What Does ESPN Stand For?

The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network was launched on September 7, 1979. The full name was dropped in February 1985 when it became quite simply, ESPN.

ESPN is an American cable television network that broadcasts sports-related programming 24 hours a day. Based in Bristol, Connecticut, ESPN was founded by Scott Rassmussen. The first CEO of the corporation was Chet Simmons.

The majority of its shows are broadcast from the Bristol, Connecticut studio, however, the company owns offices in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Washington, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

The original idea behind ESPN was a cable network that specifically focused on sports in Connecticut, and to broadcast for a couple hours each night. The network would broadcast exclusively about such teams as the Connecticut Huskies, the Bristol Red Sox, or the Hartford Whalers.

Rasmussen soon found out that it was actually cheaper to purchase a continuous twenty-four hour satellite feed rather than purchase blocks of time to broadcast each night. Once Rasmussen discovered this, he changed the concept of the network into a twenty-four hour nationwide network.

Initially, the station had some difficulty filling the twenty-four hours of broadcast. The station had to air such broadcasts as Australian rules football, Davis Cup tennis, professional wrestling, and boxing to fill air times. The channel also aired some business news, and exercise videos.

The longest running telecast on ESPN is “SportsCenter.” “SportsCenter” debuted with the network, and it runs several times throughout the day. It is an hour long recap of major sports news, and it’s hosted by two individuals. 

ESPN has a number of different sister networks, including ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPN Plus, ESPNU HD, and ESPN Classics. ESPNU broadcasts university sports, such as college basketball or college football.