Bill Rasmussen, the founder of ESPN, one of the 100 most important people in American sports history and named by Sports Illustrated as one of 40 people who significantly affected the world of sports, has revealed the inside story of the birth of ESPN in his book, “Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN.”

A new paperback edition of the bestselling book is now on sale at ESPNFounder.com for $14.95. “Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN” is Rasmussen’s personal account of the launch of the Total Sports Network that he founded over 30 years ago. On September 7, 1979, ESPN went on the air for the first time. Entrepreneurial daring, irrepressible enthusiasm and a dash of good luck gave the world the first 24-hour television network. Once unleashed upon sports fans, ESPN’s impact forever changed the way we watch television. Rasmussen is the man who had the dream, the founder of ESPN.

A life-long entrepreneur and sports fan, Rasmussen’s book reveals his pivotal innovations in advertising, sports and broadcasting , including the creation of “Sports Center,” wall-to-wall coverage of NCAA regular-season and “March Madness” college basketball, and coverage of the NFL Draft. He broke the advertising barrier to cable television by signing Anheuser Busch to the largest cable TV advertising contract ever.

“Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN” gives sports fans the real insider’s account of a man who changed the landscape of television and sports forever. Imagine a world without ESPN, without 24-hour television channels, and a world of only three television networks. That was the way of the world before Rasmussen’s revolutionary brainstorm, born of adversity and launched despite the odds.

Named “The Father of Cable Sports” by USA Today, Rasmussen was named to The Sports 100, honoring the 100 most important people in American Sports History. His place in sports history was further recognized by Sports Illustrated in 1994, when he was honored as one of the “Forty for the Ages,” one of forty individuals who has significantly altered and elevated the world of sport.

Rasmussen is a gifted raconteur and a popular public speaker discussing American entrepreneurship and the birth of ESPN. He is also a frequent guest on radio and television shows. Rasmussen was recently guest of honor at ESPN’s 30th Anniversary celebrations in Bristol, Connecticut. In further recognition of his role as the father of ESPN, Rasmussen threw out the ceremonial first pitch during ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball coverage of the Phillies/Mets contest on September 13, 2009.

His recent tour of college campuses across America included speaking engagements at Princeton University, the University of Florida, the Center for Sports Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University and the 2010 Maastricht Institute of Entrepreneurship at Missouri Valley College. Rasmussen also recently delivered the keynote address at the Centennial Celebration of Lambda Chi Alpha in Indianapolis.

A United States Air Force veteran, Rasmussen received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from DePauw University and his MBA from Rutgers University.