Once upon a time, there was only one way to catch sports highlights on television. At the end of your local 11 o'clock newscast, the good-natured local sports guy would come on and tell you what happened with your hometown teams that night. If there was a big story going on -- say, a pennant race, the Triple Crown, Grand Slam or the Masters -- he'd probably talk about that too, but quickly. After all, he only had a few minutes. Then, on September 7, 1979 -- 42 years ago today -- ESPN went on the air. And sports broadcasting was changed forever.
HISTORY's Moment in Media: ESPN Debuted 42 Years Ago and Forever Changed Sports Broadcasting
