SBJ College: Rasmussen Looks Back On ESPN At 40

I made a friend today. Of course, everyone who spends more than five minutes with ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen feels like they made friend. Rasmussen was in Charlotte today speaking to ESPN staffers about the network’s 40th anniversary, which is this week. The same optimism that made him think a 24/7 sports channel could work is propelling him in his battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Here’s what's cooking on campus:

BILL RASMUSSEN CREDITS COLLEGE SPORTS FOR ESPN SPARK

Rasmussen, flanked by ESPN's Mike Soltys, shared cake with staffers in Charlotte today

• ESPN is celebrating its 40th anniversary this week, and founder Bill Rasmussen, 86, is sharing his best stories with staffers in four cities. Rasmussen is ESPN’s ambassador of sorts for the 40th celebration, which kicked off in Charlotte earlier today. He’ll visit ESPN offices in Manhattan, Bristol and L.A. later this week. I was in Charlotte today to hear him speak to about 150 staffers and two messages rang clear: 1) There was never a moment when he thought ESPN would fail; 2) Without college sports, there might not have been an ESPN in 1979.
  
  
• The turning point for ESPN programming in the early days came when Rasmussen was able to secure rights to NCAA basketball tournament games and other college sports like lacrosse and soccer in the network’s first year. That became important live action on the content-starved network, especially the early-round NCAA hoops games, which previously were not carried anywhere. “Those tournament games really provided some buzz around us for the first time,” said Rasmussen, who did the deal with the NCAA’s former executive director, Walter Byers.
  
  
• Rasmussen’s storytelling skills and recall remain sharp, even though he’s battling Parkinson’s disease. He disclosed the disease publicly through ESPN in July. The same entrepreneurial, can-do attitude that defined his approach to launching a 24/7 cable sports channel is fueling him against the neurological disease. He told the gathering of ESPN staffers today, “Wouldn’t it be great if -- the same way ESPN conquered sports -- we could turn all of that enthusiasm, spirit and talent to raising money and attack Parkinson’s the way ESPN attacks college football.”
  
  
• Check out a short video of Rasmussen discussing what it means to see ESPN turn 40.
   

ATTENDANCE NOTES FROM COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1

• Coming off a 22-year low for college football average attendance last season, the game’s administrators are under pressure to attract more fans. Most of the high-profile games I checked were down again in Week 1. Among the few winners over the weekend: Minnesota. Atop the losers: Southern Cal.
  
  
• Neutral site matchups:
  
  
  • North Carolina and South Carolina in the Belk College Kickoff suffered a sharp decrease at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, despite the connections with two state universities. After 66,793 attended West Virginia-Tennessee last year, only 52,183 turned out to watch the border rivalry on Saturday. Is it fatigue for Gamecock fans? South Carolina has played in the neutral-site opener in three of the game's four years, and intends to return every other year when it’s feasible. That plan might be up for review.
    
    
  • The AdvoCare Classic was down from 2018 at AT&T Stadium. Just over 60,000 took in Auburn's win over Oregon. That's the lowest figure for the game in Arlington since TCU-Oregon State drew 46,138 in 2010.
    
    
  • The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between Alabama and Duke saw a slight increase at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The matchup in Atlanta drew 71,916 fans, up from the 70,103 for Auburn-Washington in 2018.
       
• Other noteworthy numbers:
  
  
  • The first game of the Les Miles era drew 32,611 in Lawrence for Kansas' win over Indiana State, up significantly from the 24,305 who turned out for KU's home opener last year against Nicholls.
    
    
  • Minnesota’s average attendance dropped 15% last season, but the Gophers’ fans showed up in much bigger numbers for the opener at TCF Bank Stadium. The team drew 49,112 for a win over South Dakota State. Last year, UM averaged 37,915 a game -- a 26-year low for the program. The school took a few steps in the offseason to make it easier for the fans to get access, such as introducing an all-mobile pass.
    
    
  • USC drew only 57,329 for its win over Fresno State at L.A. Coliseum. Two years ago, the Trojans had 61,125 for a home opener against Western Michigan. In 2015, USC was a much hotter team, bringing in 79,809 for its season-opener against Arkansas State.
  
   

SPEED READS

• The official Arizona State football Twitter account crossed the 200,000 follower mark over the weekend, putting the Sun Devils comfortably at No. 2 in the Pac-12 behind only Oregon (254,000). Washington State, which will be on HBO's college version of "Hard Knocks" alongside the Sun Devils, sit at 187,000. A presence on the show should help the visibility of both programs.
  
  
• Georgia State provided the upset of the weekend with a win over Tennessee at Neyland Stadium, and social media was not kind. SEC Network's Paul Finebaum tweeted, "I have watched Tennessee football since I was 3 years old and this is rock bottom. Beyond words. Beyond belief." The Knoxville News Sentinel's Wes Rucker: "One of the worst days in the history of one of college football’s winningest programs." The Athletic's Stewart Mandel: "Remember, Tennessee fired its former AD when he was hours away from hiring Mike Leach."
  
  
• Anna Slive Harwood is going to run her father’s foundation on a full-time basis. The Mike Slive Foundation, named for the former SEC commissioner who died last year from prostate cancer, announced this afternoon that Harwood has been named executive director, meaning she will transition out of her position as VP at Birmingham-based Colonnade Group.

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