Getting your questions ready
Getting your questions ready
Beat the crowd
10 questions No timer
50 free ESPN trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
ESPN began in 1979 because a fired hockey publicist discovered a satellite transponder was cheaper than he expected. These ESPN trivia questions cover the Bristol launch, the Getty Oil money, the March Madness breakthrough, SportsCenter's anchors and catchphrases, ESPN2, the ESPYs, the X Games, 30 for 30 and the Disney ownership era. Every answer is sourced, with a short explanation so you learn something even when you miss.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What did the initialism ESPN originally stand for?
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network
The full name was dropped in 1985, and the letters have stood alone ever since.
Q 02In which year did ESPN launch?
1979
The first telecast, on September 7, was the debut of SportsCenter, taped before a small studio audience.
Q 03In which Connecticut town is ESPN headquartered?
Bristol
The founders first rented space in Plainville before finding land to build on.
Q 04Bill Rasmussen conceived ESPN in 1978 after being fired by which team?
New England Whalers
His son Scott, also let go by the WHA club, became a co-founder with Ed Eagan.
Q 05Which company bought 85% of ESPN in February 1979, funding the land purchase?
Getty Oil
The oil company wanted to diversify, but it would not fund bids for major sports rights.
Q 06Which brewer bought exclusive beer-advertising rights on ESPN in spring 1979?
Anheuser-Busch
The deal was seen as a major credibility boost for a channel that had not yet gone on air.
Q 07Roughly how many cable subscribers received ESPN's first broadcast?
1.4 million
ESPN2 would launch 14 years later to 10 million homes and grow to 75 million.
Q 08Which anchor joined ESPN one month after launch and stayed for decades?
Chris Berman
He became famous for nicknames and 'back-back-back' home-run calls.
Q 09Early rounds of which event gave ESPN its first big programming step in 1980?
The NCAA men's basketball tournament
The coverage helped turn the event into what is now called March Madness.
Q 10Which analyst joined ESPN's tournament coverage right after being fired as Detroit Pistons coach?
Dick Vitale
'Awesome, baby!' became a catchphrase across four decades of college basketball calls.
Q 11Which broadcast network bought 100% of ESPN in 1984?
ABC
With its backing ESPN could finally bid for major rights it had lost under Getty ownership.
Q 12To which channel did ESPN lose NHL rights while Getty refused to fund bids?
USA
TBS beat it to NCAA college football in the same period.
Q 13How many NFL games did ESPN's breakthrough 1987 contract give it, all on Sunday nights?
Eight
They were the first Sunday prime-time NFL games and dented daytime ratings on NBC and CBS.
Q 14Which ex-coach joined ESPN in 1987 and hosted College GameDay for 38 straight years?
Q 21Who has been ESPN's president since March 2018?
James Pitaro
He took over after John Skipper resigned in December 2017.
Q 22ESPN owns a 20% stake in which Canadian sports network?
TSN
The Sports Network's news show is called SportsCentre, with the Canadian spelling.
Q 23What was the monthly launch price of ESPN+ in April 2018?
$4.99
By 2025 it was folded into a direct-to-consumer app with ESPN Unlimited and ESPN Select tiers.
Q 24Which 30 for 30 film won ESPN its first Academy Award, in 2017?
Lee Corso
ESPN aired the documentary Not So Fast, My Friend on his 90th birthday in 2025.
Q 15In which year did ESPN Radio launch?
1992
Mike and Mike in the Morning and The Herd were among its signature shows.
Q 16Which two niche attractions headlined ESPN2's original 1993 lineup?
Snowboarding and the World Series of Poker
It launched on October 10, 1993, and became the fastest-growing cable channel of the decade.
Q 17Which company bought ABC in 1985, gaining control of ESPN?
Capital Cities Communications
Capital Cities/ABC was in turn bought by Disney in 1996.
Q 18In which year did the Walt Disney Company acquire ESPN's parent?
1996
Disney now holds 72% of ESPN, with Hearst at 18% and the NFL at 10%.
Q 19Which publishing company owns an 18% stake in ESPN?
Hearst Communications
Disney owns 72% and has operational control through ABC Inc.
Q 20Which sports league holds a 10% stake in ESPN?
NFL
It is the same league whose Sunday night games made ESPN a real competitor in 1987.
O.J.: Made in America
It took Best Documentary Feature.
Q 25How much per year did ESPN agree to pay the UFC in its five-year deal from 2019?
$300 million
The contract covered 42 live events a year across ESPN and ESPN+.
Q 26On which channel did the 'BottomLine' score ticker originate in 1995?
ESPN2
It is now used across all of ESPN's networks and once acknowledged Neil Armstrong's death.
Q 27What was the original 1995 name of the vintage-game channel ESPN later rebranded?
Classic Sports Network
It was founded by Brian Bedol and Steve Greenberg before ESPN acquired it.
Q 28ESPN broadcast its first HD feed in March 2003 with which team's Opening Day game?
Texas Rangers
ESPN uses 720p because ABC engineers argued progressive scan handles fast motion and replays better.
Q 29Which school's teams had their own ESPN-run channel, the Longhorn Network, from 2011 to 2024?
Texas
It shut down the day before the Longhorns joined the SEC.
Q 30What is 'The Ocho'?
A block of obscure sports
The name comes from the fictional ESPN8 in the film Dodgeball, and it now runs as a free streaming channel.