ve shared, a lot of love for each other’s families. I’m excited to start this journey.”

    Donald stayed in decent shape during his retirement, and he was pleasantly surprised by the way his body responded to its return to NFL-level training. He also says his famed defensive line technique hasn’t declined.

    “I’ve been in a football mindset for the last 14 weeks,” Donald said. “If anything, it’s just getting back on the grass and knocking the rust off as far as playing football again, 11 on 11. Work on my eyes, getting the feel for the game, certain reaction things that made me who I am. I put myself in the best position the best way I can with training to get to where I’m at now.”

    Donald’s 111 career sacks are the Rams’ franchise record and the second-most in NFL history among linemen who primarily played on the interior. His ability to generate a pass rush between the tackles is the primary basis of his greatness, but Donald also was a run-stuffer whose agility and technique forced defenses to double-team him regularly, freeing up his teammates to excel.

    The decision resets Donald’s eligibility clock for his all-but-automatic induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he’s much more interested in seizing the strong opportunity to play for a second ring while lining up alongside Garrett and talented young contributors Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske on what should be an opponents’ nightmare of a defensive front.

    Donald joins a significant group of recent NFL stars who have ended retirements and returned to this punishing sport, including Philip Rivers, Jason Witten, Marshawn Lynch, Rob Gronkowski and Eric Weddle, the safety who came back from 2 1/2 years away and joined Donald on the Rams’ short-handed defense for its playoff run to a championship in early 2022.

  • Judge will hear recantation of sexual abuse claim against ex-Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky

    Judge will hear recantation of sexual abuse claim against ex-Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky

    BELLEFONTE, Pa. — A judge has granted a hearing to explore claims that a man wants to recant allegations of sexual abuse years ago by Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.

    Sandusky, 82, has been serving a decades-long prison sentence since he was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse involving multiple boys in 2012. He has repeatedly lost efforts to get a new trial.

    A man identified in court documents as R.R. said he was coached extensively by authorities.

    “I was told — both directly and indirectly — that trauma may have fragmented my memory, and that I could safely affirm details I did not fully recall. I was assured this was common and even expected,” R.R. said in an affidavit filed by Sandusky’s attorneys.

    A court hearing in Centre County has been scheduled for Sept. 8. Messages left with attorneys were not immediately returned Friday. State prosecutors said Sandusky’s petition is untimely.

    Sandusky coached the defense at one of the country’s top football programs under Hall of Fame head coach Joe Paterno. The scandal led to Paterno’s firing, and the university paid more than $100 million to people who said they had been abused by Sandusky. He has repeatedly declared his innocence.

    “I apologize that I’m unable to admit remorse for this because it’s something that I didn’t do,” Sandusky said during a 2019 court appearance.

    Authorities said Sandusky found and groomed victims at the Second Mile, a charity that he started for at-risk youth. Eight young men testified against him.

    At trial, R.R. was 25 years old. He testified that he was 11 when Sandusky performed oral sex in the coach’s basement in 1998, a transcript shows.

    “He told me that if I told anybody that I would never see my family again,” said R.R., who was in foster care at the time.

    Sandusky later apologized and said “he loved me,” R.R. testified.

  • SEC joins Big Ten in banning pros from returning to college, includes basketball players

    SEC joins Big Ten in banning pros from returning to college, includes basketball players

    The Southeastern Conference passed a rule Tuesday banning players who have been drafted by NFL, NBA or WNBA teams or listed on rosters in those leagues, joining the Big Ten in taking a strong stand against this month’s unexpected surge of pro players trying to return to college.

    The SEC’s rule differs from the one adopted by the Big Ten, which only included football in its decision released earlier in the day.

    Combined, it leaves little doubt about where the nation’s two biggest conferences stand in the wake of court orders that were allowing players who had been on pro rosters, then released, to return back to college.

    It puts LSU on notice. This week, Tigers coach Lane Kiffin added Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, a pair of undrafted players out of Mississippi who had tryouts in the NFL over the summer, but were released by their teams during training camp.

    The rule would also apply to basketball player R.J. Luis, who Monday won a court ruling that allowed him to sign with Will Wade’s program at LSU despite having briefly been under contract with the Jazz and Celtics of the NBA.

    There was no immediate comment from LSU.

    The Big Ten’s penalties for violating its rule include a half-season suspension for the head coach and a fine to the school. The SEC did not immediately divulge its penalties.

    The burst of rulemaking marked the latest chapter in a remarkable month for college sports, which was suddenly faced with the once-unthinkable but now court-approved return to college of players who had signed and sometimes played for professional teams.

    “I feel like I took a freaking gummy,” said Sean McVay, the coach of the Los Angeles Rams, when asked about the prospect of a player he released returning to college. “I don’t even understand it.”

    Kiffin was much more in tune with the change, suggesting in a news conference Monday that if LSU didn’t take such players, other teams certainly would. Now, nobody can — at least not among the 34 teams that make up the two biggest leagues in college and play an outsize role in spearheading policy across the industry.

    Another Power Four league, the Atlantic Coast Conference, was set to discuss the issue Wednesday.

    They are reacting to a series of losses in state courts around the country, where judges are granting players who graduated high school in 2022 a fifth year of eligibility. In June, the NCAA passed a rule giving most players five years to finish five seasons of eligibility in college, but did not grandfather in the Class of ’22.

    Hundreds of those players saw their fourth — and supposedly final — year of eligibility run out last spring. They are arguing in courts that they’re being denied educational opportunities and the chance to earn name, image and likeness money that they could get in a fifth year.

  • Enes Kanter Freedom ejected from Fever-Sky game after he was confronted by Sky’s Cloud

    Enes Kanter Freedom ejected from Fever-Sky game after he was confronted by Sky’s Cloud

    CHICAGO — Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from Sunday night’s Indiana-Chicago WNBA game after Sky guard Natasha Cloud yelled and pointed in his direction late in the third quarter.

    Freedom was sitting along the baseline. He had on a black shirt that read “WOMAN noun. adult human female.”

    The Fever called for a timeout after Cloud scored inside with 1:22 left in the third. Cloud then went to confront Kanter, who held his arms and took one step on the court. Security and a handful of Sky players stepped in between the two before the dispute escalated.

    Freedom was then escorted from the court area. He displayed his shirt as he walked toward the lobby. He had a conversation with a group of police officers before departing Wintrust Arena.

    Freedom and Royce White, another former NBA player, declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft this month, saying they identify as women.

  • T-wolves, Lynx co-owner Marc Lore agrees to sell his controlling stake at a $4.5 billion value

    T-wolves, Lynx co-owner Marc Lore agrees to sell his controlling stake at a $4.5 billion value

    MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx co-owner Marc Lore has agreed to sell his controlling stake in the franchises to limited partner Marc Shad at a $4.5 billion value barely a year after his purchase was finalized, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

    The person spoke Friday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details of the agreement were not being publicized.

    Lore, a New York e-commerce entrepreneur, and partner Alex Rodriguez, the former Major League Baseball star, bought the NBA and WNBA clubs from Minnesota businessman Glen Taylor. That complicated and contentious process lasted more than four years until the $1.5 billion sale got league approval in June 2025.

    Lore and Shad are essentially swapping roles, the person said. Rodriguez will remain as a co-owner.

    Lore, Rodriguez and Shad issued a joint statement Friday expressing their commitment to the current leadership in the organization including chief executive officer Matt Caldwell, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, and Lynx president of basketball operations and head coach Cheryl Reeve.

    ___

    AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed.

    ___

  • Pope hats, bloody shirts, and so many bobbleheads: The creative ways MLB teams lure fans to the park

    Pope hats, bloody shirts, and so many bobbleheads: The creative ways MLB teams lure fans to the park

    CHICAGO — It started as a limited promotion for a specialty theme night. Then the Chicago White Sox heard from their fans.

    Everyone wanted a pope-themed hat.

    “When things go bananas … that’s when it gets really fun,” said Brooks Boyer, the White Sox’s chief revenue and marketing officer.

    Fun is the overarching theme when it comes to stadium giveaways, and business has been good at major league ballparks this year.

    An array of creative promotions — everything from the New York Mets handing out fake glasses and mustaches for a Bobby Valentine Disguise Night to the Texas Rangers giving away a Nolan Ryan bloody lip jersey — has played at least a small role in an MLB-wide average attendance of 29,618 through Aug. 11, the highest such number for a full season since 2017.

    Bobbleheads remain popular — like the Brandon Nimmo Bull Riding bobblehead in Texas, or the butter-churning Nick Kurtz “Big Amish” bobblehead with the Athletics — but it’s not just those iconic figurines that are drawing big crowds. The Brewers handed out 25,000 bar dice sets to fans 21 and over on Saturday, and they had a crowd of 40,625 at American Family Field.

    The pitch clock and other innovative rules introduced by MLB in 2023 are often credited for spurring fan interest. But it’s clear from the long lines — and occasionally astronomical resale prices on eBay — what a clever giveaway can do for ticket sales, too.

    “I definitely think across the league, there’s been an increase in demand and desire, and even necessity, to do things that are outside of the box,” said Meagan Hermosillo, the director of marketing and promotions for the Arizona Diamondbacks. ”For us, we can’t really do a standard bobblehead or a standard anything. It has to have some kind of unique factor if we want it to move the needle.”

    Chicago’s pope hats took creative — and careful — planning

    The White Sox ended up giving the pope hats — shaped like the Pope’s miter, with the team’s sock logo in the middle — to everyone in the crowd of 38,113 for the Aug. 11 5-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The tribute to Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native and longtime White Sox fan, helped push the club’s season-long attendance to 1,460,383, surpassing its total of 1,445,738 for all of 2025.

    The team leaned into the theme. There were signs posted in the ballpark that read “LEO KNOWS MUNE” and “LEO KNOWS KONERKO,” referring to current White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami and former slugger Paul Konerko.

    “I thought it was a great idea, knowing that the Pope is from Chicago and he’s a Sox fan, which is great,” said Edward Lopez, 58, a truck driver from the south side of the city.

    Lopez was supposed to go to the game with his girlfriend, but she wasn’t able to make it. So he went through two different gates to make sure he secured two pope hats.

    “It was worth it,” he said.

    Promotions for the White Sox go through a committee led by senior director of marketing and promotions Mike Downey. They throw out ideas and concepts, and they also look at samples from different vendors.

    The team also is handing out wooden domino sets to 10,000 fans on Aug. 22 and magic wands to 20,000 fans on Sept. 4, a nod to the viral wand-waving dugout displays of injured reliever Mike Vasil.

    “We’ve always looked to have our giveaways be something that we know people would wear or use or value because it adds value to the ticket,” Boyer said. “So it starts with that.”

    While planning the pope hat night, religious sensitivities were part of the conversation for the promotions committee.

    “We haven’t done items that would be Pope Leo’s likeness,” Boyer said. “We wouldn’t do that without the permission of the Vatican. … We’ve been very careful. There is a little bit of nuance and finesse that needs to be done. And items, you know a lot of items may not be for everybody.”

    Teams are eagerly jumping on larger cultural moments for eye-catching promotions

    The Baltimore Orioles handed out a Tupac Shakur bobblehead in May. The New York Yankees gave out a KPop Demon Hunters bobblehead on Aug. 11, and they have a George Costanza calzone bobblehead — paying tribute to a 1996 Seinfeld episode — coming up on Aug. 27. Every MLB team except Toronto had a Star Wars Night this season.

    A Tupac Shakur bobblehead is displayed for the Baltimore Orioles’ giveaway at a baseball game against the Athletics on May 8, 2026, in Baltimore. Noah Trister

    Following in the footsteps of the minor leagues in many cases, it’s not enough anymore to just feature a popular player for a giveaway.

    “You can see that teams are doing a much better job with their understanding [of] who they’re trying to target,” said Jim Strode, an associate dean and professor at Ohio University’s College of Business. “When I think of the Seinfeld one, I’m thinking, you know, they’re targeting Gen X, they are targeting some, you know, younger baby boomers to try to get out to the ballpark.”

    There is also what Lauren Anderson, the director of the Warsaw Sports Business Center at the University of Oregon, described as the “collector chase game.” There were multiple fans looking to buy additional pope hats at Tuesday night’s game, and there were several listings for the giveaway and the KPop Demon Hunters bobblehead on eBay the next day.

    “You want something that’s unique and cool and something that you can, you know, I’m one of 5,000 people to get these, I’m one of 10,000,” Anderson said. “I mean, there is also a bit of the game of people want something that’s limited so they can flip it and sell it, like on an eBay.”

    David Brandt contributed to this article.

  • San Francisco’s Chase Center, Valkyries to host 2027 WNBA All-Star Game

    San Francisco’s Chase Center, Valkyries to host 2027 WNBA All-Star Game

    SAN FRANCISCO — The WNBA All-Star Game is coming to the Bay Area next summer.

    League commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Tuesday that the game will be July 31, 2027, at Chase Center after a weekend of All-Star activities around the San Francisco region.

    “We are thrilled to bring AT&T WNBA All-Star to the San Francisco Bay Area for the first time,” Engelbert, a Collingswood native, said in a statement. “The Golden State Valkyries have brought incredible energy and excitement to the WNBA from the moment they were announced as an expansion team in 2023, and the response from fans across the Bay Area has been remarkable. Valkyries fans have embraced this team with an extraordinary level of passion and enthusiasm, and we can’t wait to see that energy on full display for an unforgettable All-Star weekend next summer.”

    At the All-Star Game in Chicago last month, players’ union president Nneka Ogwumike, who played at Stanford, said many players felt that Golden State would be a great host for next year’s midsummer exhibition.

    Our favorite looks from WNBA All-Star Weekend

    The Valkyries have sold out all of their home games at the Chase Center, which opened in 2019, since the franchise’s inception last year. They became the first expansion organization to make the playoffs in its inaugural year and ultimately lost to the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx. The Valkyries clinched a playoff berth for this year on Monday night with a win over Dallas.

    The NBA All-Star Game was played at Chase Center last year.

    “Hosting AT&T WNBA All-Star in only our third season is an incredible honor and a reflection of everything this fanbase, this region, and this organization have built together,” Valkyries president Jess Smith said. “From Day 1, the Bay Area has shown up for this team in a way that’s redefined what’s possible in women’s basketball, and we can’t wait to put that same energy on display for the entire league next summer.”

    Dawn Staley talks WNBA ownership, while Doc Rivers reflects on Sixers leadership at Hall of Fame induction weekend

    Last week, Major League Baseball announced the 2028 All-Star Game would return to nearby Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.

    The Super Bowl was played in February at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., which then hosted the World Cup this summer.

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

    Bill Rasmussen, ESPN co-founder, dies at 93

    LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. — Bill Rasmussen, who co-founded ESPN in 1979 after being fired from a public relations job in the World Hockey Association, died Tuesday. He was 93.

    ESPN historian Mike Soltys said Mr. Rasmussen died at his Florida home from the effects of Parkinson’s disease. Mr. Rasmussen announced in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with the degenerative disease in 2014.

    “Bill was a remarkable man — a visionary and an innovator who conceived the idea of a network entirely devoted to sports,” ESPN chairperson Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “Quite simply, none of us would be here today if it wasn’t for Bill’s passion and all the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit he put into building ESPN in the late 1970s — key aspects of our company culture that still carry on to this day.”

    Mr. Rasmussen and his son Scott came up with the idea of a network carrying sports around the clock, and it would revolutionize Americans’ TV-watching habits. But the pair didn’t stick around long. They were forced out after only a year by ESPN majority owner Getty Oil.

    Bill Rasmussen’s original idea was a cable channel covering only Connecticut sports. Many cable operators in the state were skeptical, but someone suggested buying satellite time to reach a national audience.

    ESPN was launched on Sept. 7, 1979. George Grande welcomed viewers to the first SportsCenter broadcast before the network’s first live event, a slow-pitch softball game between the Kentucky Bourbons and the Milwaukee Schlitz.

    “In those days, we didn’t know if we’d last four weeks, four years, let alone 40-some, but we knew it was special,” Grande said. “Bottom line was Bill Rasmussen was the true purveyor of the original American dream, and he gave us all something very special that we still have today.”

    The Rasmussens secured financial backing from Getty Oil and a rights deal with the NCAA, and built a studio in Bristol, Conn., still under construction when ESPN went on the air.

    The Getty investment and the deal with the NCAA occurred on the same day.

    “When someone tells you you can’t do something, you want to prove them wrong,” Bill Rasmussen said. “Many, many people told us there wasn’t enough sports to do a 24-hour channel. I didn’t argue with anybody. I just thought they were wrong and I was right.”

    When the Rasmussens were forced out of ESPN in 1980, Getty owned 85% of the network. Texaco, which had acquired Getty, sold its interest in ESPN to ABC in 1984.

    Bill Rasmussen and ESPN were estranged until 1999, when company executives invited him to the 20th anniversary celebration. Since then, he has been embraced and recognized for his vision of creating an all-sports network. He toured the country in 2019 for the 40th anniversary and gave speeches at Walt Disney Co. and ESPN events.

    “Bill was our George Washington and a good friend,” said veteran anchor Chris Berman, who joined ESPN three weeks after the network launched in 1979. “He was such a grateful person and every sports fan can be grateful for Bill. He wasn’t a glass half-full guy; his glass was always overflowing with optimism. He greeted everyone with a smile and we can all smile knowing Bill’s legacy.”

    Born in Chicago, Mr. Rasmussen earned degrees from DePauw University in Indiana and Rutgers University and served in the Air Force. He started an advertising services business, then worked in radio and television as a broadcaster during the 1960s.

    He was hired in 1974 as public relations director for the WHA’s New England Whalers in Hartford, Conn. The team’s entire front office was fired in 1978, and Mr. Rasmussen soon turned his attention to brainstorming with his son on the creation of sports on cable TV with the help of a $9,000 credit card advance.

    “There was a whole lot of chutzpah and a whole lot of vision, and they’re maxed out on their credit cards. It’s the American dream,” said Bob Ley, one of the network’s original anchors.

    Mr. Rasmussen was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2025.

    Mr. Rasmussen was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Lois, in 2011 and is survived by two sons, Scott Rasmussen and his wife, Laura, and Glenn Rasmussen, daughter Lynn Van Hollebeke and her husband, Louie, seven grandchildren, one great-grandson, and one great-granddaughter. In addition to his wife, Mr. Rasmussen was predeceased by his brothers Robert and Donald Rasmussen, sister Vivien, and a grandson.