ESPN Founder and Sports Entrepreneur Bill Rasmussen at SportsCenter set announces his new book, “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” on July 28, 2026.
ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen and Mike Soltys, ESPN Historian, Producer and Co-Author of the “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” book, audiobook and documentary – who first worked with Bill at ESPN at age 20 as an intern – and then built a 45-year PR career at ESPN.
ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen and Garrett Z. Sutton, Tenero.TV Founder, Executive Producer and Co-Author of the “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” book, audiobook and documentary – who met Bill at a Rich Dad conference for entrepreneurs.
New “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” Documentary team includes ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen (front), Emmy Award-Winning Director Greg DeHart (back left), and EP and Tenero TV Founder Garrett Z. Sutton (back right).
The origin story of ESPN Co-Founders Scott Rasmussen (son, left) and Bill Rasmussen (right) are featured in the new “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” book, audiobook and documentary, exclusively available to rent on Tenero.TV.
ESPN Founder and Entrepreneur Bill Rasmussen announces his new book, “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” with Co-Authors Mike Soltys and Garrett Z Sutton.
BRISTOL, CT, UNITED STATES, July 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — To uncover the greatest sports entrepreneur success story, the new book: “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” (SuccessDNA, July 28, 2026) by ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen is being released today as the final part of a 3-part project that includes a book, audiobook and documentary. To document this moonshot backstory, the book features the bold vision, challenges, and untold stories behind the launch of the first 24×7 sports network on September 7, 1979, in Bristol, CT – that changed how the world views sports – forever.
Legendary ESPN Sportscaster Chris Berman wrote the Foreword. Co-Authors include ESPN Historian Mike Soltys and Executive Producer, Tenero TV Founder and Entrepreneur Garrett Z. Sutton, who played an integral role in writing the book, along with creating the audiobook and producing the documentary.
Readers can learn how ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen and his son and Co-Founder Scott Rasmussen first came up with their “big audacious goal”, and bet everything on satellites. And to provide perspective on the significance of this story, the ESPN network’s first broadcast was nine months before CNN’s 24-hour cable news program launched on June 1, 1980.
Known as an ‘Intentional Optimist’, Bill Rasmussen never gave up on his dream. After getting fired by the Hartford Whalers in 1978, Bill saw it as an opportunity to remake the sports broadcasting industry. Instead of feeling defeated, Bill brainstormed ideas, scheduled investor meetings and built the ESPN launch team and plan with his son Scott.
The defining ah-moment was when Scott said to Bill in frustration, “I don’t care what you do with it, Dad. Show football all day and see if I care.” As a result, Bill asked a question that changed sports history: “Why not build a channel dedicated entirely to sports?”
Executive Producer, Author, Tenero.TV Founder, and Rich Dad Advisor Garrett Z. Sutton emphasizes, “The ‘Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN’ book, audiobook and documentary do not simply cover the story of a network. It is the story of persistence, risk, vision, and intentional optimism.”
Sutton first met Bill Rasmussen at a Rich Dad conference for entrepreneurs, where Garrett was a speaker. Together, Bill and Garrett first came up with the idea to document this groundbreaking sports entrepreneur story in three formats.
Co-Author and ESPN Historian Mike Soltys also played an integral role in this project as a Producer and Co-Author. Soltys first joined ESPN at the age 20, working as an intern for free. Soltys then built a 45-year PR career in ESPN’s corporate communications department.
Soltys said: “People will find the ESPN origin story remarkable and it was a thrill to bring it to life. Adding 20 voices with a modern perspective bring depth to an incredible story. Bill Rasmussen’s idea launched thousands of careers, including mine, and sparked the sports television industry’s massive growth over the past five decades.”
Along with insights on the launch of ESPN, entrepreneurs can learn Bill Rasmussen’s leadership success tips, which include: 1. Lead with optimism, 2. Start each day with positive intention, 3. Keep your message simple, 4. Never let the world see you sweat, and 5. Always be curious, never complacent.
Both the audio and print books feature 20 different sports pioneer “perspectives”, including, Scott Rasmussen, Chris Berman, George Grande, Mary Walton, Bob Ley, Chuck Pagano, George Conner, Geoff Bray, Rosa Gatti, George Bodenheimer, Jimmy Pitaro, Mike Soltys, Josh Krulewitz, Howard Baldwin, Dennis Randall, Ken Boudreau, Mike Buckler, Al Parinello, John Leone, Greg Wyatt, and J.B. Doherty.
And based on the book, the new “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” documentary is directed by Emmy-Award Winning Director Greg DeHart. Tenero Productions and Tenero TV Founder Garrett Z. Sutton serves as Executive Producer. ESPN Historian Mike Soltys serves as a Producer. The film originally aired on ESPN on April 6, 2026, and is now exclusively available to watch on Tenero.TV.
WHERE TO GET THE BOOK
Available now on Amazon:
“Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” (SuccessDNA, July 28, 2026)
https://a.co/d/07PW9nJZ
WHERE TO GET THE AUDIOBOOK
“Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” Audiobook (April 6, 2026)
Features interviews with 20 different voices behind this ESPN story.
https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Sports-Heaven-Birth-ESPN/dp/B0G7L9KXNT/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0
OFFICIAL DOCUMENTARY TRAILER
Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN – Exclusively on Tenero TV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00dOvEOVGms
WHERE WATCH THE FILM – Exclusively on Tenero.TV
Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN (Tenero Productions, April 2026)
https://tenero.tv/products/sports-heaven-the-birth-of-espn
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
BILL RASMUSSEN is a life-long entrepreneur, trailblazer, sports fan and author of “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” (July 2026), who is known as an “Intentional Optimist.” Rasmussen’s innovations in advertising, sports and broadcasting are numerous, and include the creation of ESPN, the world’s first 24-hour, 7-days-a-week sports television network; the network’s signature program SportsCenter; wall-to-wall coverage of NCAA men’s and women’s regular-season and tournament college basketball coverage; and coverage of the College World Series. A United States Air Force veteran, Rasmussen received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from DePauw University and his MBA from Rutgers University.
ABOUT THE CO-AUTHORS:
MIKE SOLTYS is an ESPN Historian Co-Author and Producer of the “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” book, audiobook and documentary – who first worked with Bill at ESPN at age 20 as an intern – and then built a 45-year PR career in ESPN’s corporate communications department.
GARRETT Z. SUTTON is the Tenero.TV Founder, Executive Producer and Co-Author of the “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” book, audiobook and documentary – who met Bill at a Rich Dad conference for entrepreneurs, where Garrett was speaking as a Rich Dad Advisor. Together, they decided to do this 3-part book project.
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