The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network Quiz

Answer: 1979

ESPN debuted on September 7, 1979 at 7:00 P.M. The first ESPN program was broadcast from Bristol, Connecticut.

Answer: SportsCenter

The television show "SportsCenter", a sporting news television show, has been broadcast multiple times a day on ESPN since the late 1980's. The hour long show discussed the current events in the world of sports as well as showing highlights of games played on that day. On September 13, 2012, the fifty-thousandth episode of "SportsCenter" was broadcast.

Answer: The Walt Disney Company

In the mid 1980s, Capital Cities Communications purchased both the ESPN and ABC networks. In 1996, the Walt Disney Company purchased the Capital Cities Communications which owned eighty percent of the ABC and ESPN networks at the time. Thus the Walt Disney Company became the majority owner of both the ABC and ESPN networks. On November 8, 1990, the Hearst Corporation purchased the other twenty percent of ESPN, Incorporated from the RJR Nabisco, Incorporated company.

Answer: Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer was founded in 1996 as a soccer league in United States with their matches broadcast on ESPN. Major League Soccer was founded after the early years of the ESPN network.

From 1980 through 1985, ESPN broadcast games featuring the National Collegiate Athletic Association football and basketball, the United States Football League, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League. From 1980 through 1985, ESPN also broadcast events such as slow-pitch softball, kick boxing, racquetball, volleyball, karate, Australian Rules football, Irish hurling and tractor pulls.

Answer: National Football League

On November 8, 1987, ESPN broadcast "ESPN Sunday Night Football", a game featuring National Football League teams, for the first time. That night, the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots by a score of seventeen to ten. For this game, Mike Patrick served as the play-by-play announcer while Roy Firestone served as the color commentator.

In 2006, ESPN began broadcasting a National Football League game on Monday night instead of on Sunday night.

Answer: Major League Baseball

On April 9, 1990, ESPN aired three games featuring Major League Baseball teams. That same week, ESPN also began airing a show called "Baseball Tonight" which discussed the daily Major League Baseball games and various current events from the league.

Answer: ESPN2

Due to the growing popularity of ESPN, the network decided to add more television channels to increase programming. Thsu, ESPN2 was launched as a second station to carry sports programming on October 1, 1993.

ESPNews, a station featuring sports news and highlights, was launched on November 1, 1996. ESPN Classic was launched in 1997 as a channel to feature old sports programs. ESPNU was launched on March 4, 2005 as a television station to feature only college sports.

Answer: Off the Record

The sports talk television show "Off the Record" began airing on the Sports Network (TSN) in Canada beginning in 1997.

Over the years, the ESPN network aired such sports talk television programs as "The Sports Reporters" beginning in 1988, "Pardon the Interruption" beginning in 2001, "Around the Horn" beginning in 2002 and "First Take" in 2007.

Answer: yes

On November 18, 2008, ESPN won the right to broadcast the National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game from through 2011 though 2014 on their television network. For these games, Brent Musburger served as the play-by-play announcer while Kirk Herbstreit served as the color commentator.

Answer: 30 for 30

For the thirtieth anniversary of ESPN's debut, the network decided to air documentary films, called "30 for 30", based on events that impacted the sports world during the network's existence. On October 6, 2009, ESPN aired their first "30 for 30" film called "Kings Ransom" which was about the trade of hockey star Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings from the Edmonton Oilers in 1988. In 2012, the "30 for 30" film series began to include sporting topics that happened before the birth of ESPN.