George Bodenheimer

Sports Executive

"It's a very competitive business we're in... but our culture at ESPN is something we can control. I like to think of it as-- always operate with integrity, respect for your co-workers, and passion about what we're doing here."

About This Interview

In his nearly three-hour Archive interview, ESPN Executive George Bodenheimer describes his early interest in sports. He talks of attending Denison University and getting a job in the mailroom at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. He outlines his early years at the burgeoning cable network, moving up through the ranks from the mailroom to working in Sales and Marketing in several affiliate markets, then becoming VP of National Affiliate Sales, Senior VP of Sales and Marketing, and finally becoming President of the network. Bodenheimer chronicles the growth of ESPN, discussing the launch of ESPN2, ESPN.com, ESPN-HD, ESPNW, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN-3D. He explains the culture at the network, and explores how ESPN has changed both sports and the cable industry. He speaks of seminal programs SportsCenter and Monday Night Football, the latter of which came to ESPN when Disney acquired the network, and talks of important deals with the NBA, NFL, NHL, and NCAA. Chris LaPlaca conducted the interview on November 1, 2010 in New York, New York.