[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 105 (Wednesday, September 8, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CONGRATULATING ESPN ON ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY

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                          HON. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 7, 2004

  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
ESPN on its 25th anniversary. At 7 p.m. on September 7, 1979, the 
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network began broadcasting 
SportsCenter from Bristol, CT in my district. Bill Rasmussen had the 
crazy idea that a 24-hour sports cable network might be a success. It 
started with a single building with no running water and a control 
truck on cinderblocks showing such odd sports as Australian rules 
football and darts. Twenty-five years later, he has proven to be right. 
That single building has grown into nine control rooms, 31 edit suites, 
more than 2,000 television monitors, and a library of over a million 
tapes.
  ESPN is now one of the most widely known brand names in the world and 
more than 90 million people are exposed to ESPN each week. It has 
expanded its networks to include ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN 
Deportes, ESPN Today, and ESPN Radio. ESPN.com receives over 2.3 
million page views during peak hours with its instant score updates. 
Meanwhile, workers stuck in their cubicles from 9 to 5 can find a 
diversion for a few minutes reading Page 2, Page 3, and the Sports 
Guy's insight on what it means to be a Red Sox fan. ESPN the Magazine 
has reached a circulation of 1.7 million in just five years and won the 
National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2003. ESPN Zone 
restaurants in eight cities serve as the ideal place to grab a bite and 
watch the game.
  ESPN's signature program, SportsCenter, has developed a cult 
following and many viewers will admit to watching multiple episodes of 
the same sports report back-to-back-to-back. It has touched all corners 
of the globe with locally produced episodes in Canada and Brazil, a 
Spanish version for the rest of Latin America, China, India, and 
Taiwan. SportsCenter has not only helped create sports superstars, its 
personalities have become stars in their own right. Chris Berman, Keith 
Olbermann, Bob Ley, Greg Gumbel, Dan Patrick, Stuart Scott, and Craig 
Kilborn have become celebrities and their vernacular has become the 
language of the sports fan.
  Not to be forgotten is the major role ESPN has played in the 
expansion of women's sports. Who would have thought in 1979 that the 
NCAA women's lacrosse national championship game would be shown in 
front of a national television audience? Or that the highest rated 
basketball telecast ever on ESPN would be the 2004 NCAA women's 
basketball championship, won by the University of Connecticut. That 
includes more than 6,000 men's and women's basketball games. Where else 
can young girls aspiring to become the next Mia Hamm watch their 
heroes?
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in congratulating 
Bill Rasmussen for his crazy idea and thanking ESPN President George 
Bodenheimer and all the folks at Bristol U. for their passion and 
dedication to bringing the wonderful world of sports into living rooms 
24 hours a day, seven days a week. I am proud to say that ESPN is in 
the First Congressional District and I wish you 25 more years of 
success.

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